And you won't believe it. Oh hell yes, you will. He says that Haiti made a pact with the devil to get freedom from the French, and that pact with the devil has cursed them since. This, according to the big giant head, is a true story.
H/t to Leighton for this story, and he notes the particular self-centered approach this kind of thing seems to elicit--as if this disaster in Haiti is somehow remotely about us. For Robertson is it affirming that we are better because we didn't make a pact with the devil. For others, it is, in the back of the reptilian part of their brain, proof that those poor Haitians have somehow deserved this fate. It hasn't been about colonialism, or race relations, or global economics. It is about their spirituality v. ours.
I hope we can all find some way to help the Haitians today. It is not easy to do, when we live as far away as we do. Perhaps starting by donating to one of those excellent organizations that is doing the hard work. It isn't much, but it is something.
Donate | Doctors Without Borders
Donate — Oxfam America
6 comments:
Lord, have mercy on those poor people, and on us in our sins.
I simply can not understand how Rev. Robertson can be so consistent on this issue, blaming the victims.
Who still watches Robertson. I occasionally post on a conservative, Christian leaning forum and people were calling him a "fool" and a "worthless pile of fecal matter," just to name a few. There wasn't a single post supporting him. Moron.
I think Pat's audience is not growing and he is losing ground. But Rush? He seems to be doing quite well.
I think Rush saw a boost when Clinton was in office, so it only stands to reason that he will see another boost. I think he is also helped by many people moving away from network news, in general.
My pastor condemned Robertson's comments from the pulpit on Sunday. But the uncomfortable truth is that, if one accepts the Bible as the Word of God, then Pat Robertson is right (if not about Haiti specifically, then in general). Bible-believing Christians (and Jews) who want to distance themselves from Robertson have to ignore some of the pivotal stories of the Bible: the Flood, the plagues of Egypt, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, most of the Book of Revelation. For thoughtful believers, the real challenge is to reconcile our view of a loving God with the wrathful God of the Bible.
Yeah, Kevin, I disagree. For one thing, Pat (and you) seem to be wrong on the history. Do you know how much money Haiti had to repay France? The devil in this scenario is France, not some Satanic figure. Second, the theology sucks. It is imposing an OT world view on a NT world--if you are a NT Christian.
What is amazing to me from a theological/philosophical question, is that America defended slavery until 1865, and then allowed segregation, lynching, and the complete disfranchisement of African Americans until 1965. Yet, America is never cursed--well, until they took prayer out of schools.
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