From God to You
The United States is turning into Sodom and Gomorrah. Yeah, good times…no, not so much says noted Christofascist Pat Robertson. Appearing on his show 700 Club, Robertson went off on what he sees as the many sins of Americans today, and about what he thinks his god is going to do about it. We just can’t seem to do anything right! Somewhere along the way we have not only forgotten that we’re supposed to be combating militant socialism but we forgot that we’re supposed to be spreading the gospel from America to the world. How did the Founding Father’s screw up so badly to leave all that out of our Founding Documents?
Oh boy, are we PWNED now:
Robertson: And I believe that the anointing of the Lord has been here to fulfill the desire of those early settlers, to take the gospel from America throughout the world, and that’s what we’ve been here to do. But let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, it doesn’t take a great scholar to tell you the United States has lost its moorings.
When you think that courts have denied children the right to pray in schools, that there’s a vendetta against religious belief, that now homosexuality has been made a constitutional right, that abortion has been made a constitutional right, the courts and judges have trampled on the early origins of our nation, they have distorted the meaning of the First Amendment. It’s all been done, and we’ve let it happen.
But I was reading today about a place called Sodom and Gomorrah, and a man named Abraham stood before God, and he says, “God, there’re righteous people in that city, would you kill them along with the wicked, must not the judge of all the earth do right?” And God finally promised, “If I can find ten righteous in that city, I will spare it,” just ten. Well the time came he could only find six, so they destroyed Sodom and Gomorra. But there’re many righteous here in America, and we need to band together and pray that God Almighty will spare this great land and reestablish in our hearts the vision of the pioneers.
Right away I see a problem here. Setting aside his persecution complex for a moment, and his free and easy way with facts, science, and the historical record, Pat Robertson is no Abraham, for one thing. Second, there is no evidence whatsoever that any divine agency was responsible for the destruction of any ancient city. People destroyed many of them, as did fires and earthquakes and other natural catastrophes. A third problem is Robertson’s math. An ancient city like Sodom or Gomorrah would have had a very small population. Finding 10 “righteous” people in a city of a few acres in extent is one thing but in a country the size of the United States Robertson’s god would have to allow for more than 10 to make it a meaningful exercise. Hundreds, or thousands at least. Surely there are enough Christofascists like Robertson to be found “righteous” by his god.
It’s kind of frightening to think people still think this way. I mean, is a good with a temper like this somebody you even want to bother worshiping? Really? I mean, if you had a parent who went around killing and destroying when he got pissed off, or terrorizing his children, you’d call the cops and the clown would be locked up. But instead, we’re supposed to love him and believe his assurances that he loves us in return? Really? Really?
Where is Jesus when you need him? The Religious Right, the forces of Christofascism, have entirely lost Jesus. They’ve taken Jesus and his message of love out of the message here; they’ve taken Christ out of Christianity and left us the Old Testament wrath. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see some Christian credentials please, because I don’t know who these people are.
I mean, I thought Jesus died for our sins…Criminy!
Related posts:
- Huckabee Wants to Force Us at Gunpoint to Learn from David Barton
- Numbers Do Not Lie: Christofascism’s Values Are Not America’s
- Tea Partiers and the United States of White Christian America
- Huckabee’s Nightmare Vision of the World Ruled by a Biblical Worldview
- Mike Huckabee Calls for Spiritual Warriors to Lose Jobs for Jesus
Good article. I am constantly amazed at bible thumping people who swear it is the word and the only word. At a suggestion that perhaps the bible is missing some books, it was assembled and edited by people who wanted to create a subserviant role for women, who chose books to validate their vision of their faith, etc, etc. What they say you are voicing, is blasphemy. Absolutely no way to get through to them. They use passages in the bible to validate whatever position they are holding at the moment. If you disagree – blasphemy!!
Have a good week-end – and – I look forward to your next article.
You’re welcome, Pat. What amuses me is that, for example, the Jesus Seminar was roundly condemned by Christians for voting on the Bible. These same people don’t seem to realize that voting is how the Bible was assembled in the first place. The Jesus Seminar only did (with better, more advanced scholarship) what all the early church councils did centuries before: vote on Jesus’ words.
You and Pat Robertson agree that Jesus died for the sins of the hundreds of millions of Christians who have enslaved, tortured and murdered hundreds of millions of people on every continent for 2011 years in Jesus’ name. You can both take your genocidal bible and shove it down your throats and choke on it.
Deman,
Perhaps, just perhaps, you should do a little more reading BEFORE posting hatefilled comments. Hraf is a PAGAN,something he writes about on a regular basis. Maybe, just maybe, you belong over at one of Faux Notion’s hatesites or C4P, Teh Blzae, or anyplace but here.
HH, THANK YOU! Your insight into the Christofascists is always welcome and you once again, hit the spot. These Xtians are everything their Jesus preached against.
Thank you, Eykis…that came out of the blue, being accused of being a Christian of all things. I suppose I need a disclaimer on each article so sarcasm can be more easily detected!
And you’re welcome! I just want to know what happened to Jesus. Inquiring Pagans want to know!
HH,
I am a complete lover of PolitcusUSA and its writers. It is the most informed and insightful political website on the innertubes.
Always,
Eykis
America-along with the televangelist industry-became Sodom and Gomorrah a long time ago (most every industrialized nation does at some point).
What else is new, Pat?
He’s just another wealthy, well-fed, pompous jerk who tries to instill fear in people. There is nothing at all about love or about helping the least among us, only a desire to impose his beliefs on the whole country.
Good call, Anne.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Maybe it’s the other way around, I mean, didn’t Pat support Palin?
Kathleen Baker of politicalgates post…
http://politicalgates.blogspot.com/2011/04/sarah-palin-unreliable-narrator.html
Was posted by Guardian…the code of silence has been broken.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/28/sarahpalin-alaska
Given the fact that the two cities set on what is now known as large natural gas deposits and is also on an earthquake prone region, I doubt any god destroyed them. A spark and a big boom was all that was needed.
The worst sin a person could perform at that time was not helping others who came to you for assistance. Not carrying on with animals and debauchery as the movies would have you think.
as for Robertson, he misreads what America is here for. Lets not forget he is a very wealthy person. America is here to minister to the wealthy and make sure they are happy. Not to spread religion around the world that might preach equality.
“How did the Founding Father’s screw up so badly to leave all that out of our Founding Documents?” asks Robertson.
Sheesh Pat, don’t you read anything besides your self-edited version of the gospel? The one you use to fleece your flock so well. They forgot nothing. They, in fact, were careful to ensure that we be guaranteed freedom ‘from’ any mandatory, state religion.
This same separation of church and state protects your ‘church’ from political intrusion. It allows you to conduct a very lucrative cottage-industry business free from taxation. It allows you to say and believe anything you want behind those closed church doors.
The government only intrudes when you go too far. What I might suggest to Rev Mywayorthehighway is that he grab a needle and practice trying to slip thru the eye. He has been able to contort his mind to the smallest denominator but lets see how it works for his body and fat wallet. Stuck, can’t pass thru??? Yep, I thought so.
Methinks the government should intrude on the Christofascists all over America – these MEGA-CHURCHES should be TAXED. They are given a status of no taxation and they are NOT non-profits.
YES. This would solve our budget crises more than taking away teachers’ pay and going after collective bargaining. Tax the churches. They have been involved in politics for a long time now – which means they want to be taxed, so let’s solve our problems with one stroke of the pen.
On January 14, 1991, on The 700 Club, Pat Robertson attacked a number of Protestant denominations when he declared: “You say you’re supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense. I don’t have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist.”[2
In 2005, Robertson launched "Operation Supreme Court Freedom", a televised nationwide 21-day prayer campaign asking people to pray for vacancies on the Supreme Court, where "black-robed tyrants have pushed a radical agenda." Robertson declared that "God heard those prayers",[4] after the announced resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Many of Robertson’s views mirror those of fellow evangelical pastor/activist Jerry Falwell, who made frequent appearances on The 700 Club. He agreed with Falwell when Falwell stated that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were caused by “pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People For the American Way.”
On the June 8, 1998 edition of his show, Robertson denounced Orlando, Florida and Disney World for allowing a privately sponsored “Gay Days” weekend. Robertson stated that the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and “possibly a meteor.”[10] The resulting outcry prompted Robertson to return to the topic on June 24, where he quoted the Book of Revelation to support his claims. The first hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season,[11] Hurricane Bonnie, actually turned away from Florida and instead damaged the rest of the east coast. The area hardest hit by the hurricane was the Hampton Roads region,[12] which includes Virginia Beach,[13] where the Robertson’s The 700 Club originates.[14] While other hurricanes did hit Florida,[11] none of them hit Disney World.[15]
While discussing the Mark Foley scandal on the October 5, 2006 broadcast of the show, Robertson condemned Foley saying he “does what gay people do”.[1
On the June 8, 1998 edition of his show, Robertson denounced Orlando, Florida and Disney World for allowing a privately sponsored "Gay Days" weekend. Robertson stated that the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and "possibly a meteor."[10] The resulting outcry prompted Robertson to return to the topic on June 24, where he quoted the Book of Revelation to support his claims. The first hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season,[11] Hurricane Bonnie, actually turned away from Florida and instead damaged the rest of the east coast. The area hardest hit by the hurricane was the Hampton Roads region,[12] which includes Virginia Beach,[13] where the Robertson’s The 700 Club originates.[14] While other hurricanes did hit Florida,[11] none of them hit Disney World.[15]
While discussing the Mark Foley scandal on the October 5, 2006 broadcast of the show, Robertson condemned Foley saying he “does what gay people do”.[1
On the June 8, 1998 edition of his show, Robertson denounced Orlando, Florida and Disney World for allowing a privately sponsored "Gay Days" weekend. Robertson stated that the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and "possibly a meteor."[10] The resulting outcry prompted Robertson to return to the topic on June 24, where he quoted the Book of Revelation to support his claims. The first hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season,[11] Hurricane Bonnie, actually turned away from Florida and instead damaged the rest of the east coast. The area hardest hit by the hurricane was the Hampton Roads region,[12] which includes Virginia Beach,[13] where the Robertson’s The 700 Club originates.[14] While other hurricanes did hit Florida,[11] none of them hit Disney World.[15]
While discussing the Mark Foley scandal on the October 5, 2006 broadcast of the show, Robertson condemned Foley saying he “does what gay people do”.[1
On the June 8, 1998 edition of his show, Robertson denounced Orlando, Florida and Disney World for allowing a privately sponsored "Gay Days" weekend. Robertson stated that the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and "possibly a meteor."[10] The resulting outcry prompted Robertson to return to the topic on June 24, where he quoted the Book of Revelation to support his claims. The first hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season,[11] Hurricane Bonnie, actually turned away from Florida and instead damaged the rest of the east coast. The area hardest hit by the hurricane was the Hampton Roads region,[12] which includes Virginia Beach,[13] where the Robertson’s The 700 Club originates.[14] While other hurricanes did hit Florida,[11] none of them hit Disney World.[15]
While discussing the Mark Foley scandal on the October 5, 2006 broadcast of the show, Robertson condemned Foley saying he “does what gay people do”.[1
Robertson repeatedly supported former President of Liberia Charles Taylor in various episodes of his The 700 Club program during the United States' involvement in the Second Liberian Civil War in June and July 2003. Robertson accuses the U.S. State Department of giving President Bush bad advice in supporting Taylor's ouster as president, and of trying "as hard as they can to destabilize Liberia."[17]
Robertson was criticized for failing to mention in his broadcasts his $8,000,000 (USD) investment in a Liberian gold mine.[18] Taylor had been indicted by the United Nations for war crimes at the time of Robertson’s support.
Prosecutors also said that Taylor had harbored members of Al Qaeda responsible for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. According to Robertson, the Liberian gold mine Freedom Gold was intended to help pay for humanitarian and evangelical efforts in Liberia, when in fact the company was allowed to fail leaving many debts both in Liberia and in the international mining service sector. Regarding this controversy, Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy said, “I would say that Pat Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one.”[19]
Robertson has also been accused of using his tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, Operation Blessing, as a front for his own financial gain, and then using his influence in the Republican Party to cover his tracks. After making emotional pleas in 1994 on The 700 Club for cash donations to Operation Blessing to support airlifts of refugees from Rwanda to Zaire, it was later discovered, by a reporter from The Virginian-Pilot, that Operation Blessing’s planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for the Robertson-owned African Development Corporation, a venture Robertson had established in cooperation with Zaire’s dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, whom Robertson had befriended earlier in 1993. According to Operation Blessing documents, Robertson personally owned the planes used for Operation Blessing airlifts.
In 1993, Mobutu was denied a visa by the U.S. State Department after he sought to visit Washington, D.C. Shortly after this, Robertson tried to get the State Department to lift its ban on the African leader.
An investigation by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of Consumer Affairs determined that Robertson “willfully induced contributions from the public through the use of misleading statements and other implications” and called for a criminal prosecution against Robertson in 1999. However, Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley, a Republican whose largest campaign contributor two years earlier was Robertson himself, intervened, accepting that Robertson had made deceptive appeals but overruling the recommendation for his prosecution.[20] No charges were ever brought against Robertson. “Two years earlier, while Virginia’s investigation was gathering steam, Robertson donated $35,000 to Earley’s campaign — Earley’s largest contribution.”
In April 2002, Robertson acknowledged owning a race horse, named “Mr. Pat.” He told a New York Times reporter that his interest in the horse was based purely on its aesthetics. “I don’t bet and I don’t gamble. I just enjoy watching horses running and performing.” He found it harder to explain why he spent $520,000 on the horse and intended it to compete at the track. Robertson sold the horse a month after the Times article was released
On his The 700 Club television program, Pat Robertson has sharply criticized elements of the United States government and “special interest” groups that don’t share his views. In interviews with the author of a book critical of the United States Department of State, Robertson made suggestions that the explosion of a nuclear weapon at State Department Headquarters would be good for the country, and repeated those comments on the air. “What we need is for somebody to place a small nuke at Foggy Bottom,”[22] Robertson said during his television program, referring to the location of the State Department headquarters.
Robertson has repeatedly claimed that Barry Lynn has stated that fire departments cannot put out fires in churches because it would be a violation of separation of church and state. Lynn, progressive organizations like Media Matters for America[23] and conservative groups such as Focus on the Family have all contested Robertson’s statements.
In 1999 Robertson said Scotland was “a dark land” overrun by homosexuals. This caused the Bank of Scotland to drop plans for a business operation with him. Many Scottish customers were unhappy that their bank would do business with him.
On the August 22, 2005 broadcast of The 700 Club, Robertson said of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez:
I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.
On his November 10, 2005 broadcast of The 700 Club, Robertson told citizens of Dover, Pennsylvania that they had rejected God by voting out of office all seven members of the school board who support intelligent design.
“I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city”, Robertson said on his broadcast.
“And don’t wonder why he hasn’t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I’m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that’s the case, don’t ask for His help because He might not be there.”[31]
In a written statement, Robertson later clarified his comments:
“God is tolerant and loving, but we can’t keep sticking our finger in His eye forever. If they have future problems in Dover, I recommend they call on Charles Darwin. Maybe he can help them.”
The lead story on the January 5, 2006, edition of The 700 Club was Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s hospitalization for a severe stroke. After the story, Robertson said that Sharon’s illness was possibly retribution from God for his recent drive to give more land to the Palestinians. He also claimed former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s 1995 assassination may have occurred for the same reason.[34]
The remarks drew criticism from all sides, even from other evangelicals. For instance, Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said that Robertson “ought to know better” than to say such things. He added, “… the arrogance of the statement shocks me almost as much as the insensitivity of it.”[35] Ted Haggard, then president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said that “any doctor could have predicted (Sharon’s) going to have health problems” and that his illness was medical, not divine retribution.[36] The White House called Robertson’s statement “wholly inappropriate and offensive”.[37] Robertson was also chastised by Israeli officials and members of the Anti-Defamation League.
Robertson has frequently denounced the religion of Islam and Muslim people. During a 1995 taping of The 700 Club, he called the religion a “Christian heresy”.[48] During a September 19, 2002 episode of Fox News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes, Robertson claimed that the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, was “an absolute wild-eyed fanatic … a robber and a brigand.”[49] On the July 14, 2005 broadcast of the The 700 Club, he claimed that “Islam, at its core, teaches violence.”[50]
On the March 13, 2006 broadcast of The 700 Club Robertson stated that Muslims want global domination and that the outpouring of rage elicited by cartoon drawings of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad “just shows the kind of people we’re dealing with. These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it’s motivated by demonic power. It is Satanic and it’s time we recognize what we’re dealing with.” He finished by stating “by the way, Islam is not a religion of peace.”[51]
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called Robertson’s new comments “grossly irresponsible”. He went on to say, “At a time when inter-religious tensions around the world are at an all-time high, Robertson seems determined to throw gasoline on the fire.”[52]
On the September 25, 2006 broadcast of The 700 Club Robertson stated “It’s amazing how the Muslims deal with history and the truth with violence. They don’t understand what reasoned dialogue is….”[53]
On the November 9, 2009 edition of The 700 Club Robertson stated “Islam is a violent, I was gonna say religion but it’s not a religion, it’s a political system. It’s a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination. That is the ultimate aim. And they talk about Infidels and all this, but the truth is that’s what the game is. So you’re dealing with a, not a religion, you’re dealing with a political system. And I think we should treat it as such, and treat it’s [sic] adherents as such, as we would members of the Communist Party, or members of some fascist group.”
On the February 7, 2007 edition of The 700 Club, Robertson stated that people who have too much plastic surgery “got the eyes like they’re Oriental” and stretched his eyelids in a manner stereotypical of Asians.
On March 23, 1995, Pat Robertson led a television program in which he attacked Hinduism, calling it “demonic”. He said that they worship “idols” and “hundreds of millions of deities,” which “has put a nation in bondage to spiritual forces that have deceived many for thousands of years.” He spoke against the doctrines of karma and reincarnation.[56]
These and other remarks have been repudiated by some Hindus. Dr. Kusumita Pedersen, Director for the Project on Human Rights and Religion, commented that Robertson has employed “almost every negative image and cliché that has been used about Hinduism since the 18th century.”[57]
In his book The New World Order he wrote: “When I said during my presidential bid that I would bring only Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. ‘What do you mean?’ the media challenged me. ‘You’re not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain that those who believe in Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?’ My simple answer is, ‘Yes, they are.’”[58]
David Cantor, Senior Research Analyst of the Anti-Defamation League, points out that such “religious tests for office are unconstitutional. It’s not just a purely a religious statement. It’s a political statement.”
On the January 13, 2010 broadcast of The 700 Club, Robertson blamed the Haitians for making a deal with the Devil during their 1791 slave rebellion, resulting in the Haitian Earthquake of January 12, 2010 and other misfortunes. He told viewers of his Christian Broadcasting Network:
“… something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it, they were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the devil, they said, we will serve you, if you get us free from the French, true story. And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ And they kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free, and ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor.”Robertson has stated, “It is interesting, that termites don’t build things, and the great builders of our nation almost to a man have been Christians, because Christians have the desire to build something. He is motivated by love of man and God, so he builds. The people who have come into [our] institutions [today] are primarily termites. They are into destroying institutions that have been built by Christians, whether it is universities, governments, our own traditions, that we have…. The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has arrived for a godly fumigation.”
Piffle. All this proves is that Pat Robertson is every bit as crazy as he looks and sounds.
[...] a wack-a-mole, Pat Robertson keeps popping up with more unGodly, mean and hateful rhetoric. Today he tells us that Amerika has turned into Sodom and Gomorrah. No prayer in schools, abortions, homosexuals running rampant, and our Christianist principles all [...]
Enough on the would-be prophets of hate and exclusion. You need to check out Sojourners.com to read the thoughts of–well, thinking Christians who live the core belief of compassion.