Seriously, we all knew that Rush Limbaugh is a blowhard, I expect nothing more from him and I do not regret the image he creates for those he claims to represent. In the case of Pat Robertson however... he does more to damage the reputation of Christianity and the church than any other single person I can think of. He represents the worst aspects of the church and it is people like him that make me embarassed to say that I am Christian.
Of course I'm inspired to write this because of his most recent comments, suggesting that the entire country of Haiti is being punished by God because they made a pact with the devil to overthrow the French colonial government in the early 1800's. He surrounds this crap by talking about helping the earthquake victims, just as he wanted to help Katrina victims while at the same time suggesting that the devastation was God punishing the US for abortion. In the same way he talks about what a wonderful man Ariel Sharon is, while suggesting that his stroke is God punishing him because he was willing to consider a Palestinian state. His own website, as well as that of the 700 Club, state that he was simply repeating the claim that scholars have made about a particular slave revolt, and point out that if you watch the entire clip you see that he is filled with compassion and is trying to help the Haitian people. I would argue that this is no defense for his comments. Advocates of slavery and the colonization of African and South American countries believed that they were doing God's work in subjugating the savage heathen, that they were really helping.
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Keith Olbermann sums up my feelings pretty well in this clip.I also loved the response of the Haitian Ambassador on the Rachel Maddow show.
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Basically he is say that if we believe Haiti is cursed because of the "pact with the devil" than we are painted by the same brush, that the entire Louisiana Purchase is a direct result of the slave rebellion.
2 comments:
On another note, what took him so fucking long to punish a country that swore a pact with the devil in what, the 18th century? Way to be timely, God. I always like to wait multiple generations before I mete out my punishments.
I don't like Pat Robertson's god at all. He's capricious, vindictive, and immature; kind of Old Testament-y.
Yeah, well, Satan took umbrage with Pat Robertson, and called the crazy-ass cracker out:
Dear Pat Robertson,
I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.
But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.
Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"?
If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll.
You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.
Best, Satan
(LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS)
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The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published a letter from Satan to evangelist Pat Robertson, responding to his comment that Haiti's persistent troubles, including the earthquake, are due to a pact the nation made with Mephistopheles.
Actually, it wasn't Satan who wrote the letter but Lilly Coyle of Minneapolis writing in the persona of the hellish one.
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