Rev. Pat Robertson often attributes horrific events to God’s wrath as when he explained that the 9-11 attacks and the Katrina disaster were punishments for our sins. Now, Robertson has proclaimed that the earthquake in Haiti was sent by God to punish Haitians for a “pact with the Devil” made to overthrow the French.
Robertson favors that Old Testament God filled with anger and wrathful impulses. On this occasion, in Robertson’s mind, God wanted to kill over 100,000 people because of something that some of their ancestors allegedly did. Makes perfect sense. Here is what the good Reverend said “happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it”:
You know, Christie, something happened a long time ago in Haiti. And the people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third or 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. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another — desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti on the other is the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God, that out of this tragedy, I’m optimistic something good may come, but right now we’re helping the suffering people — and the suffering is unimaginable.
He may be taking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s reference to “Biblical damage” a bit too literally. However, President Obama seem to be offering a rebuttal by promising the Haitians that they “will not be forsaken.”
Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence. If only they had stayed virtual slaves under French rule, God would have been pleased and they would have been earthquake free.
This is line in with Robertson’s prior explanations of God’s wrath in terms of killing people in New Orleans and New York as God’s way of “vomiting” us out:
My only question is why we want to spend eternity with God if he is this horrible being filled with rage and wrath who speaks to guys like Pat Robertson? Isn’t God supposed to be better than us? Even my four-year-old does not hope that her classmates are wiped out in earthquakes when she is mad at them. If this were true, God would be in serious need for intense therapy over his anger issues and violent disposition. It is a bit hard to imagine Jesus saying “serve’s em right, Pop, for that stuff that their ancestors did over two hundred years ago.”
By the way, I missed that history lesson about how all of the Haitians swore a pact with the Devil. There are sacrificial and voodoo practices certainly on that island, but I was unaware that the whole revolution was one big Satanic movement.
There is no such “true story” about a nationwide pact with the devil. There were various revolutions by people like Padrejean in 1676 and François Mackandal in 1757. Robertson seems to be referring to Dutty Boukman who helped led the uprising in August 1791. He was a houngan, or Haitian priest, who held a traditional ceremony in which a pig (symbolizing the power of nature) was sacrificed and an oath administered to the fighters to be fearless in battle. However, accounts of his words notably omit Robertson’s alleged pact:
h! Eh! Bomba! Heu! Heu!
Canga, bafio té!
Canga, mouné de lé!
Canga, do ki la!
Canga, do ki la!
Canga, li!We swear to destroy the whites
and all they possess.
Let us die rather than fail
to keep this vow.
Indeed accounts have him referring to God not Satan for some old-fashioned wrathful justice (which would seem to appeal to Robertson:
“The god who created the sun which gives us light, who rouses the waves and rules the storm, though hidden in the clouds, he watches us. He sees all that the white man does. The god of the white man inspires him with crime, but our god calls upon us to do good works. Our god who is good to us orders us to revenge our wrongs. He will direct our arms and aid us. Throw away the symbol of the god of the whites who has so often caused us to weep, and listen to the voice of liberty, which speaks in the hearts of us all.”
For more on this oath, click here.
Of course, even if there was a pact with the Devil, God can really keep a grudge. Over two hundred years later, he kills over one hundred thousand people to teach their long-dead ancestors a lesson. I find that hard to believe, though I am warming to the idea of God sending Pat Robertson to punish us for our sins.
Mespo “30%’er promulgates the myth that words don’t mean what they say and context can make a word means its opposite.”
Article I Section 9 “No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.”
Oops! See Callard v. Bull
Early Morning Swim: Keith Olbermann Blasts Limbaugh Comments on Haiti
By: Blue Texan Friday January 15, 2010 5:00 am
There isn’t a human tragedy too big for the drug-addicted draft-dodging sex tourist to politicize.
RUSH: No, I’m not evading it at all. If I said it I meant to say it, and I do believe that everything is political to this president. Everything this president sees is a political opportunity, including Haiti, and he will use it to burnish his credentials with minorities in this country and around the world, and to accuse Republicans of having no compassion. […]
CALLER: [A]re you implying that the Huffington Post as the one and only resource that I [read]? I even watch Fox News once in a while.
RUSH: No, no, no, no, no. I’m not implying that. … What I’m illustrating here is that you’re a blockhead. What I’m illustrating here is that you’re a closed-minded bigot who is ill-informed. … And if you had listened to this program for a modicum of time you would know it. But instead you’re a blockhead. You’re mind is totally closed. You have tampons in your ears. Nothing is getting through other than the biased crap that you read
Sorry Mike S. but I see 30%’er as the classic bobber and weaver not a TKO specialist. The Bible is either the unerring word of the Creator or it’s not. If it is, it expressly sanctions slavery, sexual slavery, child killing, misogyny, and all manner of religious retribution. 30%’er promulgates the myth that words don’t mean what they say and context can make a word means its opposite. Sorry no sale here. Religionists all have the same flaw and the same burden: they allow that no evidence can falsity their beliefs. When one refuses to accept or even acknowledge contray evidence, their views should be weighed accordingly.
Elaine M:
I have not seen the movie,but due to your recomendation.I am on it.Thanks!
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
I’m not throwing Robertson in that group, but suffice to say that they are out there.
A Christian is defined as a follower of Christ, if they don’t follow Christ in both word and action then they are not a Christian. Obviously some are more loyal than others, and some just self-serving crooks.
30%er where is the scripture where Jesus says there will be those that are coming in my name that are not of me.
How bout those who have added to my word greater of that will be thrown upon you and those who subtract from my word greater of that will be thrown upon you.
I know this is not exact but will you please reference.
Craih also wrote, directed and starred in a 2003 movie called “I’ll Be There,” which was a cute little comedy and quite enjoyable.
enibob–
Thanks for the video clip. I LOVE Craig Ferguson. He’s IS the funniest guy on television. He’s on the list of My Favorite Men in the World.
I love the song/dance/puppet numbers on his show.
Ferguson Singing MmmBop
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhPkyrHmaN4&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Have you seen his movie Saving Grace? I believe he helped write the screenplay.
30%’er,
I’ve followed your counter punching through the entire thread with fascination. To me you win with a TKO. I’m especially impressed by your sourcing of the Gospels as the word of Jesus. Many don’t get that distinction. Also your continuing point throughout your writing that just because bad people call themselves Christian, doesn’t mean that they are really following Jesus teachings, is well taken. The problem with people like Bill Maher and Dawkins is they conflate much of their criticism and thereby show a lack real knowledge of what is actually written. I agree with you that Robertson doesn’t represent Christianity and is a con man because you would presume he really has the knowledge of the Gospels.
There is another explanation for his decidely un-Christian attitude and that is that like many Christian Preachers today he diminishes the Gospels by casting Jesus as the avenger from The Book of Revelations, which is probably the most suspect part of the Christian canon. As an outsider it who has nevertheless read the Christian Scriptures I find
this a confounding trend, whose explanation is this is how the State has used Christianity to justify its’ excesses. The short form of this is that Robertson may be quite familiar with scripture, but reads it in light of his own prejudice and personal greed.
We are now moving away from the blame Bush for everything phase.
Says Glover: “When we see what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens, you know what I’m sayin’?”
Eniobob & Buddha,
My wife and I DVR all of Craig’s shows and read his books. He is not only very funny, but very intelligent to boot. Most people in the community I live in have barely heard of him. It’s good to know there are others out there with discrimination.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.
Craig Ferguson is probably the funniest guy on television today.
At the 2:06 mark he starts to hit it out of the park:
Very very refreshing 30%er. Thanks for sharing
Bob,
No, I’m not seriously surprised a bit at any nugget of hate that spews from Robertson’s spiteful pie hole. That devil eats with his mouth open. Appalled and throughly disgusted without doubt but surprised not even an angstrom. I should mention “annoyed” too but that has less to do with Pat than with hypocrites in general.
Thanks again for being civil. No more questions tonight.
By the way don’t take that to mean I frown on the NLT or other versions. In fact they often produce some key insights to passages as they are able to rely on more recently discovered texts.
But for the most part its best to stay with the Authorized version. Its a little more Latin than some of the newer versions but it still remains the best overall translation for the purpose of study and research.
“I don’t understand why the last part of the verse is left out of the NLT version.” -chris
Wow. I am getting a lot of questions tonight.
The NLT (New Living Translation) is a adaption of the Living Bible and tries to rephrase things in a more clear modern English. Problem is they take even more liberties and so more gets lost in translation, and often parts are omitted. I stick with the KJV as it is a standard literal translation.
You just have to get past the old English.
The Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, and Abe Lincoln (not a Founding) were all well-known deists of their time.
They were men of The Enlightenment, not men of Christianity.
The nation’s Constitution specifies, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (Article 6, section 3)
It was a radical move at that time to give equal citizenship to believers and non-believers alike.
The Constitution ensured that NO religion could make the claim of being the nation’s official religion. This was another radical move in opposition to all other “civilized” governments then in power. (England, France, Russia, Spain, etc)
The Constitution does not mention religion, except in exclusionary terms. The words “Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, and God” are never mentioned in the Constitution.
The Declaration of Independence states that the power of the government is derived from the governed. Up until that time, it was claimed that kings ruled nations by the authority of God. The Declaration was a radical departure from the idea of divine authority.
Deists believe God exists, but that He is not directly involved nor does He interfere in the affairs of men. Deists deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, miracles, and any supernatural act of redemption or salvation.
The Founding Fathers were revolutionary and part of their “Grand Experiment” was to eliminate religion from government.
People like Pat Robertson were pure anathema to them.
Some may think of us as a nation of Christians but make no mistake, our Founding Fathers, (and our government) were, and are, not.
(As an interesting aside: The words, “under God” in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address were not in his original notes but were added later by others because people who heard the Address claimed he said those two words. Those claims were disputed by other listeners and by those people who knew him well. Lincoln often compared his views on religion to those of Jefferson and called himself a deist.)
I don’t understand why the last part of the verse is left out of the NLT version.