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Pat Robertson: Haitians Were Punished By God for “Pact With the Devil”

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.

For the full story, click here and here.

383 thoughts on “Pat Robertson: Haitians Were Punished By God for “Pact With the Devil””

  1. 30%er:

    correct me if I am wrong but wasnt the Bible, current version anyway written after that? And modified a few times?

    Did Josephus speak of Christians? Or are there any Roman writings calling the people who followed Christ Christians.

    I dont know if you can rely on the Bible for your defense.

  2. 30%er The thing that you may not understand is, IMO, most all here are from the anti religion anti god squad crowd. I know you sense it, but god has a way in order to have his message heard. It is up to the individual to open the eye and ear gates.

    Enter 30%er

  3. 30%er:

    “Festus said with a loud voice,”
    “I am not mad, most noble Festus” Matt Dillon

    you a “Gunsmoke” fan too?

  4. Remember Gyges, we were not discussing when the word was translated into the English language.

    We were discussing when the word first appeared. And it first appeared almost 2000 years ago in the Book of Acts, Chapter 11, verse 26 as anyone can plainly see.

    – ACTS 11:26 – And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called CHRISTIANS first in Antioch.

  5. Here. Perhaps this will help. Here is the dialogue between Paul of Tarsus, and Herod Agrippa II. This is not the first place the word “Christian” appears in the New Testament, but it is the most memorable one.

    – ACTS 26:24 – And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.

    25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.

    26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.

    27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.

    28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

  6. In fact Gyges, I just checked your link to Websters and apparently you overlooked this part of the definition.

    “Etymology: Latin christianus, adjective & noun, from Greek christianos, from Christos”

    So we see the definition you’re using actually explained to you the origin of the word being “christianos”, as my response stated clearly.

    So I’m not sure what the intent of your argument is but the word first appeared in Antioch almost 2000 years ago.

  7. “30%er,

    The word “Christian” is under 500 years old according to every dictionary I’ve checked. The Greek and Latin words are certainly older, and you won’t find me saying that they aren’t. Since this is a discussion about the meaning of the English Word Christian, I would think it’d be pretty clear that I was speaking of the approximate time the word Christian appeared in the English language.

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christian – Gyges

    Wasn’t it you who accused me of playing semantic games earlier?
    I’m starting to think I’m being suckered here into arguing against nonsense. I’m sure that’s not the case but come on. You’re not aware that the word originated with the early Christians at Antioch? It dates back just after the death of Christ. That’s a fact, as it appears in the texts that date back to just after the time of Christ. In fact, are you not aware of the long standing well known dialogue between Paul and Herod?

    “almost thou persuadeth me to be Christian” ACTS 26:28

    This I thought would be a well known passage among an intellectual crowd such as this, given that its been reused and paraphrased throughout the ages in literary and scholarly works. Thou “almost persuadeth me to be Christian” is a famous dialogue.

    And it comes from the book of ACTs, written around 90 AD.

    Of course the English spelling of the word couldn’t have existed at the time of Christ since there was no English.
    None of the words we have from the bible, or any ancient manuscript is in English. All of it was translated from some other language. Hence the word “Christian” first appears in the Greek about 90 AD, give or take. Hence the word is almost 2000 years old. Not 500.

    Do I actually have to explain that?

  10. Empirecookie…

    For a minute there, I thought I was reading theonion.com!!

    He’s so full of it, he must be stepping in it everywhere he goes.

  11. ECookie,

    You are doubting Thomas. Uhhhhmmmmm, I am renaming you Doubting Cookie with a Tress on.

  17. AWWW AY do you want to be my friend.

    We could be the bess of friends, we could go out together,play together and even wear each others clothes, but let me tell ya, don’t mess wit my man Duh, or I’ll beat yo white ass like yo mama did evry saturday moannin. I aint playin wit you none either. Thats two snaps and a twist, get the gist.

  19. Duh, thanks, yea I did. When his son died and wrote Tears in Heaven i’m sure it gave him a big big dose of reality. Even though My Fathers Eye’s was written about his relationship he never had with his biological father when ever I listened to it I always thought of god.

  20. AY,

    This whole Multiple Personality Disorder thing can be very confusing. I should have known that bdaman already knows everything that know.

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