Rev. Pat Robertson appears to have isolated the reason for the decline in miracles and faith in general — education. In a recent answer to why there are more miracles in places like Africa, Robertson explained that in places like Africa people are “simple, humble” and just accept what you tell them.
A viewer named Ken asked Robertson about the miracle gap with Africa and other parts of the world:
Why do amazing miracles (people raised from the dead, blind eyes open, lame people walking) happen with great frequency in places like Africa, and not here in the USA? What can we do to encourage those things to happen here? Is America too far gone for miracles like this? — KEN
Pat Robertson explained that people are ruined by over-education:
“Those people overseas didn’t go to Ivy League schools. Well, we’re so sophisticated, we think we’ve got everything figured out, we know about evolution, we know about Darwin, we know about all these things that says God isn’t real, we know about all this stuff. And if we’d be in many schools, the more advanced schools, we have been inundated with skepticism and secularism. Overseas they’re simple, humble. You tell them God loves them, and they say ‘ok, he loves me’. You say ‘God will do miracles’ and they say ‘okay, we believe him.’ And that’s what God’s looking for, that’s why they have miracles.”
It is a truly embarrassing suggestion that education undermines religion. According to Robertson, religion needs less educated people who simply believe what they are told by people like Robertson.
Blouise,
Keep those magic bunnies out of this!! 🙂
As it IS WRITTEN in the scriptures. .. ..
I have a Ph.D., and I say that the opinion of Blackstone expressed by Virginia C. Armstrong, Ph.D., is malarkey.
I know nothing about Blackstone. Neither does Virginia C. Armstrong, Ph.D.
I guess I heard Blackstone’s name on TV, when I was a kid.
It’s just my opinion, but it’s the opinion of a Ph.D.
A Ph.D. and five dollars will get you a nice cup of coffee at Starbuck’s. Better hurry before prices increase.
What does Dr. Laura think of all this?
How’s that opinion workin’ for ya, Dr. Phil?
Carolyn,
What an eccentric performance! I haven’t seen such a non-stop, rambling network of unrelated data connections for over 40 years!
I’ve been missing similar eccentric performances ever since I stopped keeping company with chronic methamphetamine abusers! Reminds me of the endless concentric fractal designs that they used to draw!
And, in closing, !
P.S. !
Gene,
Excellently researched response. Perhaps, for some, the magic bunnies reside in the brain.
Blane,
“Everything you said prove Pat’s point. You try to apply reason rather than faith which is why more miracles do happen in Africa and countries alike.”
Then you and Pat and I are in total agreement.
You and Pat are using magical thinking to exploit the superstitious of the world. Most of these deluded folks are impoverished. You ask them for the little money that they have. You use the money to scam more ignorant people. You should be proud.
There’s the difference between faith and reason, right there.
@ MIKE SPINDELL . . . The scripture, that mentions the SPROUT of David’s lineage, aka the Messiah or Jesus, is in Jeremiah 23:5,6 ! See also Iasiah 4:2, 11:1, 53:2 ; Jeremiah 33:15 ; and Zechriah 3:8 !
@ MIKE SPINDELL . . . Oh no YOU didn’t ! The Old Testament, which is the Hebrew part of the scriptures, mentioned that the Messiah, aka Jesus would be born through King David’s lineage, a ” Sprout “, fulfilled in Matthew 1:1, 6-16, 9:27; Acts 13:22, 23; Romans 1:3, 15:8,12. Isaiah spoke of this also, ( Isaiah 7:14 – 16, 52:7, 13-15, and Isaiah 53:2 – 12 tells how the messiah would die ! Other Prophets like Micah spoke of Jesus also, that He would be born in Bethlehem, ( Micah 5:2, which was fulfilled in Luke 2: 4 – 11, and John7:42 ! The Gospels and the rest of the New Testament shows the Fulfilment of those prophecies . . . It was Jesus, to whom God was speaking when He said, ” Let us make man . . . ” ( Genesis 1:26 ) and it was also to Jesus whom God said, ” . . . Let us gown down and confuse their language. . . “. Because Jesus was the first of Yahweh’s creation even before anything else was created ( Proverbs 8:22 – 31 ! Yes, Jesus was the Master – worker.! The ” seed “, that would put enmity between man and the serpent, aka Satan, was Jesus, in Genesis 3:15 ! The book of Genesis 49:10 said the Messiah would be born of the tribe of Judah ( Fulfilled in Matthew1: 2 -16 ; Luke 3:23 – 33; Hebrew 7:14 ), and Isaiah 53:1, said that He, the Messiah, aka Jesus, would not be BELIEVED in ! The book of Psalms said that the Messiah would speak with ” illustrations”, which is what Jesus did ( Matthew 13: 11 – 13, 31 – 35 ). Psalms 69:4, said He would be hated without cause( fulfilled in Luke 23:13 – 25, John 15:24, 25 ! Psalms 22:16 said He would be IMPALED, and lots casted for his garments ( Psalms 22;18 ), fulfilled in Matthew 27:35, John 19:23,24 ! REVILED on the stake, aka cross( Psalms 22:7, 8), fulfilled in Matthew 27:39 – 43,Mark 15:29 – 32, PIERCED ( Isaiah 53:2 and Zechariah 12:10 ), Jesus died a sacrificial death for the sins of mankind ( Isaiah 53:5, 8, 11, 12 ), RAISED before he rotted, Psalms 16:8 – 11, ( fulfilled in Acts 2: 25 – 31, 13:34 – 37 ). Yahweh declared His Son, ( by ” spirit ” begetting and by resurrection ), in Psalms 2:7, which was FULFILLED in Matthew 3:16, 17; Mark 1:9 -11; Luke 3:1, 22; Acts 13:33; Romans 1:4; Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 !The scriptures also spoke of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, as being the WAY, the one preparing for the arrival of Jesus, as the Messiah ( Malachi 3:1, 4:5, and Isaiah 40:3 ! Surely you remember that Jeremiah said that babes would be killed after the birth of the Messiah ( because Herod did not want to be replaced ), in Jeremiah 31:15, and fulfilled in Matthew 2:16 – 18 ! God also revealed to Isaiah, that there would be a NEW covenant issued, in Jeremiah 31:31 – 33 ! It was Isaiah who BEGGED the israelites, for 23 years, to stop worshipping false gods, and to turn back to Yahweh, but they did not listen, so Yahweh allowed them to be captured and held captives in Babylon for 70 years ! ( Jeremiah 1:16, 25:3 – 12 ) ! Yahweh referred to the Israelites as being ” stiff-neck ” ( Exodus 32:9, 34:9, Deuteronomy 9:6 ),and being stubborn ( Psalms 78:8, Isaiah 30:1, 65:2 ; and Jeremiah spoke of a STUBBORNESS in the heart of the Israelites ( Jeremiah 7:24, 9:14, 11:8, 13:10,18:12 ), so after all of these years of not accepting Jesus as the Messiah, I do not believe you will do so now ! At least I shared some of what is in the Pentatuch, so it is ALL THERE ! In case you are interested, as to WHY God made a new covenant, it is in Hebrew 8:7 – 13 ! These scriptures can be entered into the SEARCH box, so you can read them. If you do not believe in the Resurrection, then it is in Daniel 12:2 ! Ha ! There you have it. * * * Oh, do you remember the QUAIL incident, in Numbers 11:13, 18 – 20, 31 – 34 ? Especially verses 20 and 33 ! Heehee.
Carolyn,
We Jews who wrote the Torah disagree with the Cjristian interpretation of those passages, that’s why we remain Jews. You of course havr the right to your beliefs, just don’t try to impose them on those who differ.