Leave it to Pat Robertson to take an enormous catastrophe with unimaginable human cost, add a little divine insight and come to the glorious conclusion that:
They deserved it.
Obviously I’m paraphrasing. What he actually said was:
They were under the heel of the French. They got together and swore a pact with the devil. They said we will serve you if you get us free from the French.
It is true that these types of doucebags are better left ignored, but it makes me wonder what the response to comments like these would be if they were not made by a religious madman? What if Micheal Ignatieff, Stephen Harper, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, etc made them? I’m sure the news would be alight for months over it.
Luckily, most world leaders aren’t such bigots, but why do we let religious leaders get away with this? I ‘d like to call upon moderate Christians to discredit this guy from within their own ranks.
Eamon Knight has pointed me to this collection of comments from Christians that are standing up against Robertson collected by Hermant Mehta. Good for them, it’s good to see that people are recognizing that the middle east is not the only place you find dangerous fundamentalism.
2010/01/14 at 11:35 am
As they say, here is “more on” Robertson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson#Business_interests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson_controversies
2010/01/14 at 11:50 am
I am not sure if our Canadian government is not now run by people who agree with Pat Robertson. Remember people like the member of parliament for the Pembroke area Cheryl Gallant – Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke has been muzzled by Stephen Harper because she impacts Harper. Her thinking is so Pentecostal. She risks Harper taking the majority God wants him to have to divert Canadians of on their secular path towards eternal damnation. We will only know when Harper gets his majority and destroys what we know and love about the place, it is a liberal country.
2010/01/14 at 12:21 pm
Meh. I dislike Harper & Co for all sorts of reasons, but I don’t think he’s as batshit insane as Pat.
Re Tony’s last paragraph: Friendly Atheist posts several negative responses from Christian sources: http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/01/14/christians-against-pat-robertson/
2010/01/14 at 12:54 pm
Harper is moving Canada towards being a Conservative Christian country. Like Australian’s we will wake up morning at find Government advice on Abortion will be run by the Conservative Christian Churches.
2010/01/14 at 4:37 pm
This is truly a most disgusting individual — and exactly the kind of “abomination” that religion should be condemning but never does.
2010/01/14 at 6:46 pm
Beg pardon, but I already posted a link to Christians doing exactly that.
2010/01/14 at 6:50 pm
It doesn’t happen often enough though. This is not the first time Robertson has said something outrageous like this.
2010/01/14 at 8:26 pm
Quite — but that is not what Justin said. And I recall similar reactions to some of Robertson’s previous pronouncements. Hyperbole has its place in public debate. But when making accusations, precision becomes important.
No doubt there’s an argument to be had about “how much” condemnation is adequate, and pretty much every group displays a reluctance to criticize its own, beyond a certain point.
2010/01/14 at 7:06 pm
Olbermann takes an admirable tone on this:
2010/01/15 at 12:57 pm
Olbermann speaks to us inside our own echo chamber. He is outside of the echo chamber for too many people in Canada who vote for Stephen Harper. Many Canadians agree with Robertson and Limbaugh. Many are now the boards of directors of organizations dealing with criminals, poverty, foreign affairs, drug use and climate change. People who think first is this going to be good for Conservative Christians? Canadians appointed by our Conservative Christian leader, Stephen Harper, because they would never appreciate what you understand from Olbermann’s comments. They don’t see what Olberman sees, that is the psychotic behaviour and the consequences of the lies and ignorance that these two (and Canadian who like them) pass on. Consequence is death. They see consequences being more and more Conservative Christians. Until some tipping point when they can let Jesus control every Canadians daily life. Psychopaths for Jesus.