Pat Robertson – southern Baptist and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and various other religious organisations last week stated that Haiti’s founders had sworn a “pact to the Devil” in order to liberate themselves from the French slave owners. He indirectly attributed the earthquake to the consequences of the Haitian people being “cursed” for doing so and said the quake was a “blessing in disguise“.
CBN later issued a statement saying that Robertson’s comments “were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French.” Various prominent voices of mainline Christianity promptly denounced Robertson’s remarks including this two word message from Pastor Chris Owens.
As a faith health he was surrounded in controversy claiming to have the power to deflect hurricanes through prayer. He’s claimed Protestant denominations harbor the spirit of the Antichrist, denounced Hinduism as “demonic” and Islam as “Satanic.” Robertson also had financial ties to former presidents Charles Taylor (Liberia) and Mobutu Sese Seko (Zaire), both internationally denounced for their systemic human rights violations.
Robertson also predicted the end of the world in 1982.
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I think this was an interesting response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoWOw8Jm5w&feature=youtube_gdata
no surprise, what a muppet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9DH-o_kP-Q&feature=player_embedded
And to think that it’s almost a year until the next New Humanist Bad Faith Award. He’s obviously trying to get his entry in early.
meanwhile in brazil: the Haitian consul in são paulo, George Samuel Antoine, has stated that African people are cursed…. well, his words were “the tragedy there is good for us here, makes Haiti a known place (…) I believe that with all the voodoo and those things… the African people are cursed. everywhere where there are Africans is all f*** up”…. the article, in portuguese, can be read here: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/mundo/ult94u679672.shtml
and the video where he makes the statement, also in portuguese, can be watched here: http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultnot/multi/2010/01/14/04021B3266D4990326.jhtm?consul-haitiano-afirma-que-o-africano-em-si-tem-maldicao-04021B3266D4990326
Seem to recall it being god who had the rep for genocidal tendencies, according to the bible.
how can someone who is supposed to inspire so much hope through the power of our lord turn around and inspire fear into the world in relation to one of the biggest tragedies we have seen in some time. It is sad enough how many people died in haiti, whast they dont need is a preacher saying that they had it coming because of some deal with the devil. No one deserves what they went through regardless of what the most hypocritic organization on earth has to say about it.
Ugh, I had just watched a clip of Pat saying that. He’s always saying stupid things. <3 that you linked to Rachel :]
I think the devil put pat robertson on the earth to punish us for something, it was probably something I did. Sorry about that.
WHAT A TOTAL NUT JOB. Crazy people are just crazy but crazy religious people are downright FREAKY.
‘A mark made by a pointed instrument; a puncture; a point.’ = Pat Robertson
Launching a little challenge to see if you can sum up Pat Robertson in no more than three words. Okay, I’ll go first:
Insensitive prick
Thank you Helen. A newsreader saying the word crap, I feel like such a kid.
So where can I get a voodoo doll of this Pat Robertson and some pins?…
Lots of stories, some true, will pop right now re Haiti. Some should have been out there before already, as it is too late in some ways (badly built houses etc). Not that I doubt that my house would probably not survive an earthquake either.
Terrible situation. As there are too many already. I can imagine that you wont stop searching if you’d been living there and had the energy and tools and such (left) for it. For those who are still alive underneath.
Pat Robertson never ceases to amaze. How can such a cold, calculating evil bastard sit at the helm of an organization that masquerades as a organization that is all about love..
Lily Coyle said it well in her letter to the Editors of the Star Tribune Yesterday.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/81595442.html
I am sorry being British I find this all very confusing. Pat Robinson – what relevance is this man. He is clearly a stupid idiot. Thats a given. But in Cornwall in my town there are lots of stupid idiots. I see them, I dont listen to them, and I pass them by. They do not make it on to U Tube or anywhere else because clearly they are unimportant idiots. Soooooooo my question is this: Who is the idiot, Pat Robinson or are the idiots you lot who listen to him, provide him with an outlet and then provide him with publicity? Just refuse him airtime and column inches and he dies a publicity death. Very simple really. Or you could carry on watching him and promote him further.
- There has been a hefty and heartfelt backlash against him. The question we need to ask is – is this man satan? – Phillis
Quite enjoyed this online skit of an exasperated god taking a personal phonecall from Pat Robinson, part of the “Mr Deity” series…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BvRTd-GGQw
But seriously, Pat is one of those evangelists who really shouldn’t bother with the weather forecast, as he knows all the really bad hurricanes and tornadoes are going to hit where there are large concentrations of ‘sinners’. Except aren’t the most devastating examples of tornadoes experienced in the US Bible Belt?
I think this is your basic confirmation bias in action.
doh see so irrelevant is this Pat twat that I got his name wrong . . see its easy to do just ignore the twat.
@Phillis – I know who he is really Phillis I was being ironic. The fact is that it is stupidity which promotes such an idiot. Stupidity that in 2010, we tolerate a man like this in the public eye. If he was someone on a street corner yelling the tripe this scumbag spews he would be arrested for it. Inciting a riot. Antisocial behaviour. Yet for some reason his opinions are given credence but the reason is not that his opinions are valid. It is because they are shocking. So that makes people watch and comment. So thats why they feature him. If we just laughed and didnt watch or comment he would vanish into media obscurity followed by a quick ambulance ride to the nut house.
This show is shown on Disney Family Chanel for how much longer I don’t know.
Joyce – This is shown on the Disney Channel? On one level I’m shocked, but on another I guess this kind of bizarre thinking is endemic in any animated Disney feature you care to think about.
Character is sad: it rains. Character is happy: Bright glorious sunshine. Villain is in a filthy/ evil/ stroppy mood: thunder and lightning and the occasional earthquake. For a typical example of this in action, check out the last half hour of the Lion king!
I guess if you’re brought up to think this is normal, it’s probably a natural kneejerk response to apply the same principle to all natural disasters, but I would have hoped someone of Pat’s advanced years would take a reality check once in a while and realise it’s only done in the movies for cheap dramatic effect, not as hard hitting evidence that god is tuned into everyone’s moodswings.
He’s on the Disney Channel? That is a good example of the danger of people falling into the trap of thinking that religion is a Good Thing. It’s just a Thing, and there are people who use it for good and others who use it for ill. I hope Disney have learnt their lesson.
nutcase