Seriously – what were you thinking?
I’d seriously like to know what in the world Robertson was thinking when he suggested that the US State Department “off” Chavez. It’s fine for him to think that privately, but why would he even think about saying that on a nationally-televised TV program? Did he even think about the repercussions this would have on the view of Christianity in our country? It really angers me.
Amen brotha’
Yes… this news from yesteday made me so mad I was actually swearing. Don’t forget, this is the same “evangelical” who demanded the US State Department refrain from “undermining a Christian, Baptist president,” also known as Charles Taylor. It appears Pat Robertson’s opinions of foreign affairs and morality are directly tied to his pocketbook.
Yeah, I was pretty pissed yesterday reading this as well… I didn’t realize he was this corrupt though.. (judgements based around financial gain, etc).
I’m not a Robertson disliker (hate is such a strong word..) …
Well, that was Tuesday. Yesterday morning, he claimed on the same program (the 700 club) that he didn’t say assassination. I have an old dictionary, one from which the word “lie” has not been removed. Pat Robertson made a big lie yesterday. About killing another person.
Reminds me of the joke: Do you know why right wingers always want to put up the ten commandments everywhere? Because they keep forgetting them.
Anyway, later in the day he apologized for his statement.
I was most incensed when the NBC Nightly News lead the story with something to the effect of: This was no radical cleric, but a Christian minister. He’s not like any Christian minister I’ve ever met.
I think the anger you’re expressing is reason enough to no longer exempt so-called “Christian leaders” from the “extremist” category when they go off the deep end like this.
You’ve expressed concerns before about affects comments and behaviors like these have on the view of Christianity in our country (and for the world for that matter).
I think it’s important, if devout Christianity is going to remain a part of mainstream thought and culture, for remarks and behavior like Robertson’s to be condemned, and labeled as “radical extremism ,” and so on. Not to just be labeled as “inappropriate,” as was the statement by the White House.
I’ve taken to calling a lot of the far left the “big puppet crowd” and other such things because their actions simply don’t represent my views. I think the same should be done by mainstream believers towards those like Robertson. Goodness knows I’ve heard plenty about “anti-war extremeists.” Apparently advocating violence is not extreme, but advocating peace is. Paging Dr. Jesus…
The media would like us to believe that there are two sides to this country, the Pat Robertsons, and the big puppet crowd. I think you and I are a lot closer in our beliefs to each other than you are to Pat Robertson, or I am to the big puppet crowd.
My solution? Well, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but I think we all ought to just kill our televisions. Just take them out. It would be a lot easier and a lot less expensive then trying to expect quality programming all the time…
;)
Mitchell,
I completely agree with you. One of the Letters to the Editor in today’s StarTribune mentions that Pat Robertson should be disavowed in the same manner as radical Islamic Clerics. I agree, and I agree with you that the Bush administration should do a much better job of outright condemnation of such extremist comments regarding illegal activities.
Many of us in the “Evangelical Christian community” have had Robertson on the “looney” list for so long we have forgotten that non-Christians don’t recognize there are Christians who want nothing to do with him or his organization and don’t acknowledge his opinions as being anything close to truthful of the Christian faith. We must do a better job of making such things known.