On his Christian Broadcasting Network today, Pat Robertson told viewers :
And you know, Christy, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it, they were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and 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 Prince, true story. And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ And they kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free, and ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor . . . the Island of Hispaniola is one island cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is, is, prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty, same Islands, uh, they need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God. And 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.
Making embarrassing pronouncements that cause evangelicals to cringe is what Robertson does best. But he has topped himself with this one. This is the most crass, insensitive, and downright stupid comment he has ever made.
For decades we evangelicals have been trying to distance ourselves from Robertson. As Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in 2004, “I think he speaks for an ever-diminishing group of evangelicals on most issues.” Dr. Land was being generous. Robertson has been completely out of touch with the mainstream of evangelicalism for . . . well, forever. I don’t know anyone who would claim to be represented by him much less want to be associated with his comments.
The collected lunacy of Robertson could fill several volumes but I thought I’d share a few of my favorite quotes that reveal the breadth of his wit and wisdom:
On Ecumenism
“You say you’re supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense, I don’t have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist. I can love the people who hold false opinions but I don’t have to be nice to them.”
—The 700 Club, January 14, 1991
On Pluralism in Government
“Individual Christians are the only ones really—and Jewish people, those who trust God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—are the only ones that are qualified to have the reign, because hopefully, they will be governed by God and submit to Him.”
—Defending his stance that only Christians and Jews are fit to hold public office, The 700 Club, January 11, 1985
“If anybody understood what Hindus really believe, there would be no doubt that they have no business administering government policies in a country that favors freedom and equality.”
— The New World Order (p. 219)
On the Homosexual Agenda
“[Homosexuals] want to come into churches and disrupt church services and throw blood all around and try to give people AIDS and spit in the face of ministers.”
—The 700 Club, January 18, 1995
“Many of those people involved with Adolf Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals—the two things seem to go together.”
—The 700 Club, January 21, 1993
“Many observers say that AIDS is the hammer and gun of the homosexual movement, an effective vehicle to propel the homosexual agenda throughout every phase of our society.”
—The 700 Club June 20, 1990
On Feminists
“N.O.W. is saying that in order to be a woman, you’ve got to be a lesbian.”
—The 700 Club, December 3, 1997
On the Flying of Freak Flags
“I would warn Orlando that you’re right in the way of some serious hurricanes and I don’t think I’d be waving those flags in God’s face if I were you, This is not a message of hate; this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It’ll bring about terrorist bombs; it’ll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor.”
—The 700 Club” June 6, 1998 speaking about “Gay Day” at Disney World
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