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PFAW Condemns Pat Robertson’s Comments on Haiti Earthquake
Religious Right Leader says Haiti “swore a pact to the devil”
WASHINGTON - January 13 - People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan today condemned a statement made by Religious Right leader Pat Robertson (VIDEO), who said that the nation of Haiti has been cursed ever since it “swore a pact to the Devil.”
In discussing the earthquake, which the UN says has killed thousands of people, Robertson said:
And you know Kristi, 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'll get us free from the French. True Story. And so the Devil said "OK, it's a deal." And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. That island is Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc.. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. 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.
Michael B. Keegan, president of People For the American Way, issued the following statement:
“Pat Robertson’s comments about the victims of this earthquake are reprehensible. Unfortunately, they fit right in with his history of mean spirited attacks accusing his opponents of causing natural disasters and terrorism. To blame the victims of this disaster for what they’ve been through is appalling. Regrettably, Pat Robertson can’t be written off as an eccentric aberration of the right-wing—he’s still a leading figure in the conservative movement."
“At a time when our attention should be focused on helping the victims of this disaster, Robertson’s comments are beyond the pale.”
14 Comments so far
Show All"And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True Story."
Don't suppose you have ol' Beelzebub's phone number/email/street address so we can corroborate this "true story"? Mmm, didn't think so. What a maroon. His statement is absurd for so many reasons it boggles the mind.
Isn't that how we got free from the British too?
While we're on the subject of deals with the Devil, let's take a look at the the people Pat Robertson deals with. Like Charles Taylor, lately ruler of Liberia, with whom Pat Robertson negotiated a business deal to mine gold. That Robertson's henchmen were believed responsible for the murder of five US Catholic sisters near Monrovia seemed of no consequence.
Too bad the mining venture went belly up, but hey, Charles Taylor was a Baptist and a good christian man.
Speaking of the devil, Pat Robertson also financed death squads in Guatemala.
This is an example of the reasoning behind the Doctrine of Discovery. This year the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Episcopal church repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery.
May the progress in this area be deepened and invigorated.
Five Hundred Yeas of Injustice by Steve Newcomb (on the Doctrine of Discovery)
http://ili.nativeweb.org/sdrm_art.html
a couple of paragraphs from the linked article above:
To understand the connection between Christendom's principle of discovery and the laws of the United States, we need to begin by examining a papal document issued forty years before Columbus' historic voyage In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued to King Alfonso V of Portugal the bull Romanus Pontifex, declaring war against all non-Christians throughout the world, and specifically sanctioning and promoting the conquest, colonization, and exploitation of non-Christian nations and their territories.
Under various theological and legal doctrines formulated during and after the Crusades, non-Christians were considered enemies of the Catholic faith and, as such, less than human. Accordingly, in the bull of 1452, Pope Nicholas directed King Alfonso to "capture, vanquish, and subdue the saracens, pagans, and other enemies of Christ," to "put them into perpetual slavery," and "to take all their possessions and property." [Davenport: 20-26] Acting on this papal privilege, Portugal continued to traffic in African slaves, and expanded its royal dominions by making "discoveries" along the western coast of Africa, claiming those lands as Portuguese territory.
(From there one has the history of the Middle Passage in Haiti continuing to today)
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/Desalin09.html#holocaust09
Look, how much can we believe of a guy that has a degree in divinity AND law. Remember, God spoke to him and told him to run for president, but then I guess God didn't speak to enough people to actually vote him into office. The man is a kook from the get-go, stop giving him free air time or print.
Why is it that Pat and other A-hole preachers never condemn good Christian folk when they are struck by natural disasters. When the midwest is inundated with floods or hit by tornadoes, you never hear these jerks saying it was because of something those unfortunate people did. To blame the people of Haiti for their suffering is not only reprehensible, but it completely ignores the role the US has played in making Haiti hell on earth.
If there is a God and there is justice, people like Pat Robertson will surely burn in hell for multiple eternities.
"Why is it that Pat and other A-hole preachers never condemn good Christian folk when they are struck by natural disasters."
Sure they do. A lot of Christian folks were killed or devastated by hurricane Katrina, the cause of which was, as Pat Robertson described on his TV show:
"We have killed over 40 million unborn babies in America. I was reading, yesterday, a book that was very interesting about what God has to say in the Old Testament about those who shed innocent blood. And he used the term that those who do this, "the land will vomit you out." That -- you look at your -- you look at the book of Leviticus and see what it says there. And this author of this said, "well 'vomit out' means you are not able to defend yourself." But have we found we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some of the attacks that are coming against us, either by terrorists or now by natural disaster? Could they be connected in some way? And he goes down the list of the things that God says will cause a nation to lose its possession, and to be vomited out. And the amazing thing is, a judge has now got to say, "I will support the wholesale slaughter of innocent children" in order to get confirmed to the bench ... that's the litmus test that's being put on, the very thing that could endanger our nation."
So clearly, someone having an abortion was the direct cause of Katrina. (Or was it the fact that there is a lot homosexuality and promiscuity in New Orleans? I've read that from the Right as well. Who knew that two men kissing could alter the weather patterns in the Atlantic Ocean???)
Way to go Pat! Stick foot in mouth AFTER you step in the dog shit.
Small problem, Pat. Napoleon III ruled from 1852 to 1870. The Haitians revolted in 1791 and earned its independence in 1804. When Napoleon I was emperor. If you can't tell the difference in temporal rulers, how can we trust you about the spiritual rulers?
Surely there is dirt on this overtly religious person. He should watch his words.
I was digging around in the web this evening and found this headline-
Collapsed CARIBBEAN MARKET Sat On Huge Cache of COCAINE and DRUG MONEY. Owners Block Rescue Attempts. Many Died In Direct Result.
http://www.haitian-truth.org/
I looked a bit more into the site, and there is a TON of information there that you all will find a very interesting read.
"very interesting" indeed, but is it all true?