What's Wrong WIth Pat Robertson

Though my criticism of Pat Robertson's statement about Haiti was pretty mild, Peter Wehner gets to the core of what's really wrong with what Pat Robertson said:

Pat Robertson’s argument is as neat and clean as a mathematical equation: God grants blessings and curses on nations and people based on their allegiance and obedience to Him. If things are going well, you’re living right; if things are going badly, you’re living wrong. And it is Robertson himself who can divine the hierarchy of sins that most trouble God.

But this view simply does not correspond with any serious understanding of Christianity. After all, the most important symbol in Christianity is the Cross, which represents suffering, agony, and death. When Jesus spoke to Ananias, who was instrumental in the conversion of the Apostle Paul, Ananias was told, “I will show [Paul] how much he must suffer for my name.” Christ Himself warned His disciples that they would suffer for His sake; most of them were martyred for their faith. The Apostle Peter speaks about the suffering that Christians will endure for doing good. And in the book of Romans we read that we are to rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. On and on it goes.

Robertson may deserve our criticism for his statements but not our attention.

Pat Robertson Explanation

Evangelist Pat Robertson has an unfortunate history of uttering outlandish statements at the most inconvenient times. The tragedy of the Haitian earthquake is no exception. Here's his explanation:

On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His 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. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath.

So while I re-tweeted Jonah Goldberg's comment that maybe Robertson so speak less often, this kind of makes sense. Then again, how much better would things have been if Robertson had skipped over all of this and just go to the Haiti-needs-our-help part?

(By the way, Haiti needs our help. Prayers their way. Things look awful and it looks like it's only going to get worse.)