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Chaplain's Page
PAT ROBERTSON, THE DEVIL, AND THE UGLY SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY
I have often thought that a major problem with prejudice and bias between religions is that so often, when we think of our own religion we only call to mind that which is most beautiful and insightful whereas when we think of someone else’s religion we glum onto some negative aspect of it. We could go a long way in fomenting inter-religious respect if we all recognized the insights of the other and if we also had the humility to acknowledge that we all have baggage.
When we think of Christian “baggage” we might think of the Inquisition or pogroms. Unfortunately, not all of our baggage is historical. We’re still lugging a lot of it around right now. Pat Robertson’s callous and arrogant remarks in the wake of Haiti’s January 12th earthquake are just one example.
Mr. Robertson stated that the Haitians had made a pact with the devil in launching their revolt against the French in their war of independence. He intimated that that is the reason Haiti is so poor today and that is why so many calamities have beset the nation in recent years (several hurricanes in recent years, then the quake). For him to demonize the victims is, well, demonic.
Robertson’s understanding of how God acts in the world is, from a biblical perspective, quite primitive. His worldview that bad things happen to bad people and good people are rewarded with health and prosperity is reflected in some of the earliest books of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy, Judges, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, etc.). Collectively, this worldview is called the “Deuteronomistic theology.” While this might have represented mainstream Jewish thinking in 1,000 B.C., it is completely rejected in the Old Testament books of Job and of several of the Prophets of Israel (Jeremiah and Ezekiel, for instance). Jewish thought evolved and matured over the centuries, but evidently many current-day Christians are mired in an un-evolved, immature theology.
It is interesting that Pat Robertson says that the Haitian slaves fighting for their freedom had made a pact with the devil; but he never claims that the French or American slave-owners had made a pact with the devil by virtue of enslaving their fellow humans. People in power make pacts with “the devil” all the time in the name of greed, but such behavior passes without comment from Pat Robertson. Sadly, many observers view Pat Robertson and his ilk as being representative of Christians. That being the case, ¿who can blame them for not wanting to be one of us?
Father Frank
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