Friday, January 15, 2010
Pat Robertson - His Comments Reflect Poorly on All Christians
WATCH THE ABOVE SAT NIGHT LIVE CARTOON PARODY OF PAT ROBERTSON
One of the sad aspects of Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti's "pact with the devil" causing the earthquake, is how poorly they reflect on all evangelical Christians.
The morning's national news coverage of the earthquake included clips of Robertson's remarks, and the White House response.
Robertson is no Benny Hinn or Creflo Dollar - he is considered by most outside of evangelical Christianity to be a main stream evangelical - and when he makes a fool of himself the media will jump at the chance to showcase his stupidity.
I came across the above Saturday Night Live video from 2001 that demonstrates this. This was made just after Robertson declared that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke because he was "dividing God's land". I think the video does a great job of showing the absurdity of his theology.
This video is as much of a slap at Robertson's viewers and contributors - and maybe all evangelicals - as it is at Robertson himself. The audience to whom Robertson is dishing out his declarations of the judgments of God in the cartoon are small, gullible children and a red smurf-like object with a blank expression.
To those of us in the SBC: are Brunson's comments declaring the economic recession to be a judgment of God because of Christians who don't tithe any less ridiculous and irresponsible? I think not, but thankfully they aren't getting any national air time.
Mike Everson, the former Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Committee Chairman, which is the 2nd most powerful position in the State of Ga Baptist Convention and now (may GOD help us ) - a "Consultant" or as he persuaded them to change the title to "Missionary", has been saying this kind of Junk for years and spreading it like Kudzu (along with much more deceptive actions)
ReplyDeleteWe are in a mess and I have quit even listening to any of them.
I just read the Bible and study the word on my own and then pray for discernment.
No 10% tithe needed either!
Hey, first to comment.
ReplyDeletePat Robertson's comments don't reflect poorly on all Christians.
I am afraid Pat Robertson is senile. What he said is so crazy -it's unbelievable.
However, there is someone in America who is very grateful to Pat Robertson for what he said.
Harry Reid!
Well, not to be outdone, Pat Robertson may also have reason to be thankful today.
For Danny Glover!
Danny Glover said that the earthquake happened because of Global Warming and the failure of the summit at Copenhagen!
I submit that Mr. Glover's argument comes from a fruitcake mind that is as confused as Robertson's is senile.
But Glover's comment doesn't reflect poorly on all those who believe in Global Warming anymore than Robertson's reflects on all Christians.
We don't need to be defensive about this. Those of you who want to take that burden on, be my guess. I suggest, however, that you'll be a lot happier just realizing that some old, senile people say some crazy things, whether they be Christians or something else.
Louis
Hey Louis, you weren't quick enough on the trigger!
ReplyDeleteOne might attribute Robertson's comments to senility, but he has made other similar comments over the years, all the way back into the 1990s.
Its not about us taking this burden on or not...the fact is, the media uses his stupidity to mark evangelicals and even Republicans, as he was a Repub presidential candidate.
Louis - I agree this is not about Robertson and his senility. It is, however, about how such a man can persuade/convince so many thousands of Christians to give millions to him every year. Robertson is not the problem, nor is Millionaire Mac. The problem are the loving, generous people who love Jesus so they believe these guys and give them millions of dollars for them to build their personal and family wealth.
ReplyDeleteJust like Reverend Wright is a nut that can be dismissed, but it sure made Obama look bad that he listened to the guy. So does it also make all those at FBC Jax who love and revere Millionaire Mac look ridiculous. And yet they keep giving millions every month and he still schedules the cruises, brings on family and friends to the staff, and angrily preaches a lie about tithing. We are a sad bunch for sure when we follow men like Robertson and Brunson. At least Robertson is not robbing God by taking the tithes of the people.
Ugh. The whole thing makes me sick. And I really hope everybody is giving something to Haitian people.
ReplyDeleteI gotta get quicker to be first, huh?
ReplyDeleteRobertson has been quirky for years, true. But I really do think he has gotten senile. Remember when he praised China's "one child" policy? And he's pro-life.
What happens with guys like Robertson and Wright is that they often do a lot of good and bring hope to people's lives in other ways - so people follow and give money. Makes no sense to me, but that must be what's happening.
I think that Robertson is getting pretty good smack down from everyone.
Louis
One only has to Google "Pat Roberson quotes" to get a good idea of how "senile" this guy's been for the past 30+ years, but this has to be my favorite.
ReplyDelete"I have a zero tolerance for sanctimonious morons who try to scare people."
-- Pat Robertson
Pot, meet kettle!
A few more quotes from false prophet Pat Robertson:
ReplyDelete"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."
**********
"I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period."
**********
"The key in terms of mental ability is chess. There's never been a woman Grand Master chess player. Once you get one, then I'll buy some of the feminism."
**********
"I think the sky is blue because it's a shift from black through purple to blue, and it has to do with where the light is. You know, the farther we get into darkness, and there's a shifting of color of light into the blueness, and I think as you go farther and farther away from the reflected light we have from the sun or the light that's bouncing off this earth, uh, the darker it gets. I think if you look at the color scale, you start at black, move it through purple, move it on out, it's the shifting of color. We mentioned before about the stars singing, and that's one of the effects of the shifting of colors."
**********
"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
**********
"God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says 'This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine.' ... He was dividing God's land. And I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations, or the United States of America.' God says, 'This land belongs to me. You better leave it alone.'" --Pat Robertson, on why Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke
**********
"Well, I totally concur." –-Pat Robertson to Jerry Falwell following the Sept. 11 attacks, after Falwell said, "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say: 'You helped this happen.'"
**********
And how can we forget Robertson's claiming that it was his prayers which caused hurricanes Gloria (1985) and Felix (1995) to change course and miss his Virginia Beach headquarters?
Pat Robertson: "Liquor Officer"
ReplyDelete"I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period."
ReplyDeleteHe is correct on that one.
He is correct on that one.
ReplyDelete___________________________________
Maybe he is. But how some jerks will interpret it and apply it from a pulpit, and how some morons will implement it in their home, is what scares us dads that have daughters.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period."
He is correct on that one.
January 15, 2010 3:36 PM
Sort of. "Man" is the "head" of "woman", just as God is the "head" of Christ -- "head" means source, not authority or boss.
The lost man is sancified by the believing wife. Think on that for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI like this:
ReplyDelete1. The order of creation, with the man created first, indicates God's design of male headship in the male/female relationship (Gen 2; 1 Tim 2:13). Actually, by order of creation, if you go first to last, grass is in charge as the first living creation. Given the fact that more men spent time on their lawns than in their churches, this might be right. If you go lowest to highest, men still lose as women were the final creation. (Gen 1:1-3, 2:1)
2. The means of the woman's creation as "out of" or "from" the man bears testimony also to the headship of the male in the relationship (Gen 2:23; 1 Cor 11:8). Under this argument then, men are lower than dirt since that’s what they were created from. (Gen 2:4-25) And honestly, if men were so perfect, why did they need help anyway?
"The lost man is sancified by the believing wife. Think on that for awhile."
ReplyDeleteMakes just as much sense as saying the husband intercedes on behalf of the wife and is the one who will ultimately stand before God and answer for her (and their children).
New BBC Open Forum,
ReplyDeleteThat's a funny article -- she makes some good points. But there are better and more biblically based arguments for male-female equality than her claim that the apostles didn't like women and had boorish attitudes toward them. Maybe she's right, in terms of the apostles being products of their time and culture. But in terms of their writings, the apostles reflect every bit as much of God's attitude toward women as do Jesus' own words and actions. After all, the writings of Paul and Peter and the rest of the New Testament authors are just as much the Word of God as are the teachings of Jesus. And all we have to go on as to what Jesus taught was what the apostles and their close associates tell us in the gospels, anyway.
Not to quibble too much, but I see no need to pit Jesus against His apostles in terms of their teachings regarding women. When rightly understood, they all reflect the same value God places on women, which is nor more or no less than that which He places on men. As far as I can tell, from an eternal perspective (when we are all in the yet to be fully realized kingdom of heaven), gender will be a non-issue, and possibly even non-existant.
I agree, junk. That part made me uncomfortable, too. But overall she made some good points. Just like Pat Robertson has, at times, made some good points.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe lost man is sancified by the believing wife. Think on that for awhile.
January 15, 2010 5:28 PM
I suppose this is referring to 1 Cor 7:
12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
This takes careful study to rightly understand, and a little knowledge of Greek (and/or an interlinear Bible) is very helpful. But key is the meaning of the words "sanctified", "holy", and "save" in this context.
Anon - 3:51
ReplyDeleteI am the post of Anon 3:36 and I have 3 daughters. (And a wife)
Because some "jerks" abuse that doctrine doesn't change the truth. I readily agree that there are those who selfishly and ignorantly abuse it. In all gentleness, it is true nonetheless.
Some links from Suzanne's Bookshelf [Suzanne McCarthy]:
ReplyDeleteIndex posts:
The Intrusive Pronoun: An Index.
Index: CBMW, Grudem, kephale.
Labels:
Junia.
Grudem.
Authority.
The above are in answer "headship of man".
Junkster vs 16 is the key. How does a wife or a husband know that they may be the one and only one who could lead their lost spouse to the Lord. They don't but should show by example that is why it is so important for the saved partner to attempt to win over the unsaved partner. God will deal with both of them in His own way which is always PERFECT!!
ReplyDeleteSort of. "Man" is the "head" of "woman", just as God is the "head" of Christ -- "head" means source, not authority or boss.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 15, 2010 4:29 PM
Right.
Kephale is one of those Greek words that will be debated until Jesus comes back. It has been translated traditionally in a Western since for a thousand years as authority over. But the Greeks would not have recognized it as such. It has several meanings and in many instances in Greek lit means something akin to "point man".
The point man may go 'ahead' but really has no authority. Just better information. It can also be translated in some passages as "source",origin and a sort of preeminance which is a lot like point person.
If the verse in question above is looked at very carefully we see several clues that it CANNOT mean authority over in this context.
1. It would be written as the FATHER is the authority of Christ the Son. Christ is God and God is the "source"of Christ.
2. In Greek, the most important and authoritative is ALWAYS listed first. It is not that way in this passage. It is the opposite and that communicates this important fact to us....
it is not talking about authority but origins or source.
3. But many who like to be first (against the teaching of the Word) have translated it as authority because of the sin in their hearts and the need to have authority over others in the Body and marriage. It is a real shame. We are servants to one another. And in marriage, there is no authority in a "One Flesh Union".
Why would anyone want to teach the consequences of sin from the Fall as virtue? It really mocks God.
One more warning:
ReplyDeleteWhen you hear someone talking about 'headship' you should know instinctively they are wrong. There is no 'headship' at all. It is a made up word that has nothing at all to do with the Greek Kephale translated as 'head'.
The Greeks believed that the head was the source for the Body. We see head/body metaphors all through the NT. It is another reason the church is really called the Body of Christ. He is our source, the origin of the church.
There is NO mediator for any believer between them and Christ. That is why this teaching of head as authority is so very dangerous.
Beware of those who ADD to the Word and make up rules and laws that are not from our Lord.
Matt
"...Robertson is no Benny Hinn or Creflo Dollar"
ReplyDeleteHow about this info about good oh Boy Pat:
"Apparently Pat Robertson is a shrewed business man. He used money from the 700 club to buy the Family Channel and when it began to make profits and became exempt from non-profit status he sold the business to himself and his son - for very little money. In 1992 he made the company public which increased his wealth to about 90 million dollars. Then he sells the Family channel to non other than a man he vilifies in public - Rupert Murdoch."
"In 1997, Pat Robertson sold his Family Channel to Rupert Murdoch for $1.9 billion. Now, with the exception of one program, the entire Family Channel schedule has been scrapped to make room for the new Fox Family Channel. Only Pat Robertson's "700 Club" will remain, a part of the deal when the televangelist sold the channel to Murdoch.
The objective is to produce programs that families can watch as a group, according to Fox Family executive vice president Maureen Smith, but according to the Focus on the Family's Pastor's Weekly Briefing, the new schedule does not reflect that strategy as much as it does the "Fox attitude."
For instance, instead of "Bonanza," viewers will get "Leo-Mania," an unauthorized look at Leonardo DeCaprio. "700 Club" viewers can also catch a Spice Girls concert."
"Then he starts a multi-level marketing company telling people they can make between $10,000- $15,0000/month. He changes the product from coupon books to vitamins in mid air and would not refund the money people paid for the coupon books. It was also found out that the Christian Broadcast Network "loaned" the money for the start up of this company.
His next venture was the DIAMOND business which he was in cahoots with then Zaire, (now The Congo) brutal and filthy rich Dictator Mobuto Sese Seko. He used CBN funds to open this business also and paid the employees the same poverty level wages that the Mobuto did in his mining operations. It also turns out that he used his "Operation Blessing" money to send equipment to his diamond mines."
"A fan of Thoroughbred horse racing, Robertson paid $520,000 for a colt he named Mr. Pat."
"Pat Robertson is a wealthy man. An extremely wealthy man-some estimates put his net worth at 140 million. He lives on the top of a Virginia mountain, in a huge mansion with a private airstrip. He owns the Ice Capades, a small hotel, diamond mines, and until recently, International Family Entertainment, parent company of the Family Channel."
"Robertson's extensive business interests have earned him a net worth estimated between $200 million and $1 billion."
"Its not about us taking this burden on or not...the fact is, the media uses his stupidity to mark evangelicals and even Republicans, as he was a Repub presidential candidate."
ReplyDeleteWD, I attend FBC and I'm a hardcore bleeding heart liberal Democrat so I don't have to worry about it reflecting badly on Republicans.
"I attend FBC and I'm a hardcore bleeding heart liberal Democrat"
ReplyDelete"....“liberal” came to mean, basically, a socialist. Usually, it’s a socialist who believes that the state is dangerous when it arrests criminals or wants to limit pornography or abortion, but should be free to regulate our lives in just about any other way.....including taxation...at much higher rates on vaguely-defined groups they call “the rich” and, of course, those “greedy corporations.”"
This comment doesn't seem to be getting quite as much coverage:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2594693/danny_glover_haiti_caused_by_failure.html?cat=9
Support for Pat from the President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary R. Albert Mohler Jr.:
ReplyDeletehttp://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/r_albert_mohler_jr/2010/01/does_god_hate_haiti.html#comments
Noriega's comment was my favorite. The earthquake was caused by US Missle tests. LOL!
ReplyDelete