Pat Robertson – Really?
First of all, it’s been nearly two months since my last post and I apologize for that. Getting back into my routine here at school ought to be conducive to regular posting.
That having been said, I have a few brief thoughts about Pat Robertson’s recent comments regarding the devastation in Haiti this week. For those who are unaware of what was said, Robertson suggests that Haitians made a pact with Satan decades ago, agreeing to serve him in exchange for independence from French imperialism. Furthermore, he claims that chronic Haitian poverty and natural disasters are consequences of this pact.
As an American, a Christian and someone who likes to think he has a healthy conscience, I initially thought these comments to be a joke. When I realized how serious he actually was, I felt obligated to speak my mind.
First of all, there is not even the most remote evidence that Haiti banded together as a country and made a pact with Satan. None whatsoever. There is no history of the occult dominating Haitian religion, nor is there a significant Satan worshipping population in Haiti. And even if there was evidence of a deal with the devil, there is no evidence that any such attempted pact would actually have any practical value. This is the kind of hocus pocus nonsense that has led to Evangelical Christianity’s decreasing credibility and relevance in a world that is becoming more socially progressive and humanitarian.
Secondly, I ask Pat Robertson: has it ever occurred to you that Haiti’s chronic poverty, food shortages and social problems may the result of ineffective administration, rather than some nonexistent deal with the devil that you obviously made up? The 2006 Corruption Perception Index ranked Haiti as the single most politically corrupt out of 166 countries observed for its report. Perhaps Haiti’s history of economic and political dependence on France has created difficulties in establishing respected and effective administration? This is a country that has only had a constitution since 1987 and since then has experienced six years during which the constitution has been suspended and is still recovering from a coup that completely changed the face of Haitian government in 2004. Poverty stems from prohibitively high food prices. Not from Satan.
Finally, natural disasters in Haiti are the result of Hispañola’s position on the edge of the Caribbean tectonic plate. Not the will of Satan. The areas where these plates collide and move are hot spots for earthquakes, volcanic activity, etc. Very, VERY basic geology explains this crisis. The closest thing I have ever taken to a geology class was 8th grade science, and even I knew that. I really challenge Pat Robertson’s (or any televangelist’s) credentials in evaluating the source of a natural disaster.
Frankly, as a Christian, I am embarrassed and infuriated when people like Pat Robertson make these outrageous claims in the name of God. Not only that but I am offended. For those who presently feel disillusioned with Christianity because of its social teaching and the ridiculous claims of a small minority of clergymen, I can assure you that this is not the position of mainstream Christianity. On behalf of Christians everywhere who are as outraged as I am, I sincerely apologize.
And to think, this post was inspired by a commentary by Keith Olbermann, with which I agreed wholeheartedly. What is the world coming to?
Score:
Me – 1
Pat Robertson – 0
