From TIME:
The Rev. Pat Robertson turned heads with his appearance on The 700 Club on Wednesday when he blamed Haitian history for Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. In short, Robertson claimed that the quake was divine retribution for a pact with the devil that was sworn long ago, a statement he was audacious enough to make while the 800 number for disaster relief scrolled at the bottom of the broadcast.
“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, 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, ‘O.K., it’s a deal.’ “
So what was Robertson referring to? The theory that Haiti is a nation built on a pact with the devil has circulated on a number of websites, each tracing back to an apocryphal tale of Haitian voodoo priests sacrificing a pig and drinking its blood in 1791 in order to secure Satan’s aid in expelling the French occupation. In return, the priests are said to have promised Haiti to Satan for the next 200 years. The French were soon beat back, and in 1804, Haiti became an independent nation. But even if you believe the story (something many historians doubt), Satan’s lease on the tiny island nation should have expired in 1991.
(Video at TIME link)
From ASSOCIATED CONTENT:
Pat Robertson is using the Haitian earthquake to further his own agenda. Today Pat Robertson claimed that the Haiti earthquake could be a “blessing in disguise”, and that the reason the earthquake happened was because of a “pact with the devil” that they entered more than 200 years ago.
…snip…
Pat Robertson took to the 700 Club to talk about why the earthquake in Haiti was the fault of the people who live there, and went way too far with his political and religious beliefs. Even the co-host of the show didn’t seem to know what to say when he went off on a tangent about the people of Haiti, and he basically stated that they deserved what happened to them in not so many words.
…snip…
The link between the devil and the West African vodou practices that were absolved into Haitian culture often becomes warped into an argument that fits the agenda of people like Pat Robertson. Even a spokesperson for Robertson commented later in the day that it was an “alleged pact with the devil”, taking some of the wind out of Robertson’s statements. Pat Robertson has for a long time used his pulpit as a way to link what is going on around the world to people committing sins, and he even blamed the September 11 attacks on the lack of prayer in schools. It isn’t a surprise that he would attack the people of Haiti in their time of need, but maybe he should be a little more forgiving and accepting of other cultures instead of condemning them.
In case anyone is interested in donating to the earthquake victims, I hope you will consider Shelter Box. I found out about it at Daily Kos and just made a small contribution. A shelter box costs $1000, and this is what it contains (from the website):
The standard Shelterbox weighs 110 lbs. and has approximate dimensions 2’3″ x 1’4″ x 11″. They are sealed and banded for transit and security. Box contents vary depending on the nature of the disaster requiring their use.
Boxes Are sometimes packed with two 10-person tents in them, (to the exclusion of some smaller items, to maximize shelter capacity. Some of the selected Box items that are available for inclusion in the Box are:
The entire contents of a Shelterbox.
Click here for an enlarged & detailed view.• One 49 gallon box (The Shelterbox) initially the container for delivery of the materials listed below. Once delivered, can be used as water tank, food store, cot, table, etc.
• One ten-person tent, including two fabric interior privacy partitions, outer fly-sheet and repair kit. These tents are considered ‘winter suitable’ by international relief standards.
• Vinyl insulated sleeping mats and lightweight thermal blankets. More compact than sleeping bags, these mats and blankets have multiple uses. The blanket can also be fashioned to catch water, as a tarp, etc. while the mat also serves as a ground ‘table’ for meals, or tent rugs.
• One pack of 180 water purification tablets or a water purification kit; and one 5 gallon flat-pack water container (Each tablet will purify a full container of water providing 1,800 gallons of clean drinking water which should be sufficient for a family of ten for up to three months).
• Two 2.1 gallon, collapsible, plastic water carriers.
• One collapsible trenching shovel
• Rope, 164 foot
• Repellant-treated mosquito netting
• Ten PVC Ponchos/ ten HD plastic bags
• Tool kit in canvas bag: hachet, jack-knife, screwdriver, hammer, hoe head etc.
• Multi-fueled cook stove
• Eating utensils: enamel plates/cups
• Children’s activity kit-simple school supplies, stickers and coloring book
The contents are under continuous review. A small stock of wind-up radios (short-wave and FM) has been obtained to substitute a sleeping bag in every tenth box should such a requirement arise.
For shipping purposes, a large container (40 feet) can accommodate up to 240 Shelterboxes, smaller containers would typically be half the size and quantities. The purpose of Shelter Box USA, Inc. is to provide victims of disaster with shelter, by supporting the efforts of the Shelter Box Trust.
Flip Wilson told us a long time ago; “The devil made me do it!” What we need are the atheist fund raisers for Haiti so we won’t need to watch those hypocrite christians. What atheist organization is doing a drive for aid? Oh, never mind, we can laugh and criticize the christians that are doing something. Where is the perfect atheist role model, so we can ridicule the imperfect christians who are giving aid?
yeah, you jackass. why not give to reverend pat’s charity? he’s such a good christian.
usa today:
originally, i deleted your stupid comment, but then i thought i’d put it back so everyone can see how stupid you are.
Good job, Nonnie! I didn’t know you had to be a cult member to be compassionate.
Jeeze, atheists have so much to learn from Televangelist con-men.
(snark)
thanks mary, but it doesn’t take a genius to beat a halfwit in a battle of wits. 😉
Actually, given the percentage of believers vs. unbelievers in France, I suspect that Doctors Without Borders (or, Medicins Sans Frontiers) would be that group. They were on the scene before the earthquake, and some of their people are missing, probably dead.
Did you have a point?
he never has a point, wickle, other than to prove over and over again what a moron he is.
Well, then … he’s proving that one remarkably well!
yeah, he’s living up to his potential. or down to it.
He’s the type that believes in a fire and brimstone hell.
He better be careful, judgement day is for everyone.
he believes whatever faux news tells him to believe. don’t waste your time on him.
This isn’t about charity. It’s about Pat Robertson’s flawed theology.
http://zoethe.livejournal.com/718009.html
that’s the best-named blog evah! 😆
You know, Robertson supposedly gets super strength from his pancakes and milkshakes. He could put that to good use.
Maybe the SOB should go down to Haiti and help dig some people out of the rubble himself. While he’s at it, he can tell the people there that God hates them because they didn’t like being enslaved by the French.
Between Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh, my blood pressure has been through the roof the past couple days. That I have friends who still like Limbaugh is more than a little disgusting. I don’t know anyone who will admit to liking Robertson at this point … he’s been on the outs for some time.
there are people who are actually defending rushbo. they are trying to redefine what he said so clearly. to top it off, it seems that he told a caller who chastised him for what he said that she was a blockhead and a bigot, she was ill-informed (who’s she gonna trust, rushbo or her lyin’ ears?), she was close-minded, and she had tampons in her ears. once again, the whole world is wrong, and rushbo is right.
These freaks just wait for “the big story” to get the money rolling in, the audience up. Stories like Haiti buy the nice cars, pay the pretty cohost salaries.
i wonder how much money actually goes to people who really need help when they give to rev. pat’s charity and how much goes straight into his pocket.
Very little, if any at all.
Nice words for a previously ordained minister?
Show me where in the bible it says *hate one another*?
Was he the same @#$@#4 idiot who made a similar comment after Katrina?
God’s punishment for bad behavior…. or some bs like that???
The people of Haiti are in total crisis… the least he could do is shut up.
yeah, he said that, and he and jerry falwell talked about how gays, liberals, pro-choicers, etc. were responsible for 9/11.
Must have been that same devil that got Pat to renounce his preachership back in 1988 to run for the repub prez nomination. “Renounce your work for The Savior and I will give you all things republican”. Pretty sure it’s that same red devil on the label of the deviled ham I eat. Or was it that glass cutter?
i think it’s the same devil. the same one that made his lose embarrassingly. by the way, did you know his real name is marion robertson. maybe having a woman’s name is what drove him crazy in the first place.
Pat Robertson is one of those guys one has to wonder about. I happen to think religious nuts who make such hateful statements are actually in league with the devil, creating havoc and hatred wherever and whenever they can.
While it might be bad to wish someone an agonizing death, I can’t help but wish one of his equally insane parishoners turns on him and takes him out. And I don’t mean out on a date!
i would rather he had to slave away in his own diamond mines, being treated exactly like the other people who work there and living exactly the way they are forced to. that would be poetic justice for rev. pat.
Catholic Charities passes through 100% of aid, but it doesn’t do any good as the Haiti strongman in office diverts aid goods and services to his elite over the suffering and dying. His priority is to replace his personal Taj Mahal. Most of the aid Bill Clinton raises will be diverted as well by the corrupt regime propped up by our current President. A jackass will endure endless humiliation and abuse, for one chance to kick his tormenters in the head. Mark Twain was right about that.
go somewhere where people give a damn about what you think.
He can start posting to alt.politics.conservatism and alt.fan.rush-limbaugh on USENET. He’ll fit right in.
i don’t care where he goes, just as long as he goes.
“They were under the heel of the French, you know, Napoleon the Third and whatever”
“Whatever” is about right, as Haiti revolted under Napoleon the First, not Napoleon the Third, who was Emperor of France during the 1860s. Not only does Robertson fail humanity, he fails history forever.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouFailHistoryForever.
he’s like princess sarah. he just makes up history as he goes along. it’s much easier than actually lookin’ stuff up.
maybe your troll can meet my troll and they can have their own tea party
it is amazing the biggest assholes and hypocrites (like hoboduke) are also the most “religious”
they’re “religious” because it makes them feel superior to everyone else. they’ve got nothing else going for them, so they have to use something artificial to make themselves feel better. if they were truly religious, they would actually live the way their religion says they should–with compassion and selflessness.
The Devil Sues Pat Robertson for Breach of Contract
http://wp.me/pIP1s-2v
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