The one where I alienate all of my readers
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Pat Robertson’s recent comments regarding the earthquake in Haiti. If not, catch up with this clip:
With me now? Great.
So not surprisingly, there has been a huge backlash. The airwaves and Internet are abuzz with talk of how Robertson is crazy, stupid, senile – some have even called him Satan himself. And don’t forget he’s evangelical. ‘Evangelical Christian’ is the ultimate insult, isn’t it? As soon as a member of the media uses the phrase ‘Evangelical Christian’, you know they’re gearing up to talk about a serious nutcase. One of ‘those’ people.
I don’t know the history of Haiti and how the country was founded. Quite honestly, this controversy has not really sparked my interest enough to research and study the foundations of the nation. I have a lot on my plate already, and I just can’t squeeze that project in. I’m not here to comment on whether he is right or wrong in his belief about the pact with the devil.
Certainly I hope that isn’t the case, but his observation about the island of Hispanola is not without merit. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are night and day in terms of prosperity. Again, not being an expert here, I did some cursory research and found this excellent article about the disaster history of Haiti. (Worth noting is that the article comes from New Zealand – I’ve found NZ and Australia both to be better sources for actual news and unbiased information than we can find in the US) So bad things happen in Haiti. A lot. Do they happen there more than in the Dominican Republic, or are they more devastating there because the country is so poor to begin with? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I can’t answer that question.
What I can say is that Robertson’s comment was probably poorly timed. I’m an optimist to the enth degree, but even I find it hard to imagine saying that this was somehow a ‘blessing in disguise’. Perhaps better to say that if anything good could come of this tragedy, hopefully better construction practices would be one of them. So worded badly? Sure, I’ll give you that.
Inaccurate assertion about the founding of the country? Possibly. Again, not my area of expertise. I will say, though, that Robertson is far from the first person to believe or state something similar. In fact, here is an article, written in 2005, that addresses that very issue. The author is a native Haitian who attempts to dispel that rumor and acknowledges that the belief is widely held. So again, right or wrong, I’d say Pat Robertson’s timing wasn’t the most sensitive.
What troubles me the most about all of this, though, is that there is such harsh condemnation for a man who has spent the last 54 years trying to do God’s work. Has he made mistakes along the way? Without a doubt. Haven’t you? Haven’t we all? Everyone has a foot-in-mouth moment, and these are especially likely when you are in a high-profile position. Apparently they are even more likely if you are a religious leader or a member of the Republican party.
When President Obama mocked his own bowling ability and said that he was suited for the Special Olympics, his apology was immediately accepted. In fact, even those renouncing his statement felt compelled to soften their criticism. Maria Shriver began with “While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone…”
When Harry Reid made his remarks about black skin color and used the term ‘Negroes’ [cringe!] CNN was tripping all over themselves to say that he wasn’t racist, just socially awkward. His apology was welcomed with open arms, and Democrats hit the airwaves telling us there was nothing to see here, case closed.
But when you are Pat Robertson, ‘Evangelical Christian’ and ‘Republican’ (because let’s face it, ‘Republican’ is uttered with the same disdain as ‘Evangelical’, isn’t it?), the only understanding you’ll find is from Eric Metaxas at Fox News.
Despite how this sounds, I don’t want it to be a political issue. It’s a fairness issue, and fairness is hard to find these days. If you want fair, balanced, unbiased reporting, good luck finding it. Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, NPR…nope. Heck, even the major networks are clearly biased. My little small town newspaper leans so far to one side it’s amazing it can still be called a ‘news’ paper without a snicker. Objective reporting seems to be a thing of the past, and we’re left with choosing a trough that suits you and feeding directly from it. (This has proven extremely profitable for Fox News, since they pretty much stand alone on the conservative front)
My point here is that somewhere in the middle, the possibility lies that Pat Robertson is neither Satan nor Saint, but a regular man who said something stupid. Pretty much just like President Obama, Harry Reid, and a million other people. His big sin here is being from the wrong side of the tracks. The ‘right’ side.
And because of that, the fact that his Operation Blessing has spent millions of dollars on worldwide charitable projects, and has been in Haiti for years (many disasters prior to this week’s earthquake) will mean nothing. No one will be reporting on the good he’s done, only his mistakes. That’s just sad.
Instead of looking at him with animosity, I suggest that our energies would be better directed toward how we can help Haiti right now. I’m not a fan or a follower of Pat Robertson. I’ve never seen the 700 Club, I don’t buy his books, and I probably wouldn’t vote for him for President. What I am is a fan of fairness, forgiveness, and understanding – none of which he is being shown this week.
I hope I haven’t lost you, dear readers, but if that’s the case then so be it. I can’t always bite my tongue, and I feel strongly about compassion and second chances. I think Haiti and Mr. Robertson both deserve them right now.
Tags: fairness, forgiveness, Haiti, Pat Robertson
Current Affairs, How I See the World, Rants & Raves | Heather January 16, 2010
Facebook comments:
By melanie, January 16, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
You haven’t lost me, but I think that Robertson does much to harm the reputation of Christians in America.
[Reply]
By Amanda, January 16, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
I agree w/Melanie completely. And you could never lose me.
Amanda´s last blog ..Pondering Homeschooling….
[Reply]
By Melisha, January 16, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
Nobody is perfect. When I mess up, I sure appreciate people accepting my apology and moving on.
The Golden Rule never fails…we should all practice it. One day we will need it.
Well said, Heather!
[Reply]
By Whitney, January 16, 2010 @ 5:32 pm
Heather, your third-party articles were timely.
It’s refreshing to find others who’ve noticed the unequal treatment of conservative leaders in the media.
[Reply]
By heather, January 16, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
another point of view…(not sure if i can link to facebook, but worth a try)
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=300306740184&id=15937197&ref=nf
[Reply]
By Callie, January 16, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
I agree with you, this junk with the biased news is just sad. Everyone should surely be given a second chance….yes, even Obama….well said, Heather, well said…
[Reply]
By Becca - Our Crazy Boys, January 16, 2010 @ 10:55 pm
I’m not going anywhere
To be honest, I’ve got too much on my plate right now to be worrying about what some old guy is talking about on tv. But I agree with you about forgiveness. If I haven’t put my foot in my mouth when talking to you yet, just wait a few more minutes… it’ll happen.
Becca – Our Crazy Boys´s last blog ..Where’s Mom? (19 of 52)
[Reply]
By Darcie - Such The Spot, January 17, 2010 @ 1:07 am
I hadn’t heard about this. Come to think of it – you’re the first to fill me in on a lot of news stuff. Guess I need to tune in more often. But I guess you can bet where I stand on this one…right next to you – as with most things. Surprise surprise.
PS. This was a very well-written and clearly stated post my friend. I’m glad you’ve got your bloggy groove back. I missed you.
Darcie – Such The Spot´s last blog ..Back Soon
[Reply]
By melanie, January 17, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
has robertson apologized for any of his nastiness? i have not heard of that, but i would be glad if he did. yes, i said nastiness. let’s face it. nasty in the name of God is just well, nastier.
[Reply]
By Allison@Slice of Heaven, January 17, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
Well said, Heather, well said!
[Reply]
By Diane, January 17, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
Great post Heather. Unfortunately, I haven’t really been following much of the aftershock of Pat Robertson’s comments to know if he has apologized or not. It’s unfortunate that a “dumb” comment can overshadow other accomplishments. I do agree that the media is often quicker to forgive some people’s mistakes than others – and no, I don’t think it’s coincidental.
Diane´s last blog ..Catching Up
[Reply]
By heather, January 22, 2010 @ 8:09 pm
ok so i have to admit that i hadn’t given pat robertson the time of day until your post. and since the post, i’ve been thinking quite a bit and reading quite a bit. i’m going to use a wikipedia entry since it’s all handy and in one spot, but the individual incidences are all easily researched in addition to a whole bunch of other things.
i am all for forgiveness, but in this man’s case…perhaps he’s gone to the well too many times. i’m going to have to disagree with most commenters here. and quite frankly, this man does not represent any part of christianity that i would be a part of.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson_controversies
[Reply]
By Heather, January 23, 2010 @ 3:25 pm
I know I am in the minority with my thought process here. And that’s ok – I usually am.
Saying he has gone to the well too many times may be true in our society, but to me that is a secular point of view. My God (thankfully) has not put a limit on how many times we can go to Him for forgiveness. He is willing to forgive sins large and small, many and few.
As I said before, I’m not a fan of Pat Robertson. I know that he can be controversial, which is another reason I’m not so interested in him. But as a whole I do believe that if you attempt big things, all of your successes and failures will be magnified as well. Yes, he is on a public platform and I do believe he has a great responsibility. But by the same token, I do not believe that him being a minister or a television evangelist or a Presidential candidate means that he will not make mistakes or say stupid things. Perhaps it does make it more unfortunate when he does so, but he is only human.
To me it is dangerous to assert that you should only speak out publicly when you will say or do all of the right things. That is an impossible standard – even for a Christian, even for a minister. If we demand perfection, then no one will be worthy of a public platform.
On Facebook another friend of mine indicated that she interpreted Pat Robertson to be saying that the earthquake-as-punishment was a blessing in disguise. I think this is an important distinction, and it’s why I linked to the actual video in my post here. Had he said ‘blessing in disguise’ while talking about the alleged pact with the devil, then I would perhaps not be so understanding. However, that was not the context of his words. If you watch the video you will see that it was when the poor construction practices were being discussed that he made that comment. He immediately followed it with, “There might be a massive rebuilding of that country.”
“Perhaps this might be a blessing in disguise; there might be a massive rebuilding of that country.”
As I heard it, it was a bad way of saying that maybe out of this tragedy Haiti will be able to rebuild their structures to be more safe and stable in case of future disaster. He did not speak of the history of Haiti’s foundation until the next portion of the show, and I think that is a very important distinction. Again, I don’t believe his words were a good choice, but I don’t believe they are being fairly examined in the media, either.
A final thought – I thank God every day – every day – that I do not get what I deserve. I am a sinner, and I deserve eternal damnation. Perhaps Pat Robertson does not deserve forgiveness here either, but if he is serving God and earnestly seeking, he will receive it just as I do, in spite of his mistakes. I praise God for that.
Heather´s last blog ..Wordful Wednesday – Lilly Wussell
[Reply]
By heather, January 24, 2010 @ 6:35 pm
thanks for sharing your point of view. i don’t know much about pat robertson like i mentioned, so this “introduction” has likely jaundiced my perception. you are right though, thank goodness God doesn’t put a limit on how many times He will forgive us. if He did, i would have ran out of His forgiveness a long time ago. thanks for helping me to realize that. =)
heather´s last blog ..so about the camera…
[Reply]
By Soliloquy, January 26, 2010 @ 10:31 am
SPEAK IT.
We are called to test all things against the Word of God. What Pat Robertson said does NOT line up scripturally.
Genesis 8:22 “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.”
Matthew, Mark and Luke all accounted for Jesus himself saying, “There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are the beginning of birth pains.” in reference to signs of His return.
The warning is meant as a time of MERCY wherein man still has the chance to turn to God and repent of our sin. Repentance is 100% what Jesus was and IS about. God be praised!
Loved this post, Heather.
Soliloquy´s last blog ..I Was So Born in the Wrong Decade
[Reply]