Televangelist and professional Christian embarrassment Pat Robertson today attributed the stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as God's judgment against him for withdrawing from Gaza. CNN quotes Robertson further as saying:
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 [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America."
God says, "This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone."
In response to criticisms of Robertson's remarks from various quarters, Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts said:
What they're basically saying is, How dare Pat Robertson quote the Bible!"
This is what the word of God says. This is nothing new to the Christian community.
Ms. Watts is noted by observers as apparently training to succeed Robertson as Most Embarrassing Christian when he is removed from the scene (see futher below).
Robertson apparently did not comment on whether overweight men in their late 70s and under enormous stress can be expected to suffer debilitating or fatal strokes. One source, who shall remain unnamed, suggested that his medical insight rivals his theological understanding.Robertson's lead in the standings for Most Embarrassing Christian for 2006 now appears insurmountable, though the year is only five days old. Rumors are circulating that Jerry Falwell may announce his retirement from ministry in despair of ever overtaking Robertson.
Meanwhile, at SWNID headquarters, the prognostication department has issued the following bulletin:
We predict that Mr. Robertson will himself expire in the not too distant future of some physical ailment that some will find justification in attributing to divine judgment against him for every stupid thing he's said in the name of God on his nutty television program.
4 comments:
I doubt that publicly bashing a Christian brother is the Biblical method for voicing your disagreement with him. Have you ever put aside your self righteousness to pray for Mr. Robertson in a spirit of humility?
It's precisely because Mr. Robertson is a brother, and a very public brother, that the brothers and the sisters need to be very public about his public violations of Christian ethics. He's making a hash of Christianity. If we don't speak up, we're complicit with what he's doing.
Let us not forget that the NT is pretty harsh rhetorically with people who do bad stuff in the name of the faith. We can start with Galatians 5:12, then go to 1 Timothy 1:20. Then there's much of 1 Corinthians, nearly the whole of Jude, 2 Peter 2, Matthew 23 and parallels, several of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, etc. This is very public bashing. And it was needed.
I note that in your post you accuse me of "self righteousness." Could the person who accuses another of such be judged so himself? Judgest thou me of judging others?
There is also MT 7:1-5 and MT 18:15-17.
Perhaps sarcasm would have been a better term than self righteousness. In any event, my question was meant to suggest that there are other ways of addressing the issue.
But the other methods don't seem to be working or even getting Robertson's attention.
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