Pat Robertson: An embarrassment to the church
by Jim Wallis
Pat Robertson is an embarrassment to the church and a danger to American
politics.
Robertson is known for his completely irresponsible statements - that
the 9/11 terrorist attacks were due to American feminists and liberals,
that true Christians could vote only for George W. Bush, that the
federal judiciary is a greater threat to America than those who flew the
planes into the World Trade Center Towers, and the list goes on.
Robertson even took credit once for diverting a hurricane. But his
latest outburst may take the cake.
On Monday, Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez. Robertson is worried about Chavez's critiques of
American power and behavior in the world, especially because Venezuela
is sitting on all that oil. We simply can't have an anti-American
political leader who could raise the price of gas. So let's just kill
him, the famous television preacher seriously suggested. After all,
having some of our "covert operatives" take out the troublesome
Venezuelan leader would be cheaper than another $200 billion war, he said.
It's clear Robertson must not have first asked himself "What would Jesus
do?" But the teachings of Jesus have never been very popular with
Robertson. He gets his religion elsewhere, from the twisted ideologies
of an American brand of right-wing fundamentalism that has always been
more nationalist than Christian. Apparently, Robertson didn't even
remember what the Ten Commandments say, though he has championed their
display on the walls of every American courthouse. That irritating one
about "Thou shalt not kill" seems to rule out the killing of foreign
leaders. But this week, simply putting biblical ethics aside, Robertson
virtually issued an American religious fatwah for the murder of a
foreign leader - on national television no less. That may be a first.
Yesterday Robertson "apologized." First he denied saying what he had
said, but it was on the videotape (it's tough when they record you
breaking the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus). Then he said
that "taking out" Chavez might not require killing him, and perhaps
kidnapping a duly elected leader would do. But Robertson does now say
that using the word "assassination" was wrong and that he had been
frustrated by Chavez - the old "my frustration made me say that somebody
should be killed" argument. But the worst thing about Robertson's
apology was that he compared himself to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German
church leader and martyr who ultimately joined in a plot to assassinate
Adolph Hitler.
Robertson's political and theological reasoning is simply unbelievable.
Chavez, a democratically elected leader in no less than three
internationally certified votes, has been an irritant to the Bush
administration, but has yet to commit any holocausts. Nor does his human
rights record even approach that of the Latin American dictators who
have been responsible for massive violations of human rights and the
deaths of tens of thousands of people (think of the military regimes of
Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Robertson never
criticized them, perhaps because many of them were supported by U.S.
military aid and training.
This incident reveals that Robertson does not believe in democracy; he
believes in theocracy. And he would like governments, including our own,
to implement his theological agenda, perhaps legislate Leviticus, and
"take out" those who disagree.
Robertson's American fundamentalist ideology gives a lot of good people
a bad name. World evangelical leaders have already responded with alarm
and disbelief. Robertson's words will taint and smear other evangelical
Christians and put some in actual jeopardy, such as Venezuelan
evangelicals. Most conservative evangelical Christians are appalled by
Robertson's hateful and literally murderous words, and it's time for
them to say so. To their credit, the World Evangelical Alliance and the
National Association of Evangelicals have already denounced Robertson's
words. When will we hear from some of the groups from the "Religious
Right," such as the Family Research Council, Southern Baptists, and
other leaders like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Chuck Colson?
Robertson's words fuel both anti-Christian and anti-American sentiments
around the world. It's difficult for an American government that has
historically plotted against leaders in Cuba, Chile, the Congo, South
Vietnam, and elsewhere to be easily believed when it disavows
Robertson's call to assassinate Chavez. But George Bush must do so
anyway, in the strongest terms possible.
It's time to name Robertson for what he is: an American fundamentalist
whose theocratic views are not much different from the "Muslim
extremists" he continually assails. It's time for conservative
evangelical Christians in America, who are not like Islamic
fundamentalists or Robertson, to distance themselves from his
embarrassing and dangerous religion.
And it's time for Christian leaders of all stripes to call on Robertson
not just to apologize, but to retire.
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