| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"• Ninure Saunders" |
| Date: |
26 Aug 2005 09:58:15 AM |
| Object: |
(!) Pat Robertson: An embarrassment to the church |
(!) 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.
======================================================
"So many pretenders are walking around the corridors of our culture these
days that genuine, sincere people wind up creating quite a stir just by
being themselves.. People who are investigating Christianity don't expect
perfection from Christians. They are too smart for that. What they do
hope to find is someone with the courage to confess their blunders and
make things right."
----Bill Hybels
Pax Christi,
• Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian
Jesus is my Shepherd and He knows I'm Gay
http://Ninure-Saunders.tk
My Yahoo Group
http://Ninure.tk
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
http://www.MCCchurch.org
The Bible Site - help provide free scripture
http://www.thebiblesite.org
To send e-mail, remove nohate from address
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