The End of an Era
Pat Robertson ended his run as the head of the 700 club after 55 long years. For those that don’t want to go through the pay wall you can also view the news here. I couldn’t imagine lasting 55 years doing anything and there are moments where I’m not sure if I will last 55 years period.
There are some religious scholars that classify heresy as the worst of the sins. Others would simply say that everyone is allowed to believe what they want. While that is true, there can be nothing worse than wrapping up your heresy and selling it as religious doctrine. So, those religious scholars are really talking about blasphemy. It’s hard to disrespect a God one does not believe exists. It’s only those that know and then choose to pervert it anyway that get into the real trouble.
It’s often been said that no one leaves Washington poorer than they came. The same could be said of televangelists. Some reports have Robertson privately worth between 200 million and a billion dollars. I’ll settle for 100 million. Of course, people will often argue as to whether the money was a byproduct of the hate being spewed or if it was the end game. It could just as easily be said that no one got poorer preaching hate.
I could go through a litany of things Robertson has said over the course of 50 plus years and I’ll attach a few here for those that want to go down the rabbit hole. That article obviously doesn’t exhaust them all. Volumes of books would be necessary to tackle his sordid legacy on this front.
Goodness knows that none of us will get it right 100 percent of the time. We are human. Goodness also knows that most of us will get nowhere near that kind of platform. It takes a certain kind of cowardice to know the truth and speak the opposite. It takes a scoundrel to pick the message that will get them the most money and not the message that will make people better than they were before. Robertson is obviously both.
Robertson reduced faith and Christian belief down to a math equation. If you get only ten percent of the population on your side you are still talking about 35 million Americans. If each gives just ten dollars to the cause you are now worth 350 million dollars. Obviously, they have more than ten percent to bank on and their followers certainly donated more than ten dollars a piece to the cause over the years.
And what exactly is that cause? Like Jerry Falwell and others, he somehow married Christianity to the Republican party. He simultaneously managed to soil both at the same time. A small government and low taxes party has somehow melded into one focused on petty slights, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, and racism. Sadly, we’ve watched countless friends become radicalized one by one over the intervening decades.
The pews are also more sparse these days. Sure, a lot of it is pandemic oriented, but even that is a loaded statement. It’s hard to square a benevolent God, peace loving Christ, and what we see people of faith do and say on a regular basis. So, millions still believe but don’t participate. Others simply don’t believe anymore. This kind of erosion took decades to manifest itself and those are decades we can never get back. Robertson is at the life stage where he can exist on the fruits of his labor. He doesn’t have to worry about lack of faith or lack of attendance.
Like Limbaugh and others, Robertson has definitely left his mark. I guess that’s something by itself. Most of us could never dream of having such an impact on people. Most of us are glad about that. When my work here is done I can only hope that people think I made a positive difference. I’m sure Robertson tells himself that. It’s the last lie told by a blasphemer and opportunist.
As I recall, the AntiChrist is supposed to attempt to bring disrepute on Christianity, and turn it into a force for hatred and intolerance. Pat Robertson used every means at his disposal to bring disrepute on Christianity, and turn it into a force for hatred and intolerance.
Bless his heart.
1It would be so interesting if some of these televangelists showed up in the Pandora Papers now being published!
2It takes a scoundrel to pick the message that will get them the most money and not the message that will make people better than they were before.
Prosperity gospel took care of this conumdrum, or created even worse scoundrels.
3I can’t think of one who isn’t a scam artist, but the one who freaks me out the most is that guy with the crazy eyes. He looks and acts like some kind of spawn of Satan.
4@ 2
It would be so interesting if some of these televangelists showed up in the Pandora Papers now being published!
OOOH what a nice thought .
5All I can say is, Thank God he’s gone…..
6Some degree of Bigotry is in all of us. For some it is hidden deep in our core self being, and we are not even aware it exists. For others it is actively expressed, hello Uncle Pat!
“The Story of Two Wolves”
‘An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he told the young boy,
“a terrible fight between two wolves.”
“One is evil, full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride. The other is good, full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness and faith.”
“This same fight is going on inside of you, grandson… and inside of every other person on this earth.”
The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asks,
“Grandfather, which wolf will win?”
The old man smiled and simply said,
“The One You Feed.”
https://www.twowolvesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/storyoftwowolves.pdf
7Any person who calls themselves a ‘Christian’ should never quote any scripture from the Old Testament. They should get themselves a copy of the Jefferson Bible, which supposedly contains only the utterances attributed to Christ, then live by those utterances.
I’m a non-theist, but look on Christ as a philosopher, not as a divinity. Wouldn’t this country be a wonderful place if everyone simply lived by “The Golden Rule”? Now that’s a philosophy I can live with. Nothing hypocritical about the eleven words that make up the Rule.
8@RepubAnon #1:
https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/
Someone on some blog I follow at some time posted this link in comments to something-or-other. I bookmarked it.
9When I was in high school, I thought of becoming a minister. Not because I wanted wealth, but because at that time I truly believed that the Methodist Church had the right Christian message. Then, my senior year, when I finally admitted to myself that I was gay, I realized that even the Methodist Church was involved in hate rhetoric.
Maybe I would have been a good minister. Maybe I would have found a home in the LGBT founded Metropolitan Community Church. Who knows. All I know is that I don’t consider myself a part of Christianity anymore. I just don’t know if I believe that there is a God. I believe in the teachings of Christ, I just don’t believe in organized religion. Does that all make sense?
10Nick’s quote link does not go back far enough. When it began to look like jumping on the anti-choice wagon would bring in more follower$ in the 70s and early 80s, PR started hyping a “pro-life” stance. But then his company got an enormous contract with mainland China, which was in the midst of their one-child policy. That in turn was enforced by massive numbers of forced abortions.
Suddenly PR shut up about the issue. When challenged, he said he was a businessman, not a minister. So to everyone above suggesting it was about the money … it was and has always been.
11I caught a snippet about Pat Robertson on the news the other day, and for a moment I thought they were reporting his death. I am not religious, but do believe it’s bad karma to wish someone dead or to celebrate their death. That said, there are certain people who, when they die, I’m not sad about. Pat would fit into that category along with Limbaugh & Scalia. I can think of a large number of others as well!
12Jesus once said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)
Pat Robertson is a rich man.
13I just wish Christians would read the bible about faith and bushels and keep their fantasies to themselves.
14What benevolent god?The one that brings the four horsemen? The peaceful one that says leave your family for me?
It’s just tribalism that requires more and more craziness to survive in a world of science.
Search in Youtube for “biblical contradictions”.
My all-time favorite:
Robertson: Gay People Deliberately Spread HIV/AIDS By Cutting People With Special Rings | Right Wing Watch
Today on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson told co-host Terry Meeuwsen that gay men in cities like San Francisco attempt to spread HIV/AIDS to others by cutting them with a special ring when shaking hands.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/robertson-gay-people-deliberately-spread-hivaids-by-cutting-people-with-special-rings/
15Then-Senator Mike Gravel ripped the facade off Robertson the Presidential primary candidate back in the day. A fellow Marine, Gravel reported that Robertson asked his dad, then a Senator, to pull strings to keep him from going to Korea. Dad refused. Robertson was assigned to the rear echelons, where he served as his company’s liquor officer (“Thank you for your service”). He was so worried about his health after his many visits to whorehouses he earned the nickname, “Non-specific-drip Robertson” from his buddies. Truly a man of God.
16Well, he`s made his money, now his son can make his money .
17