Pat Is At It Again
Pat Robertson is spewing radical god-speak again. This time he’s leveled his judgments against a man suffering on his deathbed, Israeli Prime Minsister, Ariel Sharon. As usual, Pat thinks he speaks for God when he blames Sharon’s stroke on the decision to “divide God’s land.” Pat referred to the Bible, saying it “makes it very clear that God has enmity over those who divide my land.”
Pat Robertson is not representative of all Christians. I don’t want you to mistake me for lumping millions of good religous people into the same box as fanatics like Pat. But he does have a huge following who supports his judgemental rantings. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be able to continue this nonsense.
Yesterday I heard one of these nuts call into a radio station, with this comment about Sharon’s stroke, “He’s killed a lot of people. It’s a long time coming.”
It seems Pat has become their modern prophet, speaking for their god, except that his prophecies often come after the fact. This group of fanatical religionists is growing larger and more powerful. They have become bold in their political interference, effectively changing the definition of science for some school boards, convincing pharmacists that they don’t have to fill doctors’ prescriptions if they are religiously opposed to them, and intruding on a married man’s right to make decisions concering his wife who, for years, has been in a vegetative state.
I really don’t care if people want to have outrageous beliefs. But when they are powerful enough to effect the social policy of our country in way that is damaging, we need to reverse the trend. I’m at a loss for how.
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January 7th, 2006 @ 8:11 am
I too am an agnostic mom. I came upon your site last week while trying to find information on how to raise the subject of religion - or my lack thereof - with my 4 going on 5 year old daughter. At Christmas, my mother bought my nephew (also 4 going on 5) a crucifix. He was very excited and showed it to my daughter, who stared at him in confusion, ignorance, and even a little fear (because he was dancing around shoving it in her face). I realized then that I do not want her lack of knowledge - not to mention belief - to make her weird to other children. To date, my husband and I have simply ignored the subject while cousins get religious paraphernalia and say grace before a meal. Do I wait until she asks who god is or what church is? We read a fairy tale every night from cultures all over the world. Many mention gods, but she has not picked up on it yet. Your writings have given me a little understanding into how others approach this subject. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
January 7th, 2006 @ 9:40 am
Appreciate your post here. He does have a huge following & one can only hope that one by one they will start to question Pat’s rambling crap & do something about it.
January 7th, 2006 @ 7:39 pm
[...] I heard what Pat Robertson said about Ariel Sharon’s stroke and subsequent suffering in the news, and I read Noell’s insightful posting in her blog on the same subject. [...]
January 7th, 2006 @ 8:09 pm
Hi Noell,
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been enjoying you’re blog. This Pat Robertson stuff really struck a chord, and I agree with your posting. I also wrote a related piece in my blog. Whenever you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think about the dreaded “pulsa denura.”
–Larry
January 7th, 2006 @ 8:30 pm
I did see this post on Larry’s site, and it’s quite an interesting little twist. I guess religious fanatics, even if they come from different cultures and major religions, have a lot in common!
February 16th, 2006 @ 2:08 pm
Lynn,I think telling them the truth very early will reap huge rewards later on in their lives . Tell them that some children and their mommy’s and daddy’s believe in ongoing fairy tales and God is included in many of them and like ” The Wizard of Oz ” there are many dreamlike people attached to them. They come in the form of spirits and ghosts and saints etc.and it is all make believe.They will have questions but the point is , keep it honest and be consistant. Show them alternative ways of experimentation and ways of seeking questions surrounding evolution at their age. If you’re as lucky as me you can take them to museums and science centers where they can see first hand answers to their questions that aren’t made up and attached to magic