Friday, January 15, 2010

Only A Preacher Of The Protestant Heresy....

Yeah, plenty of people have already jumped on Pat Robertson for his nutty comments. Therefore, I'll start with a couple fresh angles before piling on his theological absurdities.

As a big history buff, his reference to "Napoleon III" stunned me. Haiti's alleged "pact with the Devil" supposedly happened in 1791. Uh...Louis Napoleon Bonaparte wasn't born until 1808, became President in 1848, then Emperor Napoleon III in 1852. What does Napoleon III have to do with something that would have happened 17 years before he was born?

Even if Pat was confusing Napoleon III with his much more famous uncle, Napoleon Bonaparte didn't become First Consul until 1799, then Emperor Napoleon I in 1804. Even that's later.

Then there's his reference to the bordering Dominican Republic as "prosperous". Only in comparison to Haiti. A jaunt to the CIA Fact Book brings the 2009 Per Capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures. Yes, the Dominican Republic ($8,100) is far ahead of Haiti ($1,300). However, the world average is $10,400. The Cuban economy is portrayed in the media as imploding, but they're at $9,500. For comparison purposes, the country just ahead of the Dominican Republic is Peru at $8,400. Needless to say, Peru never comes to mind when you think about economic powerhouses.

What may be even more amusing than Pat is to watch his sidekick in the video. She sits there quietly, occasionally nodding in agreement. A pretty face, but obviously no functioning brain cells behind it.

If Haiti is contractually bound to the Devil, why in modern history has it never been a springboard for mischief? The only "evils" you can tie to it in recent decades are illegal immigrants and it's use as a springboard for drug smuggling into the U.S. If those two alone bind a nation to the Devil, I hate to point out to Pat how many other Western Hemisphere countries are in league with Hell.

Finally, the theological point. While the Book of Exodus states punishment for sins may be passed down generations in a family, where in The Bible does Pat find an entire country being so cursed? Then, Pat's own argument on his program was a contradiction: on the one hand, he has Haiti still paying for an alleged sin in 1791; on the other hand, he asks his viewers to pray for Haiti. If Haiti is ironbound for a sin 219 years ago, how would his viewers' prayers unbind it? If his viewers prayers could save Haiti, couldn't the remorse of the Haitians themselves have already done it?

In closing, it reminds me of a small poster I had on my bedroom wall as a teenager, "Be sure brain is in gear before engaging mouth."


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