July 29th 2010
What hasn't changed in 2010? Pat Robertson
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by primarythoughts.net on February 16, 2010, 3:09 pm in Religious
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0 comments |
I recently read a tweet from Alyssa Milano that stated "@Alyssa_Milano Dear Pat Robertson, You're a douche. Sincerely, Alyssa Milano #Haiti".
For those of you who aren't privy to tweeting on twitter, the #Haiti simply is a trend. It simply let's you know that her comment relates to Haiti. If you go to twitter and search #Haiti, you will see what everyone else is saying about it... but this isn't a twitter lesson.
Pat Robertson has a history of reporting on disasters and... reporting that the disaster is the victims fault or that of their ancestors, citing a preceding action as the cause. His latest epiphany was co-signed by Kristi Watts...
"PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, "We will serve you if you will get us free from the French." True story. And so, the devil said, "OK, it's a deal."
And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now, we're helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.
KRISTI WATTS (co-host): Absolutely, Pat."
So, I guess if in 1791, you participated in animal sacrifices and didn't practice Christianity that now translates to making pacts with the devil.
A little on Haitian history...
"On 22 August 1791, Boukman presided in the role of houngan (priest) together with an African-born priestess and conducted a ceremony at the Bois Caïman and prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and Jeannot would be leaders of a slave revolt that would free the slaves of Saint-Domingue. A pig, which symbolized the wild, free, and untamable spiritual power of the forest and the ancestors, was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and the priestess exhorted the listeners to fight bravely against their oppressors. Days later the Haitian Revolution began.[2] Boukman was not the first to attempt a slave uprising in Saint-Domingue, as he was preceded by others, such as Padrejean in 1676, and François Mackandal in 1757. However, his large size, warrior-like appearance, and fearsome temper made him an effective leader and helped spark the Haitian Revolution."
I choose to practice Christianity and yes, Pat Robertson is of the Christian faith, but I struggle to find a common ground with him. I've asked this question before and so here I am asking it again...
If God made us the dynamic diverse life-filled people who we are, "why is there such a push from the believing community to think that there is one religion?" I AM NO BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, so let's step away from the confines of "religion" and speak about teaching.
When it comes to teaching... aren't there many ways to learn about one subject. Aren't there studies after studies that highlight that there are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic, etc. Do we not on a very basic level understand that some people learn from books, some learn from direct experience, some learn from observation? Do we not get that there are ten ways to skin a cat, 100 different computer applications to complete the same task, 40,000 ways to slice a tomato? And again are we not all created by God or whatever name you prefer?
My point being, God created us with all the differing ways to learn, so why one religion?
I don't know what religion is the right religion - personally, if there is such a thing, I don't believe anyone knows. What I do understand is that I've met many people and through my interaction with those individuals, I see this:
... there are those people that need the strict practice of praying 5 times a day to keep them on track with their personal spiritual walk.
... there are those that need to holler out in support of their leader to spiritually connect with their God
... there are those people that need to call their God, by no name other than Elohim, Jehovah, or Adonai
... there are those who need to sing their praises through angelic song
... there are those who because of life experience, circumstance, or happen chance need to meet their God in their own private place, they won't step in a church!
... this list could go on and on...
But I ask do any of these situations negate their belief in God? Does it condemn them to be grouped with those who make "pacts with the devil"?
Who are these Christians that dare to bottle an entire community up in a single statement during such a time of loss and despair. If this is what the Pat Robertson's of the Christian faith have to offer as an "optimistic hope for the future", then I'll pass. Tragedies are a part of life, what you do with those times is each person's reality. It's their perception that holds truth for them. And as I deal with my tragedies however big or small I perceive them to be, I believe God will give me a better hand to grasp and a more stable foundation to stand on than what I see displayed by Pat Robertson.
www.primarythoughts.net
www.twitter.com/primarythoughts
For those of you who aren't privy to tweeting on twitter, the #Haiti simply is a trend. It simply let's you know that her comment relates to Haiti. If you go to twitter and search #Haiti, you will see what everyone else is saying about it... but this isn't a twitter lesson.
Pat Robertson has a history of reporting on disasters and... reporting that the disaster is the victims fault or that of their ancestors, citing a preceding action as the cause. His latest epiphany was co-signed by Kristi Watts...
"PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, "We will serve you if you will get us free from the French." True story. And so, the devil said, "OK, it's a deal."
And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now, we're helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.
KRISTI WATTS (co-host): Absolutely, Pat."
So, I guess if in 1791, you participated in animal sacrifices and didn't practice Christianity that now translates to making pacts with the devil.
A little on Haitian history...
"On 22 August 1791, Boukman presided in the role of houngan (priest) together with an African-born priestess and conducted a ceremony at the Bois Caïman and prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and Jeannot would be leaders of a slave revolt that would free the slaves of Saint-Domingue. A pig, which symbolized the wild, free, and untamable spiritual power of the forest and the ancestors, was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and the priestess exhorted the listeners to fight bravely against their oppressors. Days later the Haitian Revolution began.[2] Boukman was not the first to attempt a slave uprising in Saint-Domingue, as he was preceded by others, such as Padrejean in 1676, and François Mackandal in 1757. However, his large size, warrior-like appearance, and fearsome temper made him an effective leader and helped spark the Haitian Revolution."
I choose to practice Christianity and yes, Pat Robertson is of the Christian faith, but I struggle to find a common ground with him. I've asked this question before and so here I am asking it again...
If God made us the dynamic diverse life-filled people who we are, "why is there such a push from the believing community to think that there is one religion?" I AM NO BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, so let's step away from the confines of "religion" and speak about teaching.
When it comes to teaching... aren't there many ways to learn about one subject. Aren't there studies after studies that highlight that there are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic, etc. Do we not on a very basic level understand that some people learn from books, some learn from direct experience, some learn from observation? Do we not get that there are ten ways to skin a cat, 100 different computer applications to complete the same task, 40,000 ways to slice a tomato? And again are we not all created by God or whatever name you prefer?
My point being, God created us with all the differing ways to learn, so why one religion?
I don't know what religion is the right religion - personally, if there is such a thing, I don't believe anyone knows. What I do understand is that I've met many people and through my interaction with those individuals, I see this:
... there are those people that need the strict practice of praying 5 times a day to keep them on track with their personal spiritual walk.
... there are those that need to holler out in support of their leader to spiritually connect with their God
... there are those people that need to call their God, by no name other than Elohim, Jehovah, or Adonai
... there are those who need to sing their praises through angelic song
... there are those who because of life experience, circumstance, or happen chance need to meet their God in their own private place, they won't step in a church!
... this list could go on and on...
But I ask do any of these situations negate their belief in God? Does it condemn them to be grouped with those who make "pacts with the devil"?
Who are these Christians that dare to bottle an entire community up in a single statement during such a time of loss and despair. If this is what the Pat Robertson's of the Christian faith have to offer as an "optimistic hope for the future", then I'll pass. Tragedies are a part of life, what you do with those times is each person's reality. It's their perception that holds truth for them. And as I deal with my tragedies however big or small I perceive them to be, I believe God will give me a better hand to grasp and a more stable foundation to stand on than what I see displayed by Pat Robertson.
www.primarythoughts.net
www.twitter.com/primarythoughts
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