Project Reason is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. The foundation draws on the talents of prominent and creative thinkers in a wide range of disciplines to encourage critical thinking and erode the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world.

Donate to Project Reason

Join the Mailing List

Sign up to receive email updates from Project Reason.

Log in

 
not a member? Join here.
Forgot your password?

Twitter and Facebook

Follow Project Reason on Twitter

The Scripture Project

Browse the Bible, Qur’an or Book of Mormon for scriptural criticism, insights and careful annotation.

Most Recently Updated Passages

White House Adviser Valerie Jarrett ‘Speechless’ Over Pat Robertson’s Haiti Comment

By CLAIRE SHIPMAN and DEVIN DWYER
Posted: January 14, 2010.

Print: ABC News

excerpt:

The earthquake in Haiti is a tragedy of such gargantuan proportion that it’s natural for the faithful to wonder how—or why—any god could allow it.

Enter the Rev. Pat Robertson, who always seems to have a ready answer for the unanswerable.

“You know ... something happened a long time ago in Haiti. … They got together and swore a pact to the Devil,” Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “700 Club” Wednesday.

“They said, ‘We will serve you if you get us free from the French.’ True story.” That’s right: Robertson seems to suggest the Haitians brought the earthquake on themselves, in a deal with Satan.

Read the full article | Print this article

Comments (12)

The sad part is that he will never now how much of an ass he is.

posted on January 14, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

Funny Pat. He’s so funny, in a sad way.

posted on January 14, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

What an idiot! I hope he gets an ulcer in the near future.

posted on January 14, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

he is very ignorant and compassion is in order.

the sad part are the people that follow such a egotistical self righteous human being.

they are the real danger to any society not pat.

hitler would have never achieved his power without the ignorance of the german people.

pat would never have acheived his status without these people who believe his fear mongering.

this is a very sad lonely man just like hitler was.

posted on January 14, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

I don’t think these evangetards even believe their own BS anymore. They have an empire to run and ignorant sheep to fleece, so they maintain the doctrinal party line. Minding the shop, as it were.
Htchens is right: give these guys an enema and you can bury them in a matchbox.

posted on January 15, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

Scary…

posted on January 15, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

Personally, I love the part where they defend him:

“He must have misspoke.”, “If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear.”, etc.

But then the article list where Robertson has made similar comments time and time again.  No, he did not misspeak!  He does this quite frequently and it’s time people stop being surprised by it.

posted on January 15, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

8. Ray Burleigh

Pat is, as always, misinformed and willing to to use the suffering of others to assert his own piousness.  Pat is wrong that Haitians worship the devil.  Their religion derives from African ancestor worship. 

Furthermore, Haitians are abjectly poor because of corrupt institutions controled by a few wealth families in collusion with the church.  Most aid efforts get diverted to the wealthy.  Infrastructure serves the wealthy and is denied to the rest.  Reform efforts are brutally suppressed.  The church, supported by the wealthy, provides comfort and aid but never challenges root cause of the people’s abject poverty. 

Far better for Pat to blame the devil for Haitian suffering than to address the failure of religion to improve their lives.

posted on January 16, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

i heard that Pat Robertson was a diamond smuggler. Can anyone enlighten me on that subject?

posted on January 16, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

10. disgusted

this man’s constant stream of incendiary rhetoric is hardly born of ignorance. i believe that he’s well aware of EXACTLY what he does and says and the effect(s) that will likely result. he’s been at his craft for far too long for anything else to be the case. it’s high time for such sociopaths to be tarred and feathered verbally in the public square by as many people as possible. i believe compassion for this man’s rotten sentiments (and/or whatever motivates them) is misplaced and dangerous.

posted on January 16, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

His comments are fortunately so over the top that he is nearly universally denounced. If we could get the whole right wing to this point there might be some hope for sanity to prevail. Sadly, religion and rightiousness remain, and we are forced to live with the lies and pain they inflict.

posted on January 17, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.

He says ignorant stuff. But he does more to help people than 99.9% of the people that rage against him. I say just ignore him and the news-media should try to cover news. Lets start with examining the ignorant crap we hear daily from the White House. Yeah we all know religion breeds stupidity, but so do all mindless mass movements.

posted on January 19, 2010
report this as inappropriate

You don't have permission to flag this entry.