Public response to Pat lacks outrage

Pat Robertson has to stop. I believe in the First Amendment, as I’d think all writers probably… Pat Robertson has to stop. I believe in the First Amendment, as I’d think all writers probably should, so he has the right to say what he wants. That being said, the things coming out of his mouth these days have been so vulgar that it scares me to know people like him exist in our society.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently suffered a stroke. Sharon, though a controversial figure, has had a part in nearly every major event in the country’s history since it declared independence in 1948. He is a soldier and a politician who has worked very hard fixing Israel’s diplomatic relationships. He is a primary supporter of the recent disengagement of the Gaza Strip, and his deteriorating health will prove to be a large setback in Middle-Eastern peace talks, just as progress was stalled after Yitzhak Rabin’s untimely assassination in 1995.

Just days after Sharon’ stroke, Reverend Pat Robertson said publicly that it was the direct result of God punishing the Prime Minister. According to Robertson, God did not agree with Sharon’s policy of giving up land in return for peace, and smote the man in charge. God was punishing Sharon for splitting up his holy land.

Whether or not I agree with Sharon’s methods is a whole other column. I’m on the fence on this issue, as I don’t want to see more bloodshed, but also do not want to see the disappearance of Israel. Instead, this column is all about my hatred of Pat Robertson. I think he’s a bad person with archaic ideals who abuses the establishments of both religion and public media.

Obviously, I’m not a big fan of his and I think he gives a bad name to the conservative right. I don’t agree with most of what he says – outrageous statements that have been anti-Semitic, misogynistic, homophobic and downright hateful toward any group of people unlike his own. He has condemned a Pennsylvania town for supporting a modern and intellectual view on creation and development and blamed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on America’s moral values.

Now, after all of this, and much more I don’t even have time to mention, he has insulted a man lying in a hospital bed who has worked his whole life trying to do what he thought was best for his people. His personal stature or politics don’t matter; nobody deserves to have his character and religious values questioned as he is fighting for his life.

Slurring against a sick man is bad enough, but doing it in the name of God is despicable. People complain about athletes or artists thanking God for touchdowns and Grammys, but Robertson’s actions are a million times worse. Many people with strong faith push their ideas onto others. While this may seem overbearing, most of them do believe they are doing the right thing and are trying to save their fellow men from damnation.

I personally believe that Robertson is not trying to save anybody. All he cares about is finger pointing, controversy and publicity. I don’t think that if he really cared about the world’s salvation he would spend his time pointing out faults at such emotional times, yelling and blaming instead of teaching and explaining.

Also, it would help if Robertson actually knew what he was talking about. I’ve only taken one class on the topic – Bible as Literature, which I highly recommend – but I know that the Gaza Strip was not part of the biblical Palestine that God promised to his chosen people. And while we’re on the subject, the original Holy Land was supposed to extend all the way to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, currently part of modern-day Iraq. This area was never part of the established state of Israel, but Robertson never mentioned anybody being punished for this transgression.

I’m not complaining about the fact he said it – he can say whatever he wants. One of my problems is the lack of outrage from the public, though the White House has come out against the reverend’s statements. Why aren’t more people upset about this? I know that Robertson expresses the opinion of a radical minority, but the fact that this group exists and continues to grow scares me – and should scare all of you.

E-mail Sam at seg23@pitt.edu. We’ll talk about Satan and other fun stuff.