Pat Robertson and the Biblical Mind

The televangelist Marion 'Pat' Robertson's statement that the US government should assassinate the President of Venezuela (Hugo Chavez) is receiving a lot of media coverage. Comedians feel it is a real godsend. But his statement is very revealing of his mindset and his priorities. It also seems to have Biblical roots, although it does not call for the rampant and wholesale violence and brutality of the Bible. After stating that the US government should murder the freely elected Venezuelan President, he tried to support this insanity by saying that it would not affect the flow of oil (the US gets 15% of its oil from Venezuela) and that it would be a lot better than spending 200 billion Federal Reserve Notes on a war. What really shows the dark side of Pat's personality and spirit is that when trying to justify the unjustifiable, he never mentioned that it would save the lives and limbs of American soldiers and Marines, as well as those of civilians! Pat's priorities are so shallow and materialistic that the good of people didn't even enter his warped little mind! This isn't the first time that Pat has shown his true love is cash and material wealth. Back in 1998, he was involved in a lawsuit when three law professors from his Regent University sued him for libel. The letter Robertson wrote that brought about the suit reveals himself to be nothing but a spoiled rich kid, a real son-of-a-senator, who couldn't grasp an ideal if his bank account depended on it. He compared the three professors to Jim Jones and David Koresh because they dared to stand up for what they felt was right at the risk of losing their careers. Robertson's exact words in the letter were, 'No rational professional person seeks to destroy the source of his own employment and career advancement. Only cultists after the order of Jim Jones or the Branch Davidians do such things.' I guess Pat thinks that many of America's founders were cultists, too. Prior to the break with England, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin and many other founders of the United States of America were living comfortable lives under the colonial system. Some enjoyed huge plantations with a guaranteed market for their products in the mother country, while others had lucrative law practices or both. By deciding to overthrow the existing government which was responsible for their successful careers and lifestyles, they were by Pat Robertson's definition, cultists. Perhaps a primary source for Pat's sick and twisted view is the Bible. Throughout the Bible we are told to do good to get rewards. Never to do good because it's the right thing to do. There is always a selfish reason for doing what is right. For example, Matthew 6:1-4 reads: 'Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.' In addition to promoting selfishness, the Bible that Pat is a preacher of also promotes mass murder. For example, in Deuteronomy 7:16 we read, 'And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them.' The Bible is loaded to overflowing with brutality and violence. Our God-given reason tells us that the 'good book' is not really so good! Hopefully, Pat's latest exposure of the deficiencies of his soul and mind will make people THINK about what they've been brought up to believe. It should cause people to question all people in authority, all traditional beliefs, all religions, and all governments. As my dad used to say, 'God didn't give you a head to use as a hat rack!'