If you didn’t catch it on the January 5th airing of the 700 Club, you may have heard it in the news. Yes, the arrogantly outspoken Pat Robertson has done it again!
In Robertson’s view, Prime minister of Israel Ariel Sharon was inflicted with a stroke as divine punishment for “dividing God’s land”. Sharon, who ordered Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza last year, has also been campaigning to give up some of the West Bank in order to end decades of conflict with the Palestinians.
Robertson stated on his program “God considers this land to be His. You read the Bible and he says ‘This is my land,’ and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, ‘No, this is mine.”’ Because Sharon was “dividing God’s land,” Robertson stated that the bible “makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who ‘divide my land.”’
For those of you who may, like Pat, not know, "ALL the earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof;" (Psalm 24:1)
Furthermore, Pat Robertson associated Sharon’s illness with the assassination death of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who like Sharon, sought peace with the Palestinians by giving up land.
Executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Rev. Barry W. Lynn, said that a religious leader “should not be making callous political points while a man is struggling for his life…. Pat Robertson has a political agenda for the entire world, and he seems to think God is ready to take out any world leader who stands in the way of that agenda.” Hear, hear.
Robertson’s thinking out loud, has put a bit of a kibosh on his and his American Christian Evangelical friend’s new Holy Land theme park. (Yes, it is true. It is to be called the Galilee World Heritage Park) Even before Robertson’s remarks regarding Sharon, many Israelis had been weary of their nation’s growing “friendship” with North American Evangelical right wing extremists like Robertson. Regarding motives, they wonder if these fundamentalist Christians are in the picture not to simply support Israel, but to convert it’s people to Christianity. At the same time, these so-called "Christians" would be reaping a huge financial profit from the "Christian" tourist industry in Israel.
Is anyone really shocked or surprised by what comes out of Robertson's mouth anymore? Probably not.
But I am obviously concerned that the Miracle Channel continues to broadcast this right wing televangelist/prophet with a penchant for Christian world domination.
Robertson's statements marginalize the Christian message in the world even more than it already is.
For all you Pat Robertson supporters, NO, he is not speaking on behalf of God according to what the bible says! The concept of The Land of Israel in regards to exact border locations given by God to the Hebrew nation is uncertain and there is much debate between scholars as to the exact biblical dimensions of God-given land and how they relate to modern day geography. The land promised to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis is different from the land given to the Tribes in Numbers and Deuteronomy. There are points of debate as to the exact biblical east-west borders as well as north-south. I hardly think that the “exact” dimensions of modern day Israel matter all that much to God.
And for that matter, according to Gal 3:29, “ And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise,” every Christian, spiritual descendant of faith would be
entitled to the land given to Abraham. Hmmm…perhaps I should stake my claim.
Furthermore, the idea that God would inflict sickness on a ruler for wanting to restore peace to the land is insidious. What did Jesus say in Matt 5:9? He said, “Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God.” New day, new way. New covenant. Or perhaps Mr. Robertson still believes in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, as well?
Where are our Canadian Christian leaders to speak up when one of their own supports and promotes such a person as Robertson who speaks absurdities on behalf of Christianity? Nodding in agreement? If not in agreement, then why has President of the Miracle Channel, Dick Dewert not spoken up to disassociate himself and/or the Miracle Channel with this type of ideology? I suggest to you that it is either because he is in agreement with Robertson, or he is fearful of the repercussions and cost of voicing truth. Or maybe it's the potential loss of revenue the Miracle Channel will suffer in the event Robertson finds another venue to distribute his trash.
There is good reason to believe that the operators of the Miracle Channel have the same worldview as Pat Robertson. Time and time again Mr. Dewert has suggested that the timing of the removal of Israeli peoples from Gaza coincides with the formation of the hurricane of the century in the Atlantic Ocean last August. Mr. Dewert has inferred that the devastation resulting from the hurricane perhaps prophetically signifies God’s disapproval of “His people” being removed from the land which He gave them.
Pat Robertson’s overall mindset reminds me of an incident where Jesus and His disciples were preparing to go to a village of the Samaritans. Upon first sending His messengers to inform the townspeople of His coming, they returned to Jesus with the message that the Samaritans did not want Him to visit their village. The passage in Luke continues:
“And He sent messengers before His face. And they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him. And they did not receive Him, because His face was going toward Jerusalem. And seeing, His disciples James and John said, Lord, do You desire that we command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned and rebuked them and said, YOU DO NOT KNOW OF WHAT SPIRIT YOU ARE!” (Luke 9:52-55) [emphasis added]
There should be a lot more "spirit testing" and a lot less blind credulity going on when it comes to Christian leaders who claim to speak from the heart of God.
http://www.themiraclechannel.ca/article.php?story=20060112120322988