Posted on 07/31/2013 8:36:12 PM PDT by Morgana
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, July 31, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two days after saying he found nothing sinful about sex-change operations, televangelist Pat Robertson said contraception is “a very important part of humanity” that would prevent the birth of too many Appalachian “ragamuffins.” He also said that Natural Family Planning violated the provisions of the Old Testament.
On today's episode of the 700 Club, a woman asked whether the use of birth control is sinful, something about which Catholics and Protestants disagree.
When Robertson's co-host, Wendy Griffith, said not all families could afford to have multiple children, Robertson replied, “That's the big problem, especially in Appalachia. They don't know about birth control. They just keep having babies.”
“You see a string of all these little ragamuffins, and not enough food to eat and so on,” he said, “and it's desperate poverty.” Pat Robertson discusses NFP on today's 700 Club. Pat Robertson discusses NFP on today's 700 Club.
“I'd say yes, birth control is absolutely an important thing for people to use,” he added, saying contraception “is a very important part of humanity.”
Robertson said that “birth control in the Protestant churches has always been permitted,” because they “feel that the care and rearing of children is a tremendous obligation.”
However, the 83-year-old host had negative words for the Natural Family Planning method. “Our good friends in the Catholic Church forbid the use of birth control but they allow people to use what's called 'rhythm,'” he said at the beginning of his answer. “If you read the Old Testament they were forbidden to have sex while women were having their menstrual period, and the Catholic Church is telling women to do just that, and it's OK.”
The Bible discouraged men from having sexual relations with a woman during her menstrual cycle – or touching her – in Leviticus 15:19-33, a provision taken up by Judaism and Islam.
However, Robertson went on to tell another writer later in the segment that eating pork, which is banned in Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8, is not a sin.
“Where do people get all these things?” he asked. “This is ridiculous.”
The Protestant Reformers opposed artificial contraception, something not embraced by Protestants until the Anglican Communion's Lamberth Conference in 1930.
Pro-life activists point out that many forms of “birth control” – including the morning after pill, the IUD, and hormonal birth control pill – may cause a chemical abortion by blocking the implantation of a newly conceived child.
Uhhh - Morgana, as the king of typos I hardly meant to critique a fellow FReeper for any keyboard errors. I only raised that line for ridicule because I thought Patsy Poo had written it.
Well, I also didn’t like his attack on the Americans living in the Southern Mountains. Some of them are friends of mine, and one is a true water walker among educators.
Yes, I didn’t always think that way, but then, I used to be an atheist, so pretty much all of my opinions of stuff like this changed gradually when I became a Christian. I think the Bible is pretty consistent in advocating against stuff like this, certainly in spirit if not specifically. Plus, my observation of the effect it has on the culture when it is unchecked just cemented my view.
Well, I think there’s a middle ground there. At some point, you may have enough little blessings for anyone to handle, and then maybe you want to abstain for a while :)
Thank you for your and other individual posts to me clearing up this matter.
Yea I know, I know. I’m cool. It is 24 hours later and I have chilled a bit. People saying crap about West Virginians really gets my goat. That goes double for TV preachers who earn millions and who have their head up their _____.
Yea that just makes sense too. Married people should abstain and unmarried should just have all the sex they want and get birth control/plan B/abortions. Just sounds so logical in today’s world.
Why do I even bother complaining about this imbecile in Virginia? After all he us just promoting the new norm? I’m the one who’s the old fashion nun.
Well, Morgana, since you are making up your statistics from what you THINK..... allow me to give you some real numbers. There are approximately 56 million Protestants in the USA.
source: Hartford Institute for Religion Research..... and that's just the USA, if we counted the entire viewing area of the show, there would be a lot more!
How many people are watching the show? The most consistent results are anywhere from 800,000 to 1 million viewers. I did find that in their hayday they boasted 2 million members to the "Club".
source: http://wiki.answers.com
So, Morgana..... do you think 2 or even 3 million out of 56 million would constitute "most" Protestants?
Ignorance of menstrual cycles, childbirth, and breastfeeding is rampant, even among educated people. It’s as if people really just don’t want accurate information about women’s bodies. Assumptions and stereotypes are more convenient.
“How many people are watching the show?”
Enough to keep that crap on the air for how many decades? As I recall they stay on the air like PBS, that is asking for donations. About now I’d rather donate to PBS because Red Green says things that make more sense than Pat Roberson.
I just didn't want you to go on thinking that "most" (or anywhere near that) Protestants agreed with him or watched him. I hope we cleared that up. :)
You do have a very good point in that we cannot listen to him.
“I just didn’t want you to go on thinking that “most” (or anywhere near that) Protestants agreed with him or watched him. I hope we cleared that up. :) “
Oh I see what you are saying.
I would hope “most” FReepers are not, at least after the transexual approval. However someone is and someone is sending those people money or else they would not still be on the air.
Pat Robertson needs to take Red Green’s “the Man’s Prayer” revise it and pray ....
“I’m an IDIOT, but I can change, if I have to, I guess”.
;)
I personally believe it is the second,
By Appalachian ragamuffins, he meant African Americans
I have seen translations that say one should also not derive benefit from it, though it seems likely this conclusion was arrived at through gematria. It also looks likely that a large number of the rules are disciplinary, to make sure one does not accidentally break the underlying rule.
Another explanation that I came across is that at the time there were pagans that believed by boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk and spreading the mixture around a field, this would cause the gods to be pleased and may give them a good harvest for that year.
Dude how do you know this? He said “ragamuffins” not Treyvonites”.
Because I know how the guy works.
I think you will find in any church people that don’t want to be told truth. I have had disagreements with my sisters in Christ over the use of it. I find many times it is the husband that drives the use of it.
I worked for Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice for over twenty years, as Senior Counsel in the Washington, DC office.
My thoughts on Pat’s moronic observations: http://jimsjustsayin.blogspot.com/2013/08/former-aclj-employee-robertsons.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.