Posted on 08/24/2005 2:37:39 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Pat Robertson's suggestion that the United States assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez left some Texas Christian leaders speechless Tuesday.
"I was kind of shocked, like a lot of people were shocked," said the Rev. Sonny Foraker, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearland.
"I don't know why he said it," he added. "I wouldn't have said it, and I don't support it."
Robertson, who resigned his ordination as a Southern Baptist minister in 1986 before his presidential bid, made the comments Monday on his television show, The 700 Club , on the Christian Broadcast Network.
Leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Texas issued statements calling Robertson's comments inappropriate and detrimental to the church's message.
"Pat Robertson does not advance the Christian faith by announcing on television his own preferences about who around the world he wants killed," said Phil Strickland, director of the convention's Christian Life Commission.
"Those of us who call for Muslims to condemn terrorism by their brethren cannot be silent when one of ours advocates this kind of violence," said convention Executive Director Charles Wade.
Christian theology does not eschew war, said Craig Mitchell, instructor of Christian ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
Indeed, there is a long tradition of just-war theory that allows countries to engage their militaries to punish and prevent acts of aggression, he said.
"Clearly Scripture gives governments authority to go to war, but assassination is another thing all together," Mitchell said. "Assassination is always a criminal act."
The Rev. Gary Moore, senior associate pastor of Second Baptist Church, said that he did not want "to sit in judgment" and of Robertson and that the broadcaster had a right to speak his mind. But Moore did caution that it was important for Christian leaders to be careful of how they use their influence.
"When people look up to you, you have to be careful of what they look up and see."
tara.dooley@chron.com
Pat Robertson is a Grade A ass.
But he does this all the time, nullifying the long hours hard of hard work by conservatives in a single soundbite.
Sure, I think Chavez out to have a hit out on him, but the leader one of the most influential religious movements in America should not be saying this out loud.
Don't be so quick to judge...
FYI...
The word maroon 'an foolish or obnoxious person' is simply a jocular mispronunciation of moron. It is probably reinforced by the existence of maroon 'abandon' and maroon 'brownish red color' (which are themselves unrelated, by the way, giving us three different unrelated maroons).
Our maroon is first found in the 1940s, and was not coined by Bugs Bunny (though his use of it surely did a great deal to popularize the term). It is part of a number of words from that general period which represent jocular mispronunciations of common words. Some other exampes are anyhoo, fox paw (for faux pas), martooni, and nertz.
Bugs Bunny 8= Bugs Bunny saying "What an ultra-maroon"
Well, yes; any quote from Pat Robertson is clearly attributable to the other end of the equine digestive system.
OK.
"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians."
Ball's in your court. Give us some documentation describing the gas ovens and crematoria currently being used by America to exterminate evangelical Christians.
I am amused to watch the liberal screech about something so insignificant as this matter. It should be thrown back in their face,...."Well, then I suppose that I can surmise that you are proChavez, who is a devotee of Castro? Are you a Communist? Do you decry the free enterprize system?
To quote a liberal,prehippie,poet,"The more they protest, the tighter I hold on to my spoons".
This issue is silly. There are good Americans dying to give us a first amendement right to speak. Are the liberals against that? Sheeeeesh.
No. I was using the Bugs Bunny term.
But it means the same thing.
No one said the man couldn't speak. They just think Pat Robertson's remarks caused trouble. I think he's a bit of a narcissist and knew this would give him headlines.
It's obvious it's difficult for his supporters to defend this. His manner is more like Hugo Chavez than a reasoning person. Did he think for a second that this would help our enemy and hurt the country? Either the man didn't think, or he's a jerk. Either choice gives him no glory.
"What a maroon. What an ULTRA-maroon."
Give the poor old guy a break, it's probably just senile dementia setting in. Or at least finally manifesting itself publically.
"No, he was a pagan..."
No, he was Catholic. The key word in that sentance is WAS. He used his Catholic upbringing and knowledge as justification for the Final Solution. I won't argue with you that he became a pagan, however, because you're probably right. He certainly encouraged his inner-circle friends in Teutonic paganism, anyway.
Thank you. Without a doubt, however, Pat Robertson is a Christian Zionist, and the subject of this thread.
So we buy oil from him, and he gives profits to our dreadful enemy. Spend $200 billion like in Iraq, kill lots of innocents, further stretch our military? Or strike off the head of the octopus as we tried (but failed) to do in Iraq?
"Ball's in your court. Give us some documentation describing the gas ovens and crematoria currently being used by America to exterminate evangelical Christians."
I don't like being an apologist for Robertson, but it is obvious to me that he is speaking symbolically. You are an example of someone attempting to "exterminate" evangelical Christians by your obvious contempt and vitriol.
If Robertson is the "moron" many allege, then why do you dignify him by paying attention. I generally ignore people I think fools.
"He is wacko. I'm a very conservative person but these quotes, if they are true, are just over the top."
Unfortunately, he is not "wacko." I will concede his rhetoric is a little extreme, but there is truth in all those statements. For instance, get an unsanitized history on Sangor who started Planned Parenthood (or more properly "planned barrenhood." She is not a savory character in her philosophy and associations.
Pat should have been more direct, and not taken it back. I can't stand a coward.
"Well, yes; any quote from Pat Robertson is clearly attributable to the other end of the equine digestive system."
Not at all clever or witty like the original post. You would have been better served to remain silent.
Way predated Robertson's remarks.
Oh where has the eagle flown?
Given his lack of any real stature, why should anyone give a flying fig what Pat Robertson says, and at the same time not even blink when idiots like Shumer or Pelosi or Durbin blurt out horrible lies. They're supposed to be @$%#! US Senators, afterall!
Yeshua is a Zionist, Bible says so quite plainly...
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.