You know, Pat Robertson is most often an incredible jerk, but you gotta hand it to him: He has the courage of his convictions.
Wearing white and trusting that God will watch over him in a war zone, the American Christian Evangelical leader Pat Robertson is visiting Israel this week to offer his support for a country whose very existence he believes is threatened by Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Arriving on Monday for a three-day visit, he has since traveled up to the northern boarder where, in spite of the warning sirens and the constant thud of rocket explosions, he televised a segment of his evangelical TV show The 700 Club, which is produced five days a week and broadcast around the world.
“We are praying for Israel during this time of crisis,” he told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday over coffee and tea before he left for the northern border.
“The Evangelical community is standing with this nation,” said the founder and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, who has received a number of awards recognizing his long time friendship to Israel. The strong US support for Israel in general is partially due to the Evangelical community, he told The Jerusalem Post.
And here’s where the jerk part comes in.
Robertson added that he plans to express this support to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he meets with him on Wednesday. But in spite of the warm friendship he feels for Olmert, he will also tell him, diplomatically, that the Evangelical community is opposed to any plans to give up land and that it would be a mistake for Olmert to link his realignment plan to withdraw from areas of the West Bank with the fight against Hizbullah in Lebanon.
It isn’t “diplomatically” that Robertson is opposed to the plan. He’s an End-Timer, which is one of the reasons why I steer clear of him. Actually, there are, like, a hundred reasons why I can’t stand the man.
But I will give him props for showing up in Israel, and traveling to the north. That’s more than most will do.
Looking at what Robertson said, he said the right thing for the wrong reason.
Well, of course, you have to realize that Robertson is a mortal enemy of the Jews. The people you should rely on are the mainstream Protestants. You know, the ones who pass divestment resolutions, call for Israel to “hunker down”, send peace activists to stand in front of bulldozers and beside Hezbollah missile launchers — you know, that sort of real friend.
If you’re religious, it’s hard not not to believe in the End Times right now (repeat of the 1930’s, but with nuclear weapons and madmen willing to use them). Of course, Robertson’s beliefs about the End Times are different from those of Jews, because they’re based on the Christian scriptures. Despite these additions, Robertson, and many other Christian Bible-believers, support Israel because of belief in those scriptures we do have in common. Mainline Protestants have long stopped taking the Bible seriously, the Leftists are scriptureless atheists, and the Muslims believe what Jews and Christians have is a corruption and theirs (the Koran) is the correct version (*spit*).
Whatever the case, we shouldn’t reject support for whatever reason it is given. King Solomon’s “lama tishomam” (“Why destroy yourself?” through excessive zeal for righteousness) is pertinent.
Oops, double “not” in first sentence caused by overcorrection.
Robertson also said that Ariel Sharon’s stroke was “divine punishment” for disengagement.
Seriously, I know Israel’s a little short on friends these days, but how desperate do you have to get before you start considering the likes of Pat Robertson as friends?
Joseph, I’m frankly in favor of all Christians who are true friends, period.
Not all Protestants are like the leadership of the PC-USA. Neither are most Jews like Adam Shapiro (thank God).
I said, and I’ll say again–Robertson is a major jerk, but I have to give him credit for coming to Israel right now.
This does not mean he and I will ever break bread together. I’m pretty sure he still believes I’m going to burn in hell, like he used to tell me on TV years ago.
Each to his own; I couldn’t care why Robertson supports the right moves by Israel — including not giving up an inch of Judea, Samaria, or Gaza — as long as he consistently does.
That said, I think many — most, perhaps — people mistake the Religious Right’s affection for Israel to have EndOfDaysiness as its source. I know some real, live Christian fundamentalists, and at least in their case, that’s just a bonus/trigger that allows them to be as enthusiastic about Israel as the really want to be.
Pat Robertson and his buddies want Israel around because Jayzuz has to have a place to hang his coat when he comes back; and once the Jews are all together in Israel to fulfill their prophecies, it’s convert or die time.
Personally, I’d be happy to let him show his support from the front lines.
Posted by a Leftist who is NOT a scriptureless atheist, thank you very much!
Robertson puts Evangelicals in Muslim countries at risk