Free Republic

Pat Robertson, America's longest-serving eschatological bigot and spiritual leader, took to the airwaves of the 700 Club last week and denounced the war on weed, as well as liberals, all of whom write laws in a "punitive spirit." Putting aside the fact that Robertson has, on occasion, invited God to smite people people of abominable politics and preferences, this time he is making (some) sense: We here in America make up 5% of the world's population, but we make up 25% of jailed prisoners... Every time the liberals pass a bill -- I don't care what it involves -- they...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has been set straight on Thanksgiving comfort food. "The 700 Club" founder showed a clip of Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday. Robertson's host, Kristi Watts, asked what dish the former secretary of state had to have on Thanksgiving. Rice replied macaroni and cheese. Watts reacted enthusiastically, adding "Sister, that is my dish..." Appearing perplexed, Robertson asked Watts, who is black, of the women's shared enthusiasm for mac 'n' cheese, "Is that a black thing?"

In an interview published Saturday to mark 50 years of Christian Broadcasting Network, Chairman Pat Robertson said he liked Mitt Romney’s politics and saw the Mormon presidential candidate as an “outstanding Christian.” Although many evangelicals are skeptical of the Mormon faith’s claim to Christianity, Robertson called former Massachusetts Governor Romney an “outstanding Christian” in an interview with The Associated Press. But when asked if he was alright with a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the White House, the 81-year-old head of the television network refused to answer. In a Pew Research Center poll in...

Long time televangelist and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson stunned the conservative Christian world on Tuesday when he said that it would be okay for man to divorce his wife who has Alzheimer’s. During the Tuesday broadcast of the 700 Club, Robertson was responding to a question he received from a viewer. In his response, Robertson said that people with Alzheimer’s are ‘walking dead’ who in his opinion would make it acceptable for a spouse to seek a divorce. One has to wonder if Robertson would feel the same way if he were the one with Alzheimer’s who was being...

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his "700 Club" viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death." During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder. "I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after...

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his "700 Club" viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death." During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.

GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty told CBN’s Pat Robertson that his wife Mary led him to the Lord and that his faith played an important role in his life. “She [Mary] led me to the Lord and was a powerful leader and mentor in that journey for me,” former Minnesota Governor Pawlenty said in an interview on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson Thursday. “I was raised a Catholic, and Mary and I met … she came from a Baptist tradition. So as we were getting married, we got serious about that … I wanted to reconcile our faith lives...

HOMELAND INSECURITY Concern about rise of Islam is bigotry? Counter-terror specialist challenges ADL chief's slam of Pat Robertson

In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Donald Trump discusses his views on God, going to church and storing all the Bibles he receives in the mail. Trump is seriously considering running for president and he'll need Evangelical votes in the GOP primaries if he's going to be successful. I spoke with Trump in New York a few days ago. My full 6-minute piece on the enthralling Donald Trump interview will air across the country on "The 700 Club" Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. on the ABC Family Channel. (Check your local listings) You can also go to www.cbn.com...

Haiti's voodoo high priest has claimed believers have been discriminated against by evangelical Christians who are monopolising aid sent to the earthquake-stricken country.... Max Beauvoir, Haiti's "supreme master" of voodoo, alleged his faith's opponents had deliberately prevented much-needed help from reaching followers of the religion, which blends the traditional beliefs of West African slaves with Roman Catholicism. "The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves," he claimed. "They have the advantage that they control the airport where everything is stuck. They take everything they get to their own people and that's a shame Christians have also been...

Here's the Pat Robertson paradox: Maybe the overwhelming condemnation of his comments about Haiti following the earthquake is evidence of how much religion continues to matter to many Americans. In case you missed it, Robertson said this on the 700 Club: "Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story....

Why God Hates Haiti The frustrating theology of suffering. By Lisa Miller | NEWSWEEK Published Jan 15, 2010 From the magazine issue dated Jan 25, 2010 Haiti is surely a Job among nations. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere: half its population lives on less than a dollar a day. With 98 percent of its forests felled and burned for firewood, Haiti is uniquely vulnerable to flooding from hurricanes. In 2008 four storms in as many weeks left a million homeless. Haiti has an infant-mortality rate worse than that of many African nations, and its people are...

On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you...

A short distance from the city of Norfolk you will find Pat Robertson's CBN complex in Virginia Beach. Locals have been both blessed and embarrased by his religious musings. It seems, when it comes to disasters, Pat Robertson is quite outspoken. "I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you, This is not a message of hate -- this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring...

Roman Catholicism may be the nominal faith in Haiti but voodoo is the true national religion. Closely related to this is the common practice of santeria, animal sacrifice. The most egregious African superstitions have merged with a superficial and distorted version of Christianity to produce a primordial blend of arrant nonsense that has created a cult of barbarism. Haiti is not the most impoverished and backward nation in the Western hemisphere simply by happenstance. It remains, as it always has, beyond the pale of civilization. And all the romanticizing of the Haitian people by the MSM won't change that reality.

Via Breitbart, the Robertson story’s almost out of gas but a rejoinder this clever deserves wider airing. Most were content to hammer Reverend Pat yesterday for blaming the victims, but this guy’s after bigger game. If you’re trying to divine divine will by tracing a cause-and-effect line between certain historical data points, how do you know which data points to select? Does Haiti get no credit in the heavenly ledger for overthrowing a slaveholder regime and thereby bringing about the conditions for the U.S. to purchase the Louisiana territory? If not, if that’s spoiled by their, ahem, “pact with the...

Gibbs: "It never ceases to amaze that in times of amazing human suffering, somebody says something that could be so utterly stupid, but, it, like clockwork, happens with some regularity."

Call Pat Robertson crazy or, worse yet, insensitive for his remarks following the earthquake in Haiti. To a reasonable person (by which I mean an NPR listener's self-concept), the notion Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake was punishment for a 200 year old pact with the Devil sounds crazy or, worse yet, insensitive. This perhaps particularly so to a reasonable person recalling Robertson's remarks along similar lines following 9/11. The trouble for critics of Robertson's insensitivity (I have seen no sympathy for the devil troubling him), is that Haitians say much the same thing themselves. The commonly accepted date for the start...

It is excruciating to see the images of human suffering emanating from Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. Prayers and practical compassionate care is truly needed. But sometimes things are said in the midst of crises that exacerbate the already raw feelings of grieving people. So then what's all the fuss about Pat Robertson's remarks? I first knew something was up while driving yesterday. I heard two national conservative talk radio personalities make some disparaging remarks about Pat Robertson, who, by the way, is one of the reasons they even have jobs. Pat was one of the most...

US EVANGELICAL preacher Pat Robertson has blamed Haitians directly for the devastating earthquake, saying that the country "swore a pact to the devil'' at its creation. "Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it,'' Robertson said on his Christian Broadcasting Network show The 700 Club. The 80-year-old former presidential candidate said Haitians were originally "under the heel of the French". "You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. "And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. "They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from...

Excerpt - PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) — In a Haitian dance hall transformed into a temple, dozens of voodoo practitioners dressed all in white, scarves around their necks in red, yellow or green, came Friday to pay homage to their first-ever "supreme master". "Open the barriers," a sole voice intoned in Creole. "The master has arrive," answered the crowd of men and women, as they rose to greet Max Beauvoir, 72. Until recently, the priests of voodoo, the heavily spirit-focused, African-rooted belief of many Haitians, operated autonomously without a formal hierarchy or rules. But through the associations of followers, they decided to...

Today's buzz on Twitter about the Rev. Pat Robertson seemed like a cruel hoax against the man who blamed America's sins for the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina. But no. Robertson did indeed strike again today during his show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. Calling for donations to CBN's disaster relief fund, he blamed Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake on the Haitians' "pact with the devil" two centuries ago while seeking liberation from the French. Take a look at the video.So, why did so many missionaries, clergy and seminarians die on Tuesday? The Seeker...

Yes, another interview for all of us Palin junkies from a Christian perspective!

I posted Sarah Palin's Interview with CBN News BILL O'REILLY TONIGHT!! Nov 19th Nov 20th Part 2 Nov 23rd Part 3 DENNIS MILLER RADIO SHOW Nov 20th (http://radiotime.com/program/p_123379/The_Dennis_Miller_Show.aspx)

I posted Sarah Palin's CBN Interview She will also be on: BILL O'REILLY TONIGHT!! Nov 19th Nov 20th Part 2 Nov 23rd Part 3 DENNIS MILLER RADIO SHOW Nov 20th (http://radiotime.com/program/p_123379/The_Dennis_Miller_Show.aspx)

Palin, Steele and Other Conservative Christians Not ‘Normal’? More Hypocrisy from ‘Hardball’ By S.E. Cupp Republican Commentator Chris Matthews, along with Lois Romano of the Washington Post and David Corn of Mother Jones, devoted 10 minutes of last night’s “Hardball” to lamenting the religiosity of Republicans. “Why does everything sound like the 700 Club?” Matthews flippantly probed his like-minded panelists. The criticism came in response to recent sound bites from Sarah Palin and Michael Steele — two very popular go-to targets of the left. “Suspicious” is a good characterization of the liberal attitude toward Christianity. The media was “suspicious” of...

Chris Matthews, along with Lois Romano of the Washington Post and David Corn of Mother Jones, devoted 10 minutes of last night’s “Hardball” to lamenting the religiosity of Republicans. “Why does everything sound like the 700 Club?” Matthews flippantly probed his like-minded panelists. The criticism came in response to recent sound bites from Sarah Palin and Michael Steele — two very popular go-to targets of the left. [snip] “Suspicious” is a good characterization of the liberal attitude toward Christianity. The media was “suspicious” of Palin throughout the campaign, accusing her of speaking in tongues, and admonishing her for her pro-life...

CBNNews.com - She still draws wild crowds everywhere -- Hillary Clinton lovers galore. Click on the video player to see what the former first lady had to say to CBN News about her campaign, Obama and her faith. This past weekend in Rhode Island, it was 5,000 strong. But in an election year when she would make history as the first woman president, she's been overshadowed by Obama mania. Hillary Strikes Back She sees the glowing headlines and the passionate support, but wonders - to coin a famous phrase - "Where's the beef?" "I think that there is a certain...

The Rev. Pat Robertson said Monday that his son, Gordon, has succeeded him as chief executive of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the most recent shift to a younger generation of leaders within major conservative Christian groups. Robertson, 77, announced the transition on "The 700 Club," the Virginia-based network's flagship show, with Gordon, 49, on air with him. "I thought that some of this day-to-day operation was important to pass down the line, especially to somebody a little more adept at figuring out the new technologies coming at such a bewildering speed to all of us," the elder Robertson said. The...

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker. The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative...

On Wednesday, Christian Broadcasting Network founder, Pat Robertson (photo), gave Rudy Giuliani his endorsement in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Robertson's announcement came as a surprise to many political observers who believe the TV evangelist's position on social issues were not compatible with those of the former New York Mayor. Giuliani graciously accepted Robertson's endorsement. Robertson said the most important issues facing America were terrorism and the defeat of Democrats. Robertson's backing of Giuliani also came as a shock to the other men seeking the GOP's presidential nomination. However, under further scrutiny, Robertson's announcement made perfect sense--for...

Info here... http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/02/giuliani-to-speak-at-pat-robertsons.html

CBNNews.com –- BATAVIA, Illinois - The public is interested in stem cells. Some want to know if it's wrong to use them. Others want to know if they'll help fight incurable diseases. Yet the public still doesn't understand the controversy over embryonic stem cells versus adult stem cells. What's working medically, however, can tell us a lot about where the truth lies. President George W. Bush recently made the first veto of his presidency, and it concerned stem cells. In Washington, the discussion has been about funding of embryonic stem cell research, but the real story may be about Americans...

CBN.com – RATED “PG” FOR USE OF JESUS? Michael Catt is the pastor of the 3,000 member Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. He is also Producer and Director of the football movie, Facing the Giants. The movie was written, directed, produced, financed and cast by volunteers from his church. Only five professionals were paid for work on the movie. Facing the Giants is about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan after running a losing team for six years. The coach dares to trust God to do the impossible, and through Him, he and...

Just an interesting note. This concerns (of all things) something from offline, which I why I just listed FR as the weblink... Last night I was watching TV with my family, and I noticed that they had on ABC Family. (We think that the name of the cable channel is a misnomer, given the majority of their programming--kind of in the same way Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher was a misnomer.) We endured a commercial for an upcoming movie about a best man who falls in love with the woman who is the bride at that wedding. (I guess for...

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he'd be in a pretty tough spot if he tried. The 700 Club host's feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined "How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds." According to the CBN Web site, Robertson worked his way up to lifting a ton with the help of his physician, who is not named. The posting does not say when the lift occurred, but a CBN spokeswoman released photos to The Associated Press that she said showed...

When mega-pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church opened last year in its new Houston home, a most unlikely guest was on hand for the celebration: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). This month, Howard Dean went on Pat Robertson's "700 Club," asserting that Democrats "have an enormous amount in common with the Christian community, and particularly with the evangelical Christian community." Democrats these days are a party on a mission to persuade evangelical Christian voters to consider converting -- to the Democratic Party. Just as Republicans have worked at peeling off some African American voters from the Democratic Party, evangelical voters...

In another in a series of notable pronouncements, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says God told him storms and possibly a tsunami will hit America's coastline this year. Robertson has made the predictions at least four times in the past two weeks on his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded. Robertson said the revelations about this year's weather came to him during his annual personal prayer retreat in January. "If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms," Robertson said May 8. On Wednesday, he...

VIRGINIA BEACH-Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is warning that, according to God, storms and possibly a tidal wave will pound America's coastline this year.

WASHINGTON - Democratic chairman Howard Dean mischaracterized his party's platform on gay rights in an interview courting evangelicals, then set the record straight Thursday when an advocacy group called him on it. Dean told Christian Broadcasting Network News that the 2004 Democratic platform declares "marriage is between a man and a woman" — just one of the points he made in reaching out to religious conservatives who are largely hostile to the party. But the platform does not define marriage that way, and his remarks prompted the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to return a $5,000 donation from the...

See for example this thread first. The latest gaffe from Howard Dean about gays puts him squarely between the Christians, who say "You can't marry, you're gay!" and the folks who say "God save the QUEEN!"

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has angered supporters in the gay and lesbian community by stating that his party opposes gay marriage. Appearing on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s program "The 700 Club” on Wednesday, Dean declared: "The Democratic Party platform from 2004 says that marriage is between a man and a woman. That's what it says. I think where we may take exception with some religious leaders is that we believe in inclusion, that everybody deserves to live with dignity and respect, and that equal rights under the law are important.” Dean, however, "misrepresented” the party platform, according to...

Dean said that "one of the misconceptions about the Democratic Party is that we're godless and that we don't have any values." The Vermont liberal is trying to change that. Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean told CBN News that his party has a lot in common with the evangelical community. Dean wants evangelicals and other conservative Christians to know that Democrats have something to offer them. "The truth is, we have an enormous amount in common with the Christian community, and particularly with the evangelical Christian community,” Dean said. But the Democrats’ record on hot political issues such as abortion,...

Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean has contradicted his party’s platform and infuriated gay rights advocates by saying the party’s platform states “marriage is between a man and a woman.” “Howard Dean puts his foot in his mouth so often that he should open a pedicure wing in the DNC during his tenure,” Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Guerriero said Wednesday. “Howard Dean’s positions on LGBT issues have changed more often than the weather in New England, where he’s from.” National Gay & Lesbian (Socialist) Task Force... Foreman said in response to Dean’s “pandering and insulting interview” with the Christian Broadcasting...

Dean Misstates Party Platform on Gays By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago Democratic chairman Howard Dean mischaracterized his party's platform on gay rights in an interview courting evangelicals, then set the record straight Thursday when an advocacy group called him on it. Dean told Christian Broadcasting Network News that the 2004 Democratic platform declares "marriage is between a man and a woman" — just one of the points he made in reaching out to religious conservatives who are largely hostile to the party. But the platform does not define marriage that way, and his remarks prompted the...

Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean has contradicted his party's platform and infuriated gay rights advocates by saying the party's platform states "marriage is between a man and a woman." Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean, appearing on the Christian Broadcasting Network, erroneously stated that the party's 2004 platform says 'marriage is between a man and a woman.' Christian conservative Pat Robertson is host of the program. "The Democratic Party platform from 2004 says marriage is between a man and a woman," Dean said May 10 during a "700 Club" program hosted by conservative Christian leader Pat Robertson on his Christian Broadcasting...

Every morning I log onto the worldwide web, not because I'm a computer geek, but because I want to understand what's going on in the world. I've long since turned my back on the print media for accurate and timely news reporting, and it's getting to the point where I can't even bring myself to watch a televised news broadcasts anymore, simply because tv networks can't seem to report on much of anything these days without insulting my intelligence with some sort of politically correct blather. ... I need a television news network that doesn't slip misleading statements like "after...

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is reining in his television commentaries with the help of a former news producer, according to an interview in World magazine. Robertson spoke with World’s editor, Marvin Olasky , for an article the evangelical magazine posted online Friday. The magazine’s hard-copy cover features a picture of Robertson and the headline “Tighter Lips?” In the interview, Robertson told Olasky: “I now have a former news producer from 'Good Morning America.’ I’m going to have an earpiece in my ear … he’s going to be whispering in my ear … he’s going to be in the control room,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Television evangelist Pat Robertson, who has rattled the religious and political establishment with recent controversial declarations, acknowledged Thursday "my passion runs ahead of me" on some occasions. "I've been doing TV for years and years," Robertson said. "And the problem is, I ad lib." Interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America" on the morning of the annual National Prayer Breakfast, Robertson was asked about statements suggesting that the United States assassinate President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and intimating that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was God's punishment for giving up the Gaza strip. Robertson sent a letter...