Today Haiti had a serious earthquake that has taken the lives of thousands of people. Some estimates go as high as 100,000 lives lost. Whatever the final toll, Haiti is in a world of hurt right now, people suffering and dying, without shelter, food, clean water, or other necessities. Many world governments and organizations are chipping in to help the people of Haiti.
And then you’ve got that paragon of Christian virtue, Pat Robertson.
While others are rushing to help the victims of the earthquake, Pat is busy reassuring them that their suffering is a judgement by God for their wickedness. He claims that a long time ago, the country made a pact with the devil, and now it’s time to pay up. Is this guy a dick, or what?
I’m pretty sure that Jesus would have responded differently. I believe he’d have offered comfort and healing, helped those who suffered, done whatever he could to ease the hurt. When he encountered people who suffered from sickness, injuries, or demonic possession, he didn’t sneer at them and tell them they were being punished by God. He healed them.
Haiti suffered this catastrophe because it is on the Pacific Rim of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions on this planet. Compounding this, Haiti is a poor country. Its infrastructure was fragile at best. Buildings were built cheaply and unsafely. They could not withstand the effects of a quake, so many of them collapsed.
Pat Robertson puts the “duh” back into “Fundamentalism”.