Pat Robertson Can't Read His Own Bible
So, we have this Christian "leader" telling everyone on his very own television show, with millions of people watching, that the United States should "take out" President Chavez of Venezuela. This is the same man that claimed that feminism causes women to kill their children and practice witchcraft (damn, we'd have a LOT more witches today if that were the case, eh?).
So, where is the rash of Christians condemning this extremism that is JUST as dangerous as any Islamic radicalism that we are afraid of? I'm watching Rev. Ted Haggard of the National Association of Evangelicals on CNN right now, being an apologist for Robertson's statements. While he's saying that "some comments are more constructive than others," he's certainly not distancing himself, from these ridiculous statements. "Granted, his semantics may not have been well advised, but [fill in how wonderful Pat Robertson is and what great things he's done for Christianity]."
Then we find emails from idiots saying that the reporting of this clearly stated bulloney, on tape, out of his own mouth, is slanted and awful, thereby attacking the messenger rather than distancing oneself from the ridiculousness of the message. Others, of course, state that Robertson does not speak for all Christians, and that the message of assassination is not a Christian one, which is something I would personally agree with (seeing as how Jesus did not assassinate anyone in the Bible, nor order their assassination despite how he purportedly knew they were out to kill him). However, this message is NOT coming from the "higher levels," i.e. those who purport to speak for Christians.
Until the leadership of ALL religions strongly condemns acts of violence, and ceases to encourage them by silence, whether they be manifested through TV begging shows watched by millions, through pastors attempting to force parishioners to vote in a particular way, through Muslim clergy preaching hatred from the mosques, or from convicted child molesters attempting to speak for all Wiccans, there will be nothing but confusion in the religious message they are trying to put forth.
Hypocrisy is ugly, whether cloaked in the Bible, the Koran, or any other Holy book.