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January 8, 2006
Pat Robertson - Maybe Not So Crazy
I've read many articles in serveral paper's and on the Internet about Pat Robertson's remarks regarding Ariel Sharon deserving his stroke on account of his policies. I laughed and thought to myself that the guy is really a ding dong. But today, as I read an article in the NY Times, I began to think about him from a slightly different perspective, one that is much closer to mainstream America than the far right religious conservatives. I had pictures in my head of many athletes praying to God before big games and making signs of the cross after touchdowns. I remembered numerous interviews with game winning players, some making the big shot, catching the big pass, making the big hit, thanking Jesus for their victory. Think of all the sport's movies where the team prays before every game, "God, give me the strength and courage to beat the living shit out of the other team and win this amazingly important game that is going to decide the fate of mankind and make me a hero to the town and assure that I get laid." I thought about all the people, not only athletes, who might think that they did not win that day because they were undeserving, or had done something wrong to anger God. It is the "Maybe I didn't succeed because I am not a good person, or angered him in some way" crowd. I know many of us Americans thank god for our gifts, our food, our friends. Sometimes we also apologize for our mistakes that we felt led to some type of defeat. One might pray, "I know that my problems are because I have been bad and you are angry at me for doing XYZ."
I think that there are many in the country who might look at the their friend's and neighbor's troubles and think those problems result from God's work. Maybe they were nasty people, maybe a wife had an affair, maybe the kids steal, who knows. The point is that I do not believe it is so unusual for people in this country to think that someone's problems are a result of God being angry with their actions. In that context Pat Robertson is not so far outside the mainstream, he just moved it into the political arena.
Posted by Chip Spear at January 8, 2006 3:15 PM
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