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Marion "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is a Christian televangelist in the United States, and the head of the Christian Coalition. He is the host of the popular TV show The 700 Club, which airs on many religious cable channels. His extreme conservative views have made him the subject of much controversy, especially his statements in favor of the dissolution of the barrier between church and state. Robertson's net worth is between $200,000,000 and $1,000,000,000.

Robertson was a candidate for President of the United States during the 1988 electoral campaign, though he failed to win enough popular support to remain on the ballot beyond the primary elections.

Support for Robertson extends beyond the Christian community. In 2002, he received the State of Israel Friendship Award from the Zionist Organization of America for his consistent support for Greater Israel. In that year the Coalition for Jewish Concerns also expressed its gratitude to Robertson for "unwavering support for Israel" and "standing up to evil".

Robertson's views mirror those of Jerry Falwell in many ways, and Falwell has made frequent appearances on The 700 Club. Among his more controversial statements, Robertson has described feminism as a "socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."

Robertson claims to have used the power of prayer to steer hurricanes away from his Virginia Beach, Virginia headquarters. He took credit for steering the course in 1985 of Hurricane Gloria, which caused millions of dollars of destruction in many states along the east coast. He made a similar claim about another destructive storm, Hurricane Felix, in 1995.

He also agreed with Jerry Falwell that the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack were caused by "pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the ACLU and the People for the American Way."

Liberia

In various episodes of his 700 Club program during the months of June and July 2003, Robertson repeatedly supported Liberian dictator Charles Taylor. Robertson accuses the U.S. State Department of giving President Bush bad advice, and of trying "as hard as they can to destabilize Liberia". Robertson has also failed to mention in his broadcasts his $8 million investment in a Liberian gold mine. Taylor has been (and had been at the time of Robertson's support) indicted by the United Nations for war crimes. See also the Quotes section below.

Operation Blessing

Robertson claims to have spent $1.2 million bringing aid to refugees in Rwanda, however, critics (such as Greg Palast and Bill Sizemore) claim the money was actually spent to bring heavy equipment for Robertson's African Development Corporation, a diamond mining operation.

Quotes by Pat Robertson

• "The Antichrist is probably a Jew alive in Israel today."
• "Presbyterians are the spirit of the AntiChrist." (1 -- p.85)
• "We’re undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country." (Robertson on Liberia)
• "I have never met Taylor in my life. I don’t know what he has done or hasn’t done." (Robertson on Liberia)

Quotes Regarding Pat Robertson

• Wall Street Journal (1991)
  • "A paranoid pinhead with a deep distrust of democracy."

Writings by Pat Robertson

• New World Order (1991)

References

• 1 -- The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast (2002)

See also:

• Kalo-Vita