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| When I said during my presidential bid that I would only bring Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. "What do you mean?" the media challenged me. "You're not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?" My simple answer is, "Yes, they are." | |||
| ]'''Marion Gordon Robertson''', better known as '''Pat Robertson''' (born ], ]), is an ] ] ], ], ], and ] ]. He is the founder of numerous organizations and corporations including: the ], ] (CBN), the ], the ], ], ], and ]. He is the host of the popular ] ''],'' which airs on many channels in the United States and on ] affiliates worldwide. His strongly ] views have made him the subject of much controversy, especially his statements in favor of the dissolution of the ] and his condemnation of groups he believes to be living in ]. Robertson's ties to the ], especially his failed bid to be that party's candidate in the ], have led to charges of partisanship. He is a ] and was an ordained minister with that denomination for many years, but holds to a ] ]. | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, The New World Order, p. 218 | |||
| The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. | |||
| ==Life and career== | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, fundraising letter, 1992 | |||
| Many of those people involved with Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals -- the two things seem to go together. | |||
| === Family === | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club television program, January 21, 1993, ignoring the facts that the Nazis killed homosexuals as ruthlessly as they did Jews and that Satanim emerged with Anton Szandor LaVey | |||
| If the widespread practice of homosexuality will bring about the destruction of your nation, if it will bring about terrorist bombs, if it'll bring about earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor, it isn't necessarily something we ought to open our arms to. | |||
| Robertson was born in ] into a prominent political ] family. His father, ], was a conservative ] ] and his mother was Gladys Churchill Robertson. He married ] in ] and they had four children, including ], and currently have fourteen grandchildren. | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club television program, August 6, 1998, on the occasion of the Orlando, Florida, Gay Pride Festival 199 | |||
| To see Americans become followers of Islam is nothing short of insanity.... The Islamic people, the Arabs, were the ones who captured Africans, put them in slavery, and sent them to America as slaves. Why would the people in America want to embrace the religion of slavers. | |||
| At a young age he was given his nickname of ''Pat'' by his six year old brother, Willis Robertson, Jr. who enjoyed patting him on the cheeks when he was a baby saying "''pat, pat, pat''". As he got older Roberston considered both of his given names. He considered "Marion" to be effeminate, and "M. Gordon" to be affected, so he opted to be called "Pat". | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, quoted from the American Muslim Council press release | |||
| Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history. | |||
| Robertson is proud of his family history and has traced his family to such ancestors as governor of Virginia and signer of the ] ], and United States presidents, ] and ]. Robertson is also indirectly related to ]. | |||
| -- Pat Robertson, interview with Molly Ivins, 1993. Worse than the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany. Worse than the plight of the Natives and the African Slaves in North America. Worse than the plight of the "witches" and the "atheists" in Europe and America. Worse, even, than the plight of the Midianites, allegedly exterminated without remorse by Robertson's hero Moses. Yeah, right! | |||
| === Education and military service === | |||
| When he was twelve, Robertson was enrolled in the military preparatory ] outside of ]. From ] until ] he began attending the ] military prep ]. He graduated with honors and enrolled at ], where he majored in history and was elected to ], one of the most prestigious honor societies in the country, and joined ] fraternity. Robertson has said that he partied hard during his years at Washington and Lee and enjoyed spending time with young ladies from nearby girls' schools. | |||
| In ] the ] was reinstated and Roberston was given the option of joining the ] or being drafted into the regular army. He opted for the former, which allowed him to finish college under the condition he attend ] during the ] at ], and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. He graduated '']'' with a ] degree and was the first person to be promoted to the rank of ] at a graduation ceremony at the university. In ], Robertson began service in the ] and was promoted to First Lieutenant in ] upon his return to the United States. Robertson then went on to receive a ] degree with a specialization in Tax and Corporate Law from ] ] in ] and a ] degree from ] in ]. | |||
| === Religious calling === | |||
| In ] Robertson had dinner with the ] ] ], and was impressed by his demeanor and what he had to say. He accepted Christ as his savior, and became a Christian. Vanderbreggen quoted ] (3:5, 6), "''Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths''", which Robertson considers to be the "''guiding principle''" of his life. | |||
| In ], Robertson established the ]. It is now seen in 180 countries and broadcast in 71 languages. Robertson also founded ] in ], with its main business as the ], which was sold to the ] in ] and is now owned by ]. A condition of the sale was that the station would continue airing Robertson's television program ''The ]'' twice a day. | |||
| Robertson founded ] in ] in ] and serves as its ]. Robertson is also founder and president of the ], a public interest law firm and education group that defends the ] rights of people of faith, holding the view that ] is superseded by an individual's right to worship as he or she chooses. The law firm, headquartered in the same building that houses Regent's ], focuses on what it calls "], pro-liberty and ]" cases nationwide. | |||
| === 1988 Presidential Bid === | |||
| In ] ], Robertson announced his intention to seek the ] nomination for ]. Robertson said he would only pursue the nomination if 3 million people signed up to volunteer for his campaign by ] ]. 3 million responded, and by the time Robertson announced he'd be running in September 1987, he also had millions of dollars in his campaign fund, making him a serious threat to take the nomination. | |||
| Robertson ran on a very ] platform. Among his policies, he wanted to eliminate ] and ], reform the ] system by allowing the ] in ]s, eliminate ] and ], and eliminate departments such as the ] and the ]. | |||
| When the presidential ]s started in early ], Robertson actually had a decent chance of winning the nomination. However, a couple setbacks destroyed his campaign. | |||
| The first setback was something he wasn't even involved in. Around the time he was gearing up for the primaries, two other ], ] and ], had come under scrutiny (Bakker was accused of ] and ], and Swaggart had been caught traveling with several ]). Although Robertson wasn't involved in either of these scandals, campaign donations went down, and people began to feel betrayed by all televangelists, including Robertson. | |||
| The second setback, which ultimately ended his campaign, was a small part of his campaign literature. In it, he stated he was a combat ] who served in the ]. When word of this got out, several Marines in his battalion were furious with the remark, saying he had never spent a day in a combat environment. Instead of fighting in the war, Robertson's primary responsibility was supplying ]s for his officers. After his fellow soldiers spoke out, many were furious with Robertson, and in the end, it was one of the biggest contributors to the downfall of his campaign. | |||
| Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were even finished. His best finish was in ]. Pat would later speak at the ] in ], and told the supporters he had left to cast their votes for ], who ended up winning the nomination. | |||
| == Political Activism == | |||
| After his failed attempt to run for president, Robertson started a political organization called the ], which campaigned mostly for ] ] candidates. It would become, almost instantly, one of the most influential organizations in American politics. However, the organization's popularity faded when they were fined by the ]. Robertson left the Coalition in ]. | |||
| While he is primarily popular among American evangelical Christians, support for Robertson extends beyond the Christian community. In 2002, he received the ''State of ] Friendship Award'' from the ] for his consistent support for ]. In that year the ] also expressed its gratitude to Robertson for "unwavering support for Israel" and "standing up to evil." | |||
| == A controversial public figure == | |||
| Outspoken in both his faith and his politics, Robertson has made plenty of headlines and enemies. The major controversies surrounding him include: | |||
| *Robertson's claims of the power of his prayers. For example, Robertson claims to have used the power of ] to steer ]s away from his companies' ] headquarters. He took credit for steering the course in ] of ], which caused millions of dollars of destruction in many states along the east coast. He made a similar claim about another destructive storm, ], in ]. | |||
| *Robertson's attacks on ], ], and ]. Among his more controversial statements, Robertson has described feminism as a "], anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice ], destroy ] and become ]s." Robertson's views mirror those of the controversial evangelical activist ], who has made frequent appearances on ''The 700 Club''. He agreed with Falwell that the ] were caused by "], ]ists, ]s, ]s, ]s, the ] and the ]." After public outcry regarding the dialogue, which took place only days after the attacks, Robertson stated that he had not understood what Falwell was saying during the interview, which was conducted via television monitor. | |||
| *Robertson's great personal wealth and his uses of it. His net worth is between $200 million and $1 billion ] according to the ] book '']'' by ]. Through his ostensibly charitable organization, ], Robertson claims to have spent $1.2 million bringing aid to ]s in ]. His critics, such as Palast, claim the money was actually spent to bring heavy equipment for Robertson's African Development Corporation, a ] ] operation. He has purchased thoroughbred race horses, although he has stated on many occasions he is opposed to gambling. Robertson claims he bought the horses because he is "amazed by their athleticism". | |||
| *Robertson's support of former ]n president ]. In various episodes of his ''700 Club'' program during the United States' involvement in the ] in June and July of ], Robertson repeatedly supported Liberian President ]. Robertson accuses the ] of giving ] bad advice in supporting Taylor's ouster as president, and of trying "as hard as they can to destabilize Liberia." Robertson has been criticized for failing to mention in his broadcasts his $8 million investment in a Liberian ]. Taylor had been at the time of Robertson's support indicted by the ] for ]. According to Robertson, Freedom Gold, the Liberian gold mine, was intended to help pay for humanitarian and evangelical efforts in Liberia, when in fact the company was allowed to fail leaving many debts both in Liberia and in the international mining service sector. Regarding this controversy, Richard Land, head of the ]'s public policy said, "I would say that Pat Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one." | |||
| *Robertson's political statements. On his ''The 700 Club'' television program, Pat Robertson has sharply criticized elements of the United States government. In interviews with the author of a book critical of the ], Robertson made suggestions that the explosion of a ] at State Department Headquarters would be good for the country, and repeated those comments on the air. "What we need is for somebody to place a small nuke at ]," Robertson said during his television program, referring to the location of the State Department headquarters. State Department officials said they believed the comments to be in extremely bad taste, and have lodged official complaints against Robertson for his remarks. | |||
| *Robertson's Korean War record. In the late ], Pat Robertson sued ] ] and Representative ] for ]. McCloskey, who served with Robertson in ], made claims that Robertson was spared combat duty when his powerful father intervened on his behalf. Jacobs repeated these statements publicly. During pre-trial ]s, another veteran who had served with Robertson, Paul Brosman, Jr., spoke of rumors during the war that Robertson had been carousing with ]s and hassling Korean women. Brosman stated that Robertson himself talked about his exploits with prostitutes. In the end, Robertson dropped his lawsuit because of scheduling conflicts between court dates and his 1988 presidential campaign, and he was ordered to pay part of McCloskey's court costs. | |||
| *Despite claiming to be pro-life, Robertson spoke out in favor of ]'s ], enforced by forced abortions. In a 2001 interview with ], he said of that the Chinese were "doing what they have to do," though he said that he did not personally agree with the practice. His comments drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. | |||
| *During ]'s '']'', on ], ], Robertson was speaking about ] when he said, "Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that’s held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings." This statement prompted outcry from several September 11th support and survivor groups. | |||
| ==Books by Pat Robertson== | |||
| * ''The New Millennium'' | |||
| * ''Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions'' | |||
| * ''The Secret Kingdom'' (1982) | |||
| * ''America's Dates with Destiny'' | |||
| * ''The Plan'' | |||
| * ''Beyond Reason: How Miracles can Change your Life'' | |||
| * ''Turning Tide: The Fall of Liberalism and the Rise of Common Sense'' | |||
| * ''Shout it from the Housetops'' an autobiography | |||
| * ''The End of the Age'' | |||
| * ''New World Order'' (1991) | |||
| * ''Bring It On'' | |||
| * ''The Ten Offenses'' | |||
| * ''Courting Disaster'' | |||
| ==Honors given to Pat Robertson== | |||
| *1975 The Distinguished Merit Citation from The National Conference of Christians and Jews. | |||
| *1976 Faith and Freedom Award in the field of broadcasting. | |||
| *1978 ] Award from the ], 25th FBI Vesper Service. | |||
| *1979 National Conference of Christians and Jews - Distinguished Merit Citation. | |||
| *1982 Humanitarian of the Year by Food for the Hungry. | |||
| *1984 Man of the Year Award from the Women's National Republican Club. | |||
| *1984 Citation from the National Organization for the Advancement of Hispanics. | |||
| *1985 National Association of United Methodist Evangelists. | |||
| *1988 Man of the Year by Students for America. | |||
| *1989 Christian Broadcaster of the Year by the ]. | |||
| *1992 One of America's 100 Cultural Elite by ] Magazine. | |||
| *1994 Omega Fellowship Award by Food for the Hungry for Operation Blessing's fight against worldwide hunger. | |||
| *1994 Defender of Israel Award from the Christians' Israel Public Action Campaign for those who have made major contributions in strengthening U.S.-Israel relations. | |||
| *1994 John Connor Humanitarian Service Award from Operation Smile International. | |||
| *2000 Cross of Nails award for his vision, inspiration, and humanitarian work with The Flying Hospital. | |||
| *2002 State of Israel Friendship Award from the ]. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
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| == References == | |||
| * Pat Robertson, ''Shout It From the Housetops'' | |||
| * Greg Palast, ''The Best Democracy Money Can Buy'' | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 08:45, 20 July 2005
When I said during my presidential bid that I would only bring Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. "What do you mean?" the media challenged me. "You're not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?" My simple answer is, "Yes, they are." -- Pat Robertson, The New World Order, p. 218
The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. -- Pat Robertson, fundraising letter, 1992
Many of those people involved with Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals -- the two things seem to go together. -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club television program, January 21, 1993, ignoring the facts that the Nazis killed homosexuals as ruthlessly as they did Jews and that Satanim emerged with Anton Szandor LaVey
If the widespread practice of homosexuality will bring about the destruction of your nation, if it will bring about terrorist bombs, if it'll bring about earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor, it isn't necessarily something we ought to open our arms to. -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club television program, August 6, 1998, on the occasion of the Orlando, Florida, Gay Pride Festival 199
To see Americans become followers of Islam is nothing short of insanity.... The Islamic people, the Arabs, were the ones who captured Africans, put them in slavery, and sent them to America as slaves. Why would the people in America want to embrace the religion of slavers. -- Pat Robertson, quoted from the American Muslim Council press release
Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history. -- Pat Robertson, interview with Molly Ivins, 1993. Worse than the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany. Worse than the plight of the Natives and the African Slaves in North America. Worse than the plight of the "witches" and the "atheists" in Europe and America. Worse, even, than the plight of the Midianites, allegedly exterminated without remorse by Robertson's hero Moses. Yeah, right!