Religious Idiot

To think, when I was a kid, I had a lot of respect for Christian evangelist Pat Robertson. Back then, he seemed like a kindly man who emanated a strong Christian faith. Of course, back then, my knowledge and orientation of religion was very sparse.

Now I know better, considering what I've seen of the man in recent times.

After calling for the assassination or "taking out" of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez last year, Robertson was quoted a few days ago as saying that the stroke suffered by Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was "divine retribution" for dividing the Holy Land.

This is a Christian minister saying such things, mind you.

While Robertson has apologized for both remarks (about Chavez and Sharon), they are qualifiedapologies nonetheless, and are therefore empty and meaningless.

While he apologized for suggesting that the US should assassinate Chavez, he still argues that he should be taken out, through kidnapping or other such means, which would be considered as extreme meddling by the US (although I'm also pretty certain that such an idea was mulled by Bush and his merry men).

While he wrote a letter of apology to Sharon's son Omri, the damage has already been done. Nothing can take back what he said, especially in our media-savvy millieu. His words are enshrined forever in the annals of religious idiocy.

Perhaps the venerable Robertson should step down from his pulpit, before he says anything else that will further paint his country as an arrogant aggressor to the world. Lord knows he's done enough damage.