It's not like me to start wondering about the 700 Club's Pat Robertson without provocation. Occasionally, I'll be channel surfing and his face will flash across the screen – for about 1/10,000th of a second before I switch channels, but usually the only time I think about the Reverend Pat (and I use the word "Reverend" in its loosest sense) is when he opens his mouth and some sort of idiotic drivel spills out. This past week has been different. I've been thinking about Robertson a lot, yet he's been eerily quiet and I haven't watched the TV for several days. I knew something was wrong. I just couldn't figure out what it was….until now.
For the past couple of weeks, nature has been unleashing its fury upon the United States in the worst way. Floods have ravaged Missouri, Arkansas and river towns in the upper mid-west. Rains have pummeled the northeast with more precipitation in April than any year on record and severe wind storms and tornados have ripped across the South and caused hundreds of deaths. And yet, in the midst of all nature's fury and destruction, Pat Robertson has remained deathly quiet. It makes a person like me wonder why?
When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Pat labeled the event God's retribution against a city known for its decadent ways and America's stance on abortion. When a hurricane blew through Orlando, Florida, Pat explained that it was God's pay-back for "Gay Days" at Disney World. According to Pat, God also sent the tsunami to Japan this year for it being liberal toward gays. When an earthquake hit Haiti this past January, killing tens of thousands of Haitians and leaving the country in utter ruins, Pat preached that the event was divine retaliation for a pact Haitians supposedly made with Satan hundreds of years ago to get Napoleon the Third off their back.
With Pat, there's always a divine pay-back in every natural disaster. If a storm flooded Las Vegas, God would be punishing gambling. If a hurricane hit San Francisco, gays would be the cause. A tornado in Chicago would be God's punishment for decades of Democratic rule, or possibly for the Windy City's blind support of the Cubs. A disaster in Boston would be laid at the feet of atheistic liberals. Ditto for one in New York or Washington, D.C. Apparently, in Pat's view, God just can't get enough mayhem to suit his purposes.
That's why I'm so mystified by Pat's silence about this recent streak of horrible weather. It's not like him to sit on the sidelines without casting blame. What is God extracting punishment for this time? And why from folks living in the heart of the "Bible Belt" - the mainstay of Robertson's own television ministry? I know it's a cliché to say this, but inquiring minds like mine want to know!
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