Four words-- "Thou Shall Not Kill"
Seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it? Perhaps one of the clearest laws in all of human history. Four words. No exceptions. Handed down from God, so they say. Published in the world's most famous book. Pretty simple, right?
Now, we have the so-called "Christian Right" led by Pat Robertson and a few others. A group of people who claim they are Christians. A group of people who claim to be doing God's work. A group of people who would love nothing more than to see the Ten Commandments in every school, court room, park, and public building. So you think they would have a pretty good understanding of the Ten Commandments, right?
Not so fast.
Look at what Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and the conservative Christian Coalition said yesterday about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he [Chavez] thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ....We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with." — August 22, The 700 ClubIf you don't believe me, you can see it for yourself on video here.
Now, I certainly realize that Pat Robertson has not killed anybody with his own hands (at least not that I know of). But the fact that a so-called "man of God" is on television advocating the assassination of a human being; therefore promoting a clear violation of God's law, well, that strikes me as being just a tad hypocritical.
Article comments
1 - lisa
Pat Robertson is CRAZY! and that is all there is to it. Don't forget this is the man that connected meteor collions with the earth with homosexuality, (apparently gay sex attracts interstellar objects more so than gravity). Correction, crazy doesn't even do him justice, he is a nutcase! Pat Robertson:NUTCASE!!!! Lets leave it at that.
2 - Al Barger
If you might wish to get the truth through your obese Bulldog head, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" was never an absolute. There were numerous capital crimes prescribed by those same books of law- not to mention the cities full of people at a time being ritually massacred out of the Promised Land in the book of Joshua under Yahweh's direct command.
Robertson's at least halfway to a nutjob, but your Church Lady tone don't get me hard neither- as if you really gave a rat's ass about the Bible to begin with.
3 - Dave Nalle
Don't see what the left is complaining about here. Pat Robertson is clearly on their side in opposing the war in Iraq, so they ought to be happy.
Dave
4 - gonzo marx
the correct translation is "thou shalt not commit murder"...very different
yet even MORE apropos
it also explains all that pesky killing stuff in the OT bty "holy" folks...they were wars and conflicts and fights, NOT murder
assasination, however..IS murder
nuff said?
Excelsior!
5 - Al Barger
So Gonzo, then it would be preferable to have a wholesale "war" against a bunch of people rather than simply a retail "murder" of the thug ringleader?
6 - gonzo marx
that ain't the point, Al..the point is a fucking supposed "holy" roller in the US, NOT Afghanistan , preaching for the assasination of a foreign, duly elected government leader
how in all the blue hells of zoroaster can you possibly think it's OK for Robertson to call for such a murder and then say it's cool for the US to bitch when some mullah says the same thing about Bush?
spare me the fucking hypocrisy... k?... thanx...
as i stated in the other thread on this topic..it is also against Federal Law to assasinate a foreign Leader...and can we mention again, this one has been properly fucking elected?
you may not like him, and Venezuela does have a lot of oil...but this is reason to assasinate him?
ethically bankrupt bunch to even contemplate this kind of thing
Excelsior!
7 - John Ray
I guess the power of prayer no longer works as attributed to the fact that Pat Robertson (Vadar) has moved over to the dark side.
John Ray.
8 - UserName
Dave said
"Don't see what the left is complaining about here. Pat Robertson is clearly on their side in opposing the war in Iraq, so they ought to be happy."
We're not complaining, we are laughing at this nutjob, it's a combination of shock and ridicule.
Don't forget Pat's comments suggesting America had it coming to us on 9-11, because of all the sinning we do.
There's a pretty good timline of Pat's sordid career here:
http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/televangelists/pat-robertson/
9 - wil
And there you have it ladies and gentlemen: absolute proof of the Christian "pro-life" Right's real agenda.
When they call themselves "pro-life", do you think what they're really saying is that they want to ultimately decide who lives and who dies?
I can't thank Pat Robertson enough for confirming my worst suspicions about them.
10 - Silas Kain
Pat Robertson is one of the false prophets. He is one of the heads on the Beast that is due to come at Armageddon. Osama bin Robertson needs an audit and pronto!
11 - John Ray
What left? I'm the right. Pat is the left. The right is conservative christians. That title no longer applies to Pat. He is now the left.
John Ray
12 - The Bulldog Manifesto
John Ray,
Thank you for clearly illustrating the ethos of the present day Republican party. That is: "You are a conservative until you 1) disagree with Bush, 2) embarass Bush, 3) point out hypocrisy."
So now you say Pat Robertson is on the left, eh? Oh brother. What's next? I guess Pat Buchanan is now a liberal too then. So his Chuck Hagel.
The Cult of George W. Bush never ceases to amaze me. The similarities to the cult of Adolph Hitler are striking.
I have news for you Bushites. W is not Jesus. Repeat after me, "W is not Jesus" "W is not Jesus" "W is not Jesus"
Everybody now....
13 - anonyMoses
Phat Robertson and Mister Bush are Princes of War. Jesus was the Prince of Peace. And words like Phat's and deeds like Dubya's only confirm this sad reality.
Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh was urging Texas farmers to arm themselves and take on the Crawford princes of peace. He too is a Prince of War, only he is declaring war on fellow Americans.
Jesus would get fidgety if sitting in the same room as Rush, Bush or Phatrobertson. Everyone knows this.
Thou indeed shalt not kill. Nor urge others to sin by doing do. Even urging it is un-Christian and un-Jesusy, coining yet another neologem.
Do the math. The situation in Iraq has gotten worse and worse. Bush has said "stay the course" all along.
If we continue to "stay the course" will not things only continue their degeneration? Isn't it time for Bush to admit a wrong and say "Change the course!"?
The problem with a conspiracy of lies is that eventually all the players turn on each other.
We are witnessing its beginning. And it will only get worse.
You are better off distancing yourself from "the big lie" early on. The longer you hang on, the worse.
Human Beings love peace, not war. Only the sick and hypnotized kill and let kill.
Come home to humanity, ye hawks of destruction.
14 - Shannon
The response in our household was, as usual, sarcasm. See: http://www.cafepress.com/bittergirl
(My boyfriend designed an Assassinate Pat Robertson t-shirt...)
Because without a shameless commerce tie-in, the fundamentalist terrorists will have won! ;)
15 - John Ray
What really troubles me is the fact that the USA treats the worlds oil as if it has unique rights to all of it. Is there no end to American greed?
16 - BB
Speaking of hypocrisy, didn't Robertson just reiterate out loud what is covertly whispered in the hallowed halls of the White House on a routine basis?
Yes, what he said was wrong, BUT who the hell are we kidding with all our moral outrage?
We all know that this stuff goes on all the time. But because it was Robertson all of a sudden we turn into a bunch of stone throwing prima donnas.
So who's the hypocrite?
Robertson has been playing politics for so long he's obviously forgotten which hat he's wearing. My main criticism of the man is he should make a decision which role he wants to play.
Is he a politician, or is he a representative of Christ? Because this is a perfect example how the two don't always mix.
17 - Rich
Isn't it refreshing to hear all the other evangelical leaders denouncing Robert's call to kill the President of Venezuela? Not
I hope this is a wake-up call to his dumb ass flock.
18 - Nancy
No. Unfortunately, those who follow Robertson are not only dumbass, they are too stupid & gullible to live. They exist only to eat, sleep, shit, shout 'hallelujah', send their hard-earned life savings to hypocritical Pecksniffs like Robertson, & blindly support Smirk 'the chimp' Bush.
19 - Nancy
Fortunately, I'm no fucking christian. I shall commence to pray for the slow & painful but immediately imminent demise of both Smirk & Robertson. While I'm at it, I'll throw in K.J. Il, Mugabe, & a few others worthy of my execrations. Maybe magical thinking will work....
20 - WTF
Ohhhh Nancy that's rich. But what troubles me is that...
Not a day goes by that I don't want just fucking shoot somebody for being a dumbshit. I have to pray to maintain. Otherwise I'd be in fucking jail, feeling like stickin a sharpened implement in somebody's guts on a daily basis. I can't help it. Sorry.
21 - issiac
Everyone says Jesus will come to our aid. No one has seen Jesus in over 2000 years. Is it me, or is that a lot of years?
Being Jesus is not answering prayers and we are left to our won resources, I suggest we get about the business, of cleaning up the mess. I suggest we start at the local level and move up. We got a lot of change in the 60's, 70's and we can get it in 2005 and up. Just keep moving in the upward direction.
Look around you home town. If a cat 5 hurricane destroyed your town, would you want the people, currently in charge taking care of your mother in the nursing home? It's time to change things people. Let's get started.