Most marriage vows include the words “…in sickness and in health, till death do us part.” But apparently those words don’t mean much to televangelist Pat Robertson.
Last week on his television show “The 700 Club,” Robertson, known as a prominent evangelical who once ran for president, took a call from a man asking how he should advise a friend whose wife is in the deep stages of dementia and no longer recognizes him. “His wife as he knows her is gone,” the caller said, and the friend is “bitter at God for allowing his wife to be in that condition, and now he’s started seeing another woman.”
Struggling and pausing for a moment to find the right words to say to the man, Robertson then shocked everyone with some rather bizarre and unexpected advice: “I know it sounds cruel,” he said, “but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again.” DIVORCE HER?? START ALL OVER AGAIN?? HUH???
Needless to say, the criticism against Robertson and his unorthodox advice was swift and harsh, particularly from conservatives and evangelical leaders who believe lifelong, traditional marriage is the very cornerstone of morality. “This is more than an embarrassment,” said Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Even Robertson’s co-anchor questioned if the advice was consistent with Christianity and the vow “till death do us part,” to which Robertson replied, “This is a kind of death.”
Although Pat Robertson helped build the Christian Coalition into a formidable political force in the 1990s, he has also angered many conservative Christians over the years with statements that have been increasingly controversial. In addition to defending China’s one-child policy to curb population growth, Robertson also proclaimed on this television show that dire events like 9|11, worldwide terrorist attacks and the Haiti earthquake were all punishments from God.
“Few Christians take Robertson all that seriously anymore,” said Mr. Moore. “Most roll their eyes and shake their heads when he makes another outlandish comment.”
With ALL of the utter garbage spewed from the mouth of Robertson (and other right-wing FAKE Christians) over the decades, my initial thought (upon hearing this news) was that THIS is but yet another example of *talibangelical* madness.But then I paused and thought about the FACT that going back at least 25-30 YEARS, we've witnessed more than a few right-wing *Christianist" (mostly Married MEN, and/or CLOSET-Gay) EXPOSED for leading all kinds of double (if not triple) HEDONISTIC lives. They profess to be "moral" and "upright" while living like DOGS.Time and time again, those Men have shown they have little-or-NO respect OR love for their wives/ *significant other.*I believe Robertson IS losing it. But I consider THIS latest offense a *GAFFE.* The old man slipped-up and UNintentionally spoke THE TRUTH about how HE and more than a few right-wing *Christianist* Men REALLY feel about their vows.Pretty. Darn. Shameful.