?I read on the Internet yesterday where US evangelist Pat Robertson said a "pact to the devil" brought on the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Robertson is said to have blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti." He claimed the Haitians promised to serve the devil if he freed them from the French colonists. Following the pact, he said the Haitians defeated the French in 1804 and declared independence. Ever since "they have been cursed by one thing after the other." Robertson apparently has not been in the limelight for some time, possibly not since he said "God was punishing Americans with Hurricane Katrina," and saw this as an opportunity to "make the news."
And of course CNN and other television stations, instead of ignoring him, obliged by making it a major news item in their broadcasts. Earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters happen all the time around the world. There are scientific reasons for these occurrences. The devil is never blamed. So why in the case of Haiti? What Pat Robertson should be doing, if he is truly a man of God, is praying for the people of Haiti. He should be seeing how his congregation can help the people of Haiti to overcome this difficult period in their lives. Maybe the Haitians, even in their hour of need, can find the time to pay that Robertson and others like him change their need to be in the spotlight and keep their "evil" thoughts to themselves.
Lincoln Glasgow
Via e-mail