Whoa! Got a response from CBN re: Pat Robertson's comments!!

[Roland99]

We appreciate this opportunity to respond to you on behalf of Pat
Robertson. Dr. Robertson is not able to personally respond to all the
messages he receives daily. However, he cares very much that you receive a
reply, and we are pleased to respond to you for him.

The following is a statement by Pat Robertson:

PAT ROBERTSON CLARIFIES HIS STATEMENT
REGARDING HUGO CHAVEZ.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., August 24, 2005--I want to take this opportunity
to clarify remarks made on the Monday, August 22nd edition of The 700
Club where I adlibbed a comment following a very brilliant analysis by
Dale Hurd of the danger that the United States faces from the
out-of-control dictator of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. In this story, Col. Chavez
repeatedly claimed that Americans were "trying to assassinate him."

In my frustration that the U.S. and the world community are ignoring
this threat, I said the following:

"Thanks, Dale. If you look back just a few years, there was a popular
coup that overthrew him; and what did the United States State Department
do about it? Virtually nothing; and as a result, within about 48 hours,
that coup was broken, Chavez was back in power. But we had a chance to
move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he's going to
make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism
all over the continent. I don't know about this doctrine of
assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really
ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a
war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a
terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let
this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines
that we have announced, and without question, this is a dangerous enemy
to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very
badly. 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-dollar
war to get rid of one 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."

Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that
statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who
thinks the U.S. is out to kill him. Col. Chavez has found common cause
with terrorists such as the noted assassin Carlos the Jackal, has
visited Iran reportedly to gain access to nuclear technology, and has
referred to Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro as his comrades. Col. Chavez
also intends to fund the violent overthrow of democratically elected
governments throughout South America, beginning with neighboring Colombia.

As I report the news daily from around the world, I am acutely
conscious of the fact that our nation is at war. Not only are there active
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there is a war of terror being waged
against civilized nations throughout the world.

We are in the midst of a war that is draining vast amounts of our
treasure and is costing the blood of our armed forces. I am a person who
believes in peace, but not peace at any price. However, I said before
the war in Iraq began that the wisest course would be to wage war against
Saddam Hussein, not the whole nation of Iraq. When faced with the
threat of a comparable dictator in our own hemisphere, would it not be
wiser to wage war against one person rather than finding ourselves down the
road locked in a bitter struggle with a whole nation?

The brilliant Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived
under the hellish conditions of Nazi Germany, is reported to have said:

"If I see a madman driving a car into a group of innocent bystanders,
then I can't, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe and then
comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle the
steering wheel out of the hands of the driver."

On the strength of this reasoning, Bonhoeffer decided to lend his support to
those in Germany who had joined together in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis, but his example deserves our
respect and consideration today.

There are many who disagree with my comments, and I respect their
opinions. There are others who think that stopping a dictator is the
appropriate course of action. In any event, the incredible publicity
surrounding my remarks has focused our government's attention on a growing
problem which has been largely ignored.


The Christian Broadcasting Network
Website - www.cbn.com <http://www.cbn.com/>
The 700 Club Prayer Counseling Center - 1-800-759-0700

> On 23-Aug-2005 06:27:26 BringItOn wrote:

> The 700 Club - Bring It On: Moral, Social, and Ethical Issues
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Subject: Where in the Bible...
>
> did Jesus say it was ok to murder one's political foes?
>
> I seem to recall Jesus teaching the Beatitudes. Do you remember
those? I seriously doubt a militant, radical cleric such as yourself even
cares about what the Bible says. You're like the typical GOP member
today: money, money, money, power, money, power.
>
> Do the world a favor and make yourself scarce.


:puke: :puke: :puke:
:puke: :puke: :puke:

[SteppingRazor]

1. I love how he refers to Chavez as "Col. Chavez"...

makes it sound like it's some sort of military dictatorship, instead of a democracy.

[etherealtruth]

2. Ewwwwww

I feel dirty just reading that drivel.:puke:

[calimary]

3. Hah! The late Morton Downey Jr. used to harangue derisively about

"pablum pukers." He was, of course, referring to liberals and Democrats. But nothing could more perfectly describe the sanctimonious crap they just sent you.

[madmom]

4. FYI, when Chavez was democratically elected ....

he got 56.2%of the vote.More the bush got!!!

[Wickerman]

5. If there was ever any doubt

Robertson will surely now reside for eternity in the Hell of his beliefs and making for daring to compare himself to Bonhoeffer.

[Contrary1]

6. But in the end, Robinson still considers it a good thing that he did...

"...In any event, the incredible publicity surrounding my remarks has focused our government's attention on a growing problem which has been largely ignored."

He's not sorry. Add lying to his list of public sins.

[LisaM]

7. Ad-libbed?

I thought he read it off a teleprompter.

[AntiCoup2K4]

8. So now he's comparing Chavez to HITLER??

Uh, Pat.... if you want to find the new Hitler, look a little closer to home, you dumbass! :grr:

[NinetySix]

9. Colonel Chavez?!?

First of all, PRESIDENT Chavez was elected by a majority of his countrymen in the last election -- over 56% -- and is supported by an overwhelming 70% of them today. Can Bush match either of those claims? Second, has Chavez attacked or threatened his own people or those of any other nation? The answer is a simple no (and again, can Bush say the same?). But third, the only threat posed by Chavez is to the plutocrats intent on suppressing populist revolt against their global hegemony. Chavez is a democrat (small "d") to the core.

Can Bush or anyone on the right say the same?

[bobbieinok]

10. total misuse of Bonhoeffer.....he was acting as a true Christian vs

the leaders of his OWN COUNTRY

from the letter

The brilliant Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived
under the hellish conditions of Nazi Germany, is reported to have said:

"If I see a madman driving a car into a group of innocent bystanders,
then I can't, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe and then
comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle the
steering wheel out of the hands of the driver."

On the strength of this reasoning, Bonhoeffer decided to lend his support to
those in Germany who had joined together in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

NOTE: this is very hypocritical of Robertson as a leader of CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS WHO DO NOT ADMIRE BONHOEFFER......see below


I talked to several pentecostal theology professors in 95 on the 50th anniversary of Bonhoeffer's murder by the Nazis for his part in the failed 44 Hitler assassination.......they all said the conservative Christian hierarchy of today does NOT admire Bonhoeffer; I think b/c he talked about living as a Christian in a post-Christian world

[Roland99]

11. Thanks...I wasn't aware of the Bonhoeffer history.

[bobbieinok]

13. you might want to check him out....in the late 50s and 60s he was THE

theologian that every college student had heard of

his Letters and Papers from Prison was required reading in many courses around the country........later it was often paired with MLKing's Letter from a Birmingham Jail

there's a documentary on his life (where I first heard the quote Pat
HAD THE NERVE to quote) and a movie that PBS has shown a few times

he was invited by Niebuhr to stay at Union Theological Seminary in NYC after Hiter took power.....he even came back to US (he'd studied at the seminary before) but returned to Germany saying he could not be a Christian and desert his fellow Christians as they fought to change their country

eventually, he and 2 brothers and a brother-in-law were all murdered by the Nazis b/c of their participation in the resistance

BTW, he and Karl Barth (major 20th century theologian) and maybe Martin Niemoeller (of the quote 'First they came for the Jews, but I wasn't a Jew so....') founded the Confessing Church in 1934 when the Lutheran Church leadership had been taken over by the Nazis

the first sentence in their statement of faith is something like 'as Christians our first and primary allegiance is to the Lord God through His Son Jesus; it is NOT to a leader or to a country' (I want to add 'nor to a party')

there's a major source of info on him at the US Holocaust Memorial site

[Roland99]

14. Thanks for the info!

[kiraboo]

12. I got the same automated reply to my demand that they ditch

Roberts. I didn't really expect anything else.