Pat Robertson's latest edict
Pat Robertson recently told residents of a town in Pennsylvania that by democratically voting their school board out of office, they had rejected God. He also warned them not to be surprised if disaster struck as punishment for their actions. It appears that Pat Robertson trusts no one's judgment but his own.
Here is a link to the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9995578/
It's no wonder I used to carry with me the assumption that God would strike me down with breast cancer the moment I came out as a lesbian. I subscribed to the fundamentalist idea that homosexuality was an abomination, and that the acceptance of mine would just be begging for the wrath of God to be unleashed in my life. Of course breast cancer is not a product of God's wrath, but irrational fears like that kept me closeted for quite some time. Even after I came out and discovered that God wished me no harm and would sooner unleash profoundly good things in my life than bad, I still allowed irrational fears to keep me from growing closer to God.
It's a fundamentalist tendency to paint a picture of God as a hater of all the things that the fundamentalists also happen to dislike (or fear) , and I got a good dose of that growing up. I used to think of God in the terms with which they defined God, and that left me with a definition which was not based upon faith and experience, but upon the teaching of preconceived ideas instead. As I have grown older and my experience with God has become increasingly profound and compelling, definitions rooted in legalism don't really apply anymore. It's not that I am right and they are wrong. It's just that my experience of God is different from their experience. It's faith that allows me to be secure in that. And it's wisdom that tells me if God wants to reveal another side to me, I will get the message in time.
Conservative extremists like Pat Robertson become dangerous when they present their ideas as the only possible Christian viewpoint. They thrive on judgment, fear, and perceived control, and they deem themselves successful when their targets feel sufficiently judged and fearful. The control that these conservative extremists appear to have over Christian thought is simply a misguided perception. They have faith yes, but it is not a faith that every other Christian must agree with or subscribe to in order to be right with God.
I used to put a lot of stake in what religious figures like Pat Robertson said about our society, but now the more I hear them talk, the less relevant they become.
Here is a link to the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9995578/
It's no wonder I used to carry with me the assumption that God would strike me down with breast cancer the moment I came out as a lesbian. I subscribed to the fundamentalist idea that homosexuality was an abomination, and that the acceptance of mine would just be begging for the wrath of God to be unleashed in my life. Of course breast cancer is not a product of God's wrath, but irrational fears like that kept me closeted for quite some time. Even after I came out and discovered that God wished me no harm and would sooner unleash profoundly good things in my life than bad, I still allowed irrational fears to keep me from growing closer to God.
It's a fundamentalist tendency to paint a picture of God as a hater of all the things that the fundamentalists also happen to dislike (or fear) , and I got a good dose of that growing up. I used to think of God in the terms with which they defined God, and that left me with a definition which was not based upon faith and experience, but upon the teaching of preconceived ideas instead. As I have grown older and my experience with God has become increasingly profound and compelling, definitions rooted in legalism don't really apply anymore. It's not that I am right and they are wrong. It's just that my experience of God is different from their experience. It's faith that allows me to be secure in that. And it's wisdom that tells me if God wants to reveal another side to me, I will get the message in time.
Conservative extremists like Pat Robertson become dangerous when they present their ideas as the only possible Christian viewpoint. They thrive on judgment, fear, and perceived control, and they deem themselves successful when their targets feel sufficiently judged and fearful. The control that these conservative extremists appear to have over Christian thought is simply a misguided perception. They have faith yes, but it is not a faith that every other Christian must agree with or subscribe to in order to be right with God.
I used to put a lot of stake in what religious figures like Pat Robertson said about our society, but now the more I hear them talk, the less relevant they become.
posted by Jen Austin at 3:44 PM
2 Comments:
I can relate to the irrational fears about being struck down with some awful disease or cancer because of my homosexuality. I used to worry about the same things. It's funny how those irrational fears can control our behaviors.
I heard about Pat Robertson's warnings and I actually wasn't very surprised. It seems like he's in the news about every month or so. Hopefully most people are beginning to not put any stock in his edicts.
I think more pastors need to stand up against dangerous theology like that of Pat Robertson. So I, as a pastor I am saying that I believe his views are just plain wrong.
I want to be open to different theological viewpoints, both liberal and conservative. I try to listen to all my colleagues, because I think that there can be close-minded liberals as well as close-minded conservatives. However, I do not consider Robertson a colleague. I think he is irresponsible with the power he has gained, allowing his own hate and fear to influence the lives of all who follow him.
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