By now, you’ve all heard about the earthquake that brought incredible destruction and death in Haiti. And I imagine that most of you have heard about what Pat Robertson said about the tragedy on his TV show, the 700 Club. I listened to his exact comments, and for those of you who haven’t heard about them, this is a direct quote:
“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘we will serve you if you will get us free from the French’. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal. Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."
He goes on to talk about how Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispanola and that Haiti has always suffered from governmental corruption, widespread disease, and tremendous poverty while the Dominican Republic has prospered. I would like to point out that he never directly said that the earthquake was God’s judgment, but it is certainly what he was implying.
I’d like us to think about 2 questions with regards to what Mr. Robertson said. First, could Pat Robertson have been right? Is it possible that the earthquake in Haiti could have been caused by the hand of the almighty, loving God? I’d like to know what you all think, but my personal opinion is yes, it could have been! I would point out the example of God destroying Sodom and Gomorahh because of their sin. And let’s not forget that there were occasions in the Old Testament when God told his people, Israel, to attack their enemies and kill them all ----- men, women, children, and animals. Never forget that love, forgiveness, and mercy only describes one aspect of who God is. Our Lord loves righteousness and hates sin. He will ultimately judge and punish all sin in His timing. But can we be sure that He directly caused the Haiti earthquake? I don’t believe so. No one knows the mind of God. But one thing we can be sure of, no individual or country can ignore, disobey and dishonor, or refuse to acknowledge Jehovah God and expect His blessing or protection in their lives. If what Mr. Robertson said about Haiti’s past is true, along with the fact that Voodoo is widely practiced in their country, they were certainly operating without God watching over them.
The second question we should think about is whether or not our Christian leaders, or even we ourselves, should be making statements of this sort in public. This is a tough call. On one hand, we cannot stop proclaiming truth just because it may upset those who are ignorant or hostile towards it. Jesus tells us in the Bible to expect opposition and persecution from unbelievers. On the other hand, we should be sure, because we represent Jesus here on earth, that the things we declare to be truth really are His truth and not just our interpretation or opinion. And also, we have to be careful not to come across as hateful or uncompassionate. You don’t just march up to someone who you know is not saved and say, “You, my friend, are going to Hell” simply because it may be true! Timing and tact are very important. This can be especially tricky because there are times when stating the truth might be necessary and may sound harsh no matter how we say it!! We should always try to be obedient to His Word and “speak the truth in love”. Even though I don’t think Pat Robertson’s statement was nasty and hateful as a lot of the media is portraying it, I’m not so sure he should’ve said it when he did ---------- or at all!!
But I want to hear what you guys think. Do you think Robertson was correct in what he said about the Haiti disaster? Do you think it was OK for him to even say it?
By David Thompson
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