Reblogged:Robertson: Putin Is Doing God's Work

[Gus Van Horn blog]

Pat Robertson came out of retirement to provide his take on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It should come as little surprise that someone with a long track record of ridiculous pronouncements would come up with something like this:

Image by Paparazzo Presents, via Wikipedia, license.

"I think you can say, well, Putin's out of his mind. Yes, maybe so," said Robertson, 91. "But at the same time, he's being compelled by God. He went into the Ukraine, but that wasn't his goal. His goal was to move against Israel, ultimately."

Robertson then cited verses from the book of Ezekiel that note how nations will come together to rise up against Israel, suggesting that Ukraine is merely a "staging ground" for an eventual Armageddon battle.

"God is getting ready to do something amazing," he said. "And that will be fulfilled."

This is hardly surprising, given the arbitrary nature of Robertson's entire worldview.

But there is a moral dimension this whopper is covering up like a rug -- at least for anyone who might have missed the fact that Robertson apparently saw fit only to comment on Putin's sanity rather than his barbaric immorality, that is.

Consider also the kinds of things Robertson and others like him have a habit of saying after natural disasters:

God grants blessings and curses on nations and people based on their allegiance and obedience to Him. If things are going well, you're living right; if things are going badly, you're living wrong. And it is Robertson himself who can divine the hierarchy of sins that most trouble God.

As Don Watkins once explained, the Ten Commandments, which the likes of Robertson hold out as the basis for morality, amount to a set of arbitrary rules laid out by an abusive father who will "beat you up" if you don't comply and who might pat you on the head if you do. Watkins argues convincingly that this is hardly a source of guidance for one's life.

Robertson's pronouncements taken together over time provide an eloquent demonstration of the accuracy of this analogy.

-- CAV

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