Robertson the Fraud
I would like to state publicly that I think Pat (a.k.a. Marion Gordon) Robertson is a fraud. Does anyone take this guy seriously? Apparently a few people have done so in the past, because he's filthy rich.
This declaration of fraud is prompted by some more charlatan predictions Pat made last week. 2008 will be a year of worldwide violence, and that there will be an economic recession by 2010. Hmm, year of worldwide violence? As if 2007 and other preceding years have not been marked by worldwide violence. If you need proof, just look up the history of various African nations, or the whole Middle East. As for the recession prediction, I don't believe that sentiment uniquely belongs to Pat.
He also said "We will see the presence of angels and we will see an intensification of miracles around the world." I'd have to consult the international agency which keeps metrics on miracles...but then again, there isn't one. "Intensification of miracles" is nigh impossible to prove with hard evidence/metrics, but it's also hard to disprove. So if Pat sees one miracle that happens somewhere, he can claim that that part of his statement came true. Convenient.
At the beginning of 2007, Pat predicted that a terrorist attack would occur in the U.S. In May 2006, he predicted that the coasts of the U.S. would be pummeled by storms. Take a look at the 2006 hurricane maps for the Atlantic and Pacific coasts (red indicates the storm became a hurricane) :
To be fair, Pat did not specifically state that hurricanes would hit the coasts, and so these charts cannot 100% invalidate his claims. But you'd think that a year supposedly rife with storms would include at least one hurricane landfall.
See what the book of Deuteronomy has to say about prophets whose prophecies don't come true.
In the style of Pat Robertson, JunkMale will now make similarly vague predictions. The difference between me and Pat is that I don't claim God told me these things:
- A football player will be killed in a car accident sometime in 2008. (deliberately vague, as "football" could refer to either soccer or American football.)
- Storms will pound the coast of the U.S. Or they might not.
- 2008 will be a year of worldwide halitosis.
- There will be big news on the day of July 23rd, 2008. I don't know what it will be though.
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public service
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randomnimity
I think a lot of supposed modern-day prophets really just like to hear themselves speak.
An old friend of my husband's used to be a youth minister at a Vineyard church. Steven was asked by his friend to lead a Disciple Now group one weekend. Part of the weekend included attending their church.
Steven said they'd invited a "prophet" to speak. But instead of prophesying (which I'm admittedly a little skeptical of these days anyway), the guy just bragged that he's a prophet. Stated all these things that he'd supposedly prophesied in the past that (naturally) came true. But didn't do a lick of actual prophesying while there.
Steven walked away from that pretty mad because he believed the guy was a charlatan who was using God to try to elevate himself before men. That alone is pretty odd considering that people tended to really dislike the prophets of the bible since they usually prophesied bad stuff due to the sin of the people.
Humans are so good at warping God's word and attempting to use him to their advantage.
Thank you for posting this!!! I am so tired of Pat Robertson opening his mouth, only to insert his foot in it and make Christianity seem like a joke to non Christians.
People who really do have the gift of prophesy do not go out and use it to their advantage like some sort of psychic! They use it to glorify God.
I actually thought the gift of prophesy was a farce until someone I know and love used their gift of prophesy to bring me close to God.
When that gift is used in the right context, it's a wonderful thing, but when people like Pat Robertson use it to their advantage, it loses it's meaning all together.
You hit it. I am *so* bothered by these "prophets".
We heard one recently (and were quite surpised at the church that hosted him, sadly). At the end of 2006 he was making grandiose claims about how the Church would "take over" world finances in 2007, that finances would be "legally" taken from the Devil and put in the hands of Christians, that bills would be paid with money from this "transfer", etc. They used the stock market rise in the fall of 2007 as "proof" of this claim.
No angels been knockin on my door with loads of money taken back from the devil, though. Maybe it got lost in transit. :p