What did Pat Robertson say about the disaster in Haiti that has upset so many people?

dcpddc478

Robertson, the host of the "700 Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it." The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "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, 'OK, it's a deal.' " http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/13/haiti.pat.robertson/index.html Jan 14 10, 7:39 PM

da_man11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5nraknWoes You can hear what he said here. Haiti was a French colony. he said the Haitians made a deal with the Devil to get rid of the French and this was a consequence of the deal,among other things. Jan 14 10, 7:58 PM

queproblema

And in all fairness, he's not saying God did it, but the devil. Nevertheless, and without offering opinions about the devil or Pat Robertson, he almost certainly has his story wrong. Four or five years ago a Haitian minister debunked this apparently widespread urban legend. "I was born and raised in Haiti, and I am a graduate of the State University in Port-au-Prince. I am also a believer in the Lord Jesus-Christ in accordance with the Bible. In all of my studies of Haitian history, however, I have yet to find a good evidence of even the idea of Satan’s assistance in the Independence War, let alone a satanic pact." "Jean R. Gelin is a licensed minister of the Church of God and serves as an assistant pastor for a young Haitian-American church in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in plant sciences and works as a scientist in agricultural research." The entire, and entirely rational, article is found here: http://www.blackandchristian.com/articles/academy/gelin-10-05.shtml Jan 15 10, 1:16 AM

queproblema

Perhaps the Rev. Gelin is mistaken or suppressing information. Translation: maybe the Rev. Robertson is right or partly right. Copy and paste from Wiki: In August 1791, Boukman presided in the role of houngan (priest) together with an African-born priestess and conducted a ceremony at the Bois Caïman and prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and Jeannot would be leaders of a slave revolt that would free the slaves of Saint-Domingue. A pig, which symbolized the wild, free, and untamable spiritual power of the forest and the ancestors, was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and the priestess exhorted the listeners to take vengeance against their oppressors and "[c]ast aside the image of the God of the whites."[3] According to the Encyclopedia of African Religion, "Blood from the animal, and some say from humans as well, was given in a drink to the attendees to seal their fates in loyalty to the cause of liberation of Sainte-Domingue."[4] A week later, 1800 plantations had been destroyed and 1000 slaveholders killed.[5][6] Boukman was not the first to attempt a slave uprising in Saint-Domingue, as he was preceded by others, such as Padrejean in 1676, and François Mackandal in 1757. However, his large size, warrior-like appearance, and fearsome temper made him an effective leader and helped spark the Haitian Revolution.[7] This pagan ceremony has long been referenced by various Christian sources as the "pact with the devil" that began the Haitian revolution. According to Gothenburg University researcher Markel Thylefors, "The event of the Bwa Kayiman ceremony forms an important part of Haitian national identity as it relates to the very genesis of Haiti."[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutty_Boukman And this copied from one of the articles referenced in Wiki: The Haitian Vodou religion has evolved alongside the Haitian nation state and the local interpretations of a linkage between national identity and Vodou appear strong – also in comparison with other African-American religions. This paper explores representations of Vodou’s role during the Slave Revolution which resulted in the declaration of Haiti’s independence in 1804. The article specifically addresses the Vodou ceremony which presumedly took place at Bwa Kayiman in northern Haiti in 1791. Against this background, contemporary uses and repercussions – not the least among Vodou practitioners – of the historiography of Vodou and the Revolution, as well as their consequences for the Vodou religion are discussed. http://www.lai.su.se/gallery/bilagor/SRoLAS_No4_6.%20%E2%80%9DOur%20Government%20is%20in.pdf I did not read every word of that 12-page article, but it essentially supports Robertson's version of Haitian history, leading Qp to wonder if all the sputtering protestations are due to historical revisionism and political correctness. Attempts to sanitize history is actually disembowelment if driving factors are stripped from the story. This would be only a further disservice to Haitians. Not to say Robertson's remarks were kind, timely, or helpful. Jan 16 10, 2:00 PM