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Marion Gordon Robertson, usually known as Pat Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American Christian televangelist, entrepreneur, and right-wing political activist. He is the founder of numerous organizations and corporations including: the American Center for Law and Justice, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the Christian Coalition, the Flying Hospital, International Family Entertainment, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, and Regent University. He is the host of the popular TV show The 700 Club, which airs on many channels in the United States and on CBN affiliates worldwide. His strongly conservative views and recently issued Fatwa calling for the death of popularly elected Venezualan President Hugo Chauvez have made him the subject of much controversy, especially his statements in favor of the dissolution of the barrier between church and state and his condemnation of groups he believes to be living in sin. Robertson's ties to the Republican Party, especially his failed bid to be that party's candidate in the 1988 presidential election, have led to charges of partisanship. He is a Southern Baptist and was an ordained minister with that denomination for many years, but holds to a Pentecostal theology.
Life and career
Family
Robertson was born in Lexington,Virginia, into a prominent political family. His parents were Absalom Willis Robertson, a conservative Democratic United States Senator, and his wife Gladys Churchill Robertson. He married Adelia "Dede" Elmer in 1954. His family includes four children, among them Gordon P. Robertson, and at the time of writing (mid-2005) fourteen grandchildren.
At a young age, Robertson was given the nickname of Pat by his six-year-old brother, Willis Robertson, Jr., who enjoyed patting him on the cheeks when he was a baby while saying "pat, pat, pat". As he got older, Robertson thought about which first name he would like people to use. He considered "Marion" to be effeminate, and "M. Gordon" to be affected, so he opted for his childhood nickname "Pat". His strong awareness for the importance of names in the creation of a public image showed itself again during his presidential run when he threatened to sue NBC news for calling him a "television evangelist" at a time when Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker were objects of scandal. He insisted upon being called a "religious broadcaster."
Robertson is proud of his family history and has traced his family to such ancestors as governor of Virginia and signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Harrison V, and United States presidents, William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison VI. Robertson is also related to Winston Churchill.
Education and military service
When he was twelve, Robertson was enrolled in the military preparatory McDonough School outside of Baltimore, Maryland. From 1944 until 1946 he began attending the Chattanooga, Tennessee military prep McCallie School. He graduated with honors and enrolled at Washington and Lee University, where he majored in history and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious honor societies in the country, and joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Robertson has said that he partied hard during his years at Washington and Lee and enjoyed spending time with young ladies from nearby girls' schools.
In 1948 the draft was reinstated and Robertson was given the option of joining the Marine Corps or being drafted into the regular army. He opted for the former, which allowed him to finish college under the condition he attend boot camp during the summer at Quantico, Virginia, and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was the first person to be promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant at a graduation ceremony at the university. In 1950, Robertson began service in the Korean War. In chapter 12 of his book, "The Taking of Hill 610 And Other Essays on Friendship" ASIN: B0006OZPKA, Paul "Pete" McCloskey, Jr. asserts that Robertson served in Korea as the "liquor officer" responsible for keeping the officers' clubs supplied with liquor. There, McCloskey claims, Robertson was known to drink and to frequent prostitutes.
Robertson was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1952 upon his return to the United States. Robertson then went on to receive a Juris Doctor degree with a specialization in Tax and Corporate Law from Yale University Law School in 1955 and a Master of Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary in 1959.
Religious calling
In 1956 Robertson had dinner with the Dutch missionary Cornelius Vanderbreggen, and was impressed by his demeanor and what he had to say. He presently became a Christian. Vanderbreggen quoted Proverbs (3:5, 6), "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths", which Robertson considers to be the "guiding principle" of his life. Soon afterwards, he apparently 'spoke in tongues' for the first time. He was ordained as a minister of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1961.
In 1960, Robertson established the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He started it by buying a small UHF station in nearby Portsmouth. It is now seen in 180 countries and broadcast in 71 languages. In 1977, he founded the CBN Cable Network, which was renamed the CBN Family Channel in 1988 and later simply the Family Channel. When the Family Channel became too profitable for Robertson to keep it under the CBN umbrella without endangering CBN's nonprofit status, he formed International Family Entertainment, Inc. in 1990 with the Family Channel as its main subsidiary. Robertson sold the Family Channel to the News Corporation in 1997, which renamed it Fox Family. A condition of the sale was that the station would continue airing Robertson's television program The 700 Club twice a day. It is now owned by Disney as ABC Family.
Robertson founded CBN University in 1977 on CBN's Virginia Beach campus. It was renamed Regent University in 1989. Robertson serves as its chancellor. He is also founder and president of the American Center for Law and Justice, a public interest law firm and education group that defends the First Amendment rights of people of faith, holding the view that separation of church and state is superseded by an individual's right to worship as he or she chooses. The law firm, headquartered in the same building that houses Regent's law school, focuses on what it calls "pro-family, pro-liberty and pro-life" cases nationwide.
1988 presidential bid
In September 1986, Robertson announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Robertson said he would only pursue the nomination if three million people signed up to volunteer for his campaign by September 1987. Three million responded, and by the time Robertson announced he'd be running in September 1987, he also had millions of dollars in his campaign fund, making him a serious threat to take the nomination. He surrendered his ministerial credentials and turned leadership of CBN over to his son, Tim.
Robertson ran on a very conservative platform. Among his policies, he wanted to eliminate illegal drugs and pornography, reform the education system by allowing the Bible in public schools, eliminate Conrail and Amtrak, and eliminate departments such as the Department of Education and the Department of Energy.
When the presidential primary election season started in early 1988, Robertson actually had a decent chance of winning the nomination. However, a couple of setbacks destroyed his campaign.
The first setback was something he wasn't even involved in. Around the time he was gearing up for the primaries, two other televangelists, Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, had come under scrutiny (Bakker was accused of fraud and embezzlement, and Swaggart had been caught traveling with several prostitutes). Although Robertson was not involved in either of these scandals, campaign donations went down, and people began to feel betrayed by all televangelists, including Robertson.
The second setback, which ultimately ended his campaign, was a small part of his campaign literature. In it, he stated he was a combat Marine who served in the Korean War. When word of this got out, several Marines in his battalion were furious with the remark, saying he had never spent a day in a combat environment. Instead of fighting in the war, Robertson's primary responsibility was supplying alcoholic beverages for his officers. After his fellow soldiers spoke out, many were furious with Robertson, and in the end, it was one of the biggest contributors to the downfall of his campaign.
Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were even finished. His best finish was in Washington. He later spoke at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans and told the supporters he had left to cast their votes for George H.W. Bush, who ended up winning the nomination. He then returned to CBN and has remained there since then, even though he never renewed his ministerial credentials.
During his presidential campaign, reporters investigating his record discovered a discrepancy between the date on the Robertsons' marriage license and the date he had written on several legal documents, raising questions as to the reason for the wedding. Robertson said he had never denied being somewhat wild as a young man, but was vague about his reasons for giving a false date. The issue for many was his apparent desire to lie about the matter after becoming a popular religious exemplar.
Political activism
After his failed attempt to run for president, Robertson used his campaign organization to start a political organization called the Christian Coalition, which campaigned mostly for Christian conservative candidates. It became, almost instantly, one of the most influential organizations in American politics. However, the organization's popularity faded when it was fined by the Federal Election Commission. Robertson left the Coalition in 2001.
While Robertson is primarily popular among American evangelical Christians, his support extends beyond the Christian community. In 2002, he received the State of Israel Friendship Award from the Zionist Organization of America for his consistent support for Greater Israel. In that year the Coalition for Jewish Concerns also expressed its gratitude to Robertson for "unwavering support for Israel" and "standing up to evil."
Controversies
Outspoken in both his faith and his politics, Robertson has made plenty of headlines and enemies. Major controversies surrounding him include:
Robertson's claims of the power of his prayers
For example, Robertson claims to have used the power of prayer to steer hurricanes away from his companies' Virginia Beach, Virginia headquarters. He took credit for steering the course in 1985 of Hurricane Gloria, which caused millions of dollars of destruction in many states along the east coast. He made a similar claim about another destructive storm, Hurricane Felix, in 1995.
Robertson's attacks on feminism, homosexuality, and liberalism
Among his more controversial statements, Robertson has described feminism as a "socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." Robertson's views mirror those of the controversial evangelical activist Jerry Falwell, who has made frequent appearances on The 700 Club. He agreed with Falwell that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were caused by "pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the ACLU and the People for the American Way." After public outcry regarding the dialogue, which took place only days after the attacks, Robertson stated that he had not understood what Falwell was saying during the interview, which was conducted via television monitor.
Robertson's personal wealth
His net worth is between $200 million and $1 billion USD according to the 2002 book The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast. Robertson has made a number of shrewd business deals. Probably the most lucrative was the purchase of a number of FM radio stations in the 1960s (when they were viewed by most investors as worthless technology) and selling them in the 1980s for massive gains. He also has interests in such diverse assets as a shuttered California refinery.
Through his ostensibly charitable organization, Operation Blessing International, Robertson claims to have spent $1.2 million bringing aid to refugees in Rwanda. His critics, such as Palast, claim the money was actually spent to bring heavy equipment for Robertson's African Development Corporation, a diamond mining operation. He has purchased thoroughbred race horses, although he has stated on many occasions he is opposed to gambling. Robertson claims he bought the horses because he is "amazed by their athleticism".
Robertson's support of former Liberian president Charles Taylor
Robertson repeatedly supported Taylor in various episodes of his 700 Club program during the United States' involvement in the Liberian Civil War in June and July 2003. Robertson accuses the U.S. State Department of giving President Bush bad advice in supporting Taylor's ouster as president, and of trying "as hard as they can to destabilize Liberia." Robertson has been criticized for failing to mention in his broadcasts his $8 million investment in a Liberian gold mine. Taylor had been at the time of Robertson's support indicted by the United Nations for war crimes. According to Robertson, the Liberian gold mine Freedom Gold, was intended to help pay for humanitarian and evangelical efforts in Liberia, when in fact the company was allowed to fail leaving many debts both in Liberia and in the international mining service sector. Regarding this controversy, Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy said, "I would say that Pat Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one."
Robertson's political statements
On his The 700 Club television program, Pat Robertson has sharply criticized elements of the United States government. In interviews with the author of a book critical of the United States Department of State, Robertson made suggestions that the explosion of a nuclear weapon at State Department Headquarters would be good for the country, and repeated those comments on the air. "What we need is for somebody to place a small nuke at Foggy Bottom," Robertson said during his television program, referring to the location of the State Department headquarters. State Department officials said they believed the comments to be in extremely bad taste, and have lodged official complaints against Robertson for his remarks.
Robertson's Korean War record
In the late 1980s, Pat Robertson sued Congressman Pete McCloskey and Representative Andy Jacobs for libel. McCloskey, who served with Robertson in Korea, made claims that Robertson was spared combat duty when his powerful father intervened on his behalf. Jacobs repeated these statements publicly. During pre-trial depositions, another veteran who had served with Robertson, Paul Brosman, Jr., spoke of rumors during the war that Robertson had been carousing with prostitutes and hassling Korean women. Brosman stated that Robertson himself talked about his exploits with prostitutes. In the end, Robertson dropped his lawsuit claiming scheduling conflicts between court dates and his 1988 presidential campaign, and was ordered to pay part of McCloskey's court costs.
Robertson equivocates on Chinese abortions
Despite claiming to be pro-life, Robertson spoke out in favor of China's one child policy, sometimes enforced by forced abortions. In a 2001 interview with Wolf Blitzer, he said of that the Chinese were "doing what they have to do," though he said that he did not personally agree with the practice. His comments drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. It has since been speculated that as founder of the Zhaodaola China Internet portal and part-owner of a cable network in China, Robertson was unwilling to risk straining relations with the Chinese government.
Robertson declares judicial activism worse than 9-11 attacks
During ABC's This Week, on April 30, 2005, Robertson was speaking about judicial activism when he said, "Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that’s held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings." This statement prompted outcry from several September 11th support and survivor groups.
Misquoting U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
On August 15, 2005 Robertson appeared on the Hannity and Colmbs show on the Fox News Channel where he said that he was "absolutely appalled" by statements that Senator Boxer allegedly made. He claimed that Boxer said that she has to wait for Ralph Neas and Chuck Schumer to express an opinion on Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts before forming an opinion. Boxer never made that statement. Robertson passed off the interpretation of a blogger named Blogger as her words.
Robertson's advocacy of assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez
On the August 22, 2005 broadcast of The 700 Club, Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, a socialist who was elected to the office in 1998. Robertson said, "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop." Robertson also alleged that Chávez was "going to make Venezuela a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent". The U.S. State Department Web site says 98 percent of the population are Roman Catholic or Protestant.
Several of Robertson's fellow Republicans, as well as senior Bush administration officials, were quick to distance themselves from Robertson's remarks. Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) described this as an "incredibly stupid statement (that) has no reflection on reality". Former Senator Bob Dole called the remarks "stupid" and "ludicrous" and called for Robertson to apologize "very quickly". Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that "our department doesn't do that kind of thing." Assassinations of heads of state have been illegal since President Gerald Ford issued an executive order against them.
Reaction in Venezuela was, not surprisingly, very strong. The country's ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Álvarez, demanded a stronger condemnation from the White House and that the United States "respect our country and its president". In Caracas, Vice President José Vicente Rangel said, "This is a huge hypocrisy to maintain an anti-terrorist line and at the same time have such terrorist statements as these made by Christian preacher Pat Robertson coming from the same country". Desiré Santos Amaral, a pro-Chávez member of Venezuela's National Assembly, called Robertson a "fascist". Chávez himself said Robertson's opinion "doesn't matter to me" and that he "couldn't care less" about it.
On the August 24 edition of the 700 Club, Robertson claimed he wasn't actually calling for Chávez's assassination, but that there were other ways of "taking him out", such as having special forces carry out a kidnapping. Robertson flatly denied using the word "assassination", despite video tape evidence that he did.
Later that day, he issued a written statement in which he said, "Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement." However, he continued to justify his original stance and called Chávez "a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly".
He went on in the written statement to compare Chávez with Adolf Hitler and to justify his advocacy of Chávez's assassination: "I am a person who believes in peace, but not peace at any price ... The brilliant Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived under the hellish conditions of Nazi Germany, is reported to have said: 'If I see a madman driving a car into a group of innocent bystanders, then I can't, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe and then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.' On the strength of this reasoning, Bonhoeffer decided to lend his support to those in Germany who had joined together in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis, but his example deserves our respect and consideration today." Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis for his involvement in a 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.
He also compared Chávez to Saddam Hussein: "I said before the war in Iraq began that the wisest course would be to wage war against Saddam Hussein, not the whole nation of Iraq," Robertson said. "When faced with the threat of a comparable dictator in our own hemisphere, would it not be wiser to wage war against one person rather than finding ourselves down the road locked in a bitter struggle with a whole nation?"
And in the same statement, he accused Chávez of being involved with terrorism: "Col. Chavez has found common cause with terrorists such as the noted assassin Carlos the Jackal, has visited Iran reportedly to gain access to nuclear technology, and has referred to Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro as his comrades. Col. Chavez also intends to fund the violent overthrow of democratically elected governments throughout South America, beginning with neighboring Colombia."
Books by Pat Robertson
- The New Millennium
- Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions
- The Secret Kingdom (1982)
- America's Dates with Destiny
- The Plan
- Beyond Reason: How Miracles can Change your Life
- Turning Tide: The Fall of Liberalism and the Rise of Common Sense
- Shout it from the Housetops an autobiography
- The End of the Age
- The New World Order (1991)
- Bring It On
- The Ten Offenses
- Courting Disaster
Honors given to Pat Robertson
- 1975 The Distinguished Merit Citation from The National Conference of Christians and Jews.
- 1976 Faith and Freedom Award in the field of broadcasting.
- 1978 Department of Justice Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 25th FBI Vesper Service.
- 1979 National Conference of Christians and Jews - Distinguished Merit Citation.
- 1982 Humanitarian of the Year by Food for the Hungry.
- 1984 Man of the Year Award from the Women's National Republican Club.
- 1984 Citation from the National Organization for the Advancement of Hispanics.
- 1985 National Association of United Methodist Evangelists.
- 1988 Man of the Year by Students for America.
- 1989 Christian Broadcaster of the Year by the National Religious Broadcasters.
- 1992 One of America's 100 Cultural Elite by Newsweek Magazine.
- 1994 Omega Fellowship Award by Food for the Hungry for Operation Blessing's fight against worldwide hunger.
- 1994 Defender of Israel Award from the Christians' Israel Public Action Campaign for those who have made major contributions in strengthening U.S.-Israel relations.
- 1994 John Connor Humanitarian Service Award from Operation Smile International.
- 2000 Cross of Nails award for his vision, inspiration, and humanitarian work with The Flying Hospital.
- 2002 State of Israel Friendship Award from the Zionist Organization of America.
External links
- Official Pat Robertson Website
- MouseWax with Pat Robertson
- Robertson explains his position on Liberia
- Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition - a bibliography, mostly (though not exclusively) of links to articles opposing Robertson and the Christian Coalition.
- A collection of some of Pat Robertson's more controversial quotes
- Pat Robertson's campaign contributions
- Pat Robertson denounces Hinduism as "Demonic"
- I Hate Pat Robertson - a blog about Robertson's comments and political ties.
- Rotten.com biography of Pat Robertson
- columns by Greg Palast about Pat Robertson
Books
- Pat Robertson, Shout It From the Housetops
- Greg Palast, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy