Guys, to be fair, I think we may have jumped the bandwagon too soon about Robertson's statements. I say we, because I too jumped their cases. The following is a transcript of Pat Robertson's speech. I should've known that the Washington COMPost would mess this up. While some of us may or may not agree with what Pat Robertson says in the following, it is far from the hateful things the ComPost implied he said, or the things Falwell appears to have said.
America has enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity throughout its history. Though we have been involved in wars on our own soil -- the last was the Civil War -- the United States of America has not experienced the anguish of invasion by a foreign power since the War of 1812.
We have imagined ourselves invulnerable and have been consumed by the pursuit of financial gain. The focus of many in America has been on the pursuit of health, wealth, material pleasures and sexuality. Sadly, those in the churches have been as self-indulgent as those in the world.
We have allowed rampant pornography on the Internet, and rampant secularism and the occult, etc. to be broadcast on television. We have permitted somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-40 million unborn babies to be slaughtered by our society.
We have a court that has essentially stuck its finger in God's eye and said, "We are going to legislate You out of the schools and take Your commandments from the courthouses in various states. We are not going to let little children read the commandments of God. We are not going to allow the Bible or prayer in our schools."
We have insulted God at the highest level of our government. Then, we say, "Why does this happen?" It is happening because God Almighty is lifting His protection from us.
Once that protection is gone, we are vulnerable because we are a free society.
We lie naked before these terrorists who have infiltrated our country. There are probably tens of thousands of them in America right now. They have been raising money and
preaching their hate. Overseas, they have been spewing out venom against the United
States for years.
All over the Arab world there is venom against America being poured into peoples? minds, and the only thing that is going to sustain us is the umbrella power of Almighty God. That is the only thing that we have going for us.
Yes, we can put up a nuclear shield, but they are not coming in with missiles. We can beef up marshals on airplanes, but then they will come in with car bombs. There is always some way they can get at us. The means of these rogue states are awesome.
Yes, we will mobilize now and our country is moving together. But I want to say as firmly as I can, the Scripture for this time is -- ?If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.?
Now, I am filled with compassion. It just tears my heart when I think of the families of these suffering. But I want to say as surely as I am sitting here today, this is only a foretaste, a little warning, of what is going to happen.
We have not seen the massive destruction of life in our urban centers that can take place with sarin gas and with the biological and chemical warfare that is available to these rogue people, not to mention, suitcase nuclear bombs that they probably have available as well. We must come back to God as a people.
So what we say to you today is, if you are not right with God then get your life right with
God. Think of the things in your life that are wrong. Think of the careless indifference.
Think of the poor who you could have helped. Think of the Scripture you have ignored. Think of the time you should have been spending in prayer, when you were watching television or focusing on pornography or tuned into the Internet. Think of the things you have done in your own life and think of the indifference to the sin of this nation that you have just passed by and said, "Well, that is just the way it is. We have to have freedom." Think of it!
Don't ask why did it happen. It happened because people are evil. It also happened because God is lifting His protection from this nation and we must pray and ask Him for revival so that once again we will be His people, the planting of His righteousness, so that He will come to our defense and protect us as a nation. That is what I want to see and why we say we must have revival.
We must have a spiritual revival. The churches need to be full. We must pray for our pastors. We must pray for the churches. We must ask God to send a mighty, powerful revival in the midst of His people. That is what is needed for this land.
I want us to pray right now for America. I want us to pray for you and your families. I want us to pray particularly for those mothers, those fathers, those husbands and wives, those brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones. Their hearts are breaking right now. As they see this thing happen and they say "Why, Why?" And their hearts are broken.
We may find that as many as 20,000 innocent civilians have been killed in this tragedy.
We don't know what the full number is yet. It may not be that high, but that is one estimate.
Please join with me as we all pray right now.
Father, we come before You, and we share the pain and the grief of those who are suffering. We saw those people with their little posters held up before TV cameras with the pictures of their loved ones. Surely, you have seen this man. He is 5?10? and he weighs so and so and he?s got a cute smile. Oh, God in heaven, we pray that You would comfort them -- that You will comfort those who suffer and grieve in this manner.
And Lord, we pray for our nation. We have sinned against Almighty God. At the highest level of government we have stuck our finger in Your eye. The Supreme Court has insulted You over and over again, Lord. They have taken Your Bible away from the schools. They have forbidden little children to pray. Organizations have gone to court to take the knowledge of God out of the public squares of America. Then people say, "Why isn't God looking after us."
We have sinned against You, Lord. We ask that You might forgive us. And that You might bring us to the place where we are truly sorry for our sins, and as a Nation we repent before You. And Almighty God, we ask for a spiritual revival, a cleansing of our Nation, a cleansing of the hearts of Your people.
We pray for pastors, anoint them, Lord. We pray, oh God, for the churches. Give them the fire of God. And Lord, may millions come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Do a miracle in this land, we pray, that Your name might be honored. And Lord, we ask that you would bind up our wounds and heal our land. We receive this, Lord, in Jesus? name. Amen.
