Meditation 418
Pat Mouths Off Again
A discussion on this article has been opened in Debate and Discourse. Please feel free to add your thoughts to the discussion via the contact page..
Earlier this month, the people of Dover, Pennsylvania, voted out their school board had which supported intelligent design, and replaced it with members who recognized that ID had no place in a science curriculum.
Pat Robertson, ever the advocate of a vengeful God, responded by saying:
"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God - you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because He might not be there."
Just a typical remark from Robertson who had previously called for God to destroy Disney World with a hurricane because the theme park occasionally had "gay days," and credited the Hurricane Katrina related flood damage in New Orleans to God's outrage at prostitution and abortion. How strange that Nevada, where prostitution is legal in most of the state, escaped the Katrina flooding.
But back to the issue at hand, which is the link Robertson sees between teaching of ID and the willingness of God to protect people from disasters. In Kansas, the state school board has voted to include intelligent design in the science curriculum; indeed, in spite of the opposition of all reputable scientists, the state board has declared ID to be science.
Has this victory caused Robertson to claim that Kansas is now under God's protection and will be free of tornados? Of course not. He has remained silent. Robertson knows that the change in school board policy will produce no change in the frequency of tornados in Kansas. Robertson's God does not reward. He only punishes.
However, we should be thankful to Robertson for mouthing off about Dover. In doing so, he has exposed the big fat lie behind intelligent design. ID proponents bend over backwards to claim they are not espousing religion, rather they are promoting a scientific theory. Robertson's outburst makes it clear ID is a religious claim, and, specifically, a Christian claim. By telling the people of Dover that they had voted God out of their city, Robertson makes it clear that ID is not science. It is religion.