Was Pat Robertson correct on Haiti?

[toughcritic]

Recently on his national television show Reverend Pat Robertson stated that much of the bad things that have happened over the decades in Haiti are due to a covenant that was made with the Devil. Many have ridiculed
his interpretation of religious history and Biblical scripture and I am wondering what the real story is and if there is any justification for his comments in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes. In that regard, many have said that God does not bring down retribution on countries or peoples. If that is so than how do you explain God’s causing the Great Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gammorah?

 

[Fidelis]

Recently on his national television show Reverend Pat Robertson stated that much of the bad things that have happened over the decades in Haiti are due to a covenant that was made with the Devil. Many have ridiculed
his interpretation of religious history and Biblical scripture and I am wondering what the real story is and if there is any justification for his comments in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes. In that regard, many have said that God does not bring down retribution on countries or peoples. If that is so than how do you explain God’s causing the Great Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gammorah?

It was a foolish statement on Robertson’s part. He is quoting anecdotal information which, even if it’s true, doesn’t force God to act one way or another. How then do you explain horrible natural disasters in other places where scads of innocents die? Were they more evil than you or I? We are in no position to ascribe to God this action or that when when it comes to major natural disasters like this. Jesus did not encourage us to do so. From Luke 13:

1 There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? 3 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Silo’am fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Even in the Old Testament, God was ready to be more merciful on account of a few people than destroy them along with the innocent – and many more than 10 innocent people were in Haiti, I’m willing to bet. From Genesis 18:

21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know." 22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

Finally, Ezekiel 18 says:

1 The word of the LORD came to me again: 2 "What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die…

…19 "Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is lawful and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. … 25 "Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

Robertson and others who try to play the Prophet and look down their noses at others in judgement because of their misfortunes should look, as Jesus advised, to the care of their own souls.

 

[tabsie3210]

I think I read somewhere that there actually was a pact made with the devil by the people of Haiti at some point - historical documentation there.

The assumption that everyone is making is that if the people of Haiti made a pact with the devil, then God is punishing them.

But since God always provides enough grace for everyone to overcome whatever difficulties, and if all it takes to restore your soul is to go to confession with a sincere sense of contrition, then wouldn’t it make more sense to say that IF the people there are suffering due to the pact made with the devil, it would be the devil causing the harm, and not God?

All good things come from God. All evil things come from sin. It just doesn’t make sense to me that God would be the one dolling out this kind of pain. He’s there to support us through pain. It’s willful turning away from God that causes damnation.

But since I wasn’t there, I can’t offer any kind of evidence, except for something I read in a blurb about the pact, so I can’t say one way or the other about whether the pact was made or not. I’m just saying that IF it was made, people shouldn’t blame God for the problems there, they should pray against the devil. That’s all.

 

[bpbasilphx]

\I think I read somewhere that there actually was a pact made with the devil by the people of Haiti at some point - historical documentation there.

The assumption that everyone is making is that if the people of Haiti made a pact with the devil, then God is punishing them\

**And, obviously, everything you read (especially if it’s on the internet) is always 100% accurate. It’s even more trustworthy if merely “think” you’ve read it.

As one person asked, was this a deliberate pact with the Christian devil? Or was it merely an African-Voodoo cultic ceremony–assuming it took place.**

 

[MikeSea]

How come when a place with a lot of Catholics gets flattened like New Orleans or Haiti it’s God’s retribution. If a hurricane clobbers Houston or Virginia Beach, well that’s a tragedy.

I am seeing a pattern here with Pat Robertson.

 

[Fidelis]

**I think I read somewhere **that there actually was a pact made with the devil by the people of Haiti at some point - **historical documentation **there.

The assumption that everyone is making is that if the people of Haiti made a pact with the devil, then God is punishing them.

“I think I read somewhere” is hardly “historical documentation.”

And even if it were, God does not operate that way. Please (re-)read Post #2.

 

[cheeto1]

I was thinking this might be a bigger disaster on us than Haiti.
First of all, we should never be quick to blame a natural disaster on God.
Weather patterns have been around for many many years, and the devil
has lived long enough to see them and make his predictions. Naturally he
would do all he could to encourage people to build in these places, in order
to obtain maximum suffering on the people when they happen. Who knows
if God’s side may have tried to warn against building there? What if people
practicing voodoo have a harder time hearing God’s voice?

Now that this disaster happened, it is the souls of the just that are in danger.
We have GOT to help them. They have long suffered before this earthquake
even happened. It’s because of the earthquake that the eyes of the world are
open to the suffering in Haiti. And now, if everyone is kind and generous, God
will rescue Haiti, and wipe out voodoo there, by using love.

 

[mrhenrik]

These pact with the devil statements have always puzzled me. How exactly does one go about making a pact with the devil? I have a feeling there’s not any extensive documentation around guiding you in the process. How exactly would the Haitians have made a pact with the devil; since he calls them Haitians, did everyone participate; and how would anyone know that they really did it - did they go around bragging about it afterwards?

 

[Rolltide]

\I think I read somewhere that there actually was a pact made with the devil by the people of Haiti at some point - historical documentation there.

As one person asked, was this a deliberate pact with the Christian devil? Or was it merely an African-Voodoo cultic ceremony–assuming it took place.

As a professional historian and expert on Latin American history, I can tell you that this rumor is categorically FALSE. The original legend about the consecration to Satan was fabricated by French aristocrats shortly after Haiti’s famed slave revolt made the island independent. By attempting to rouse the anger and disgust of Christians worldwide, they hoped to add their voices to the voices of slaveholders in the American South, Brazil, Cuba, and other Caribbean nations who were terrified that slave revolts would also occur in their territories. They wanted to isolate Haiti from the rest of the world and MAKE it fail to prove that a former slave republic couldn’t succeed. They did a remarkably good job, since Haiti has been impoverished for almost 200 years.

A rumored second consecration to Satan in the early 1990s is ALSO a myth. I have even met and SPOKEN with former Haitian president Jean Bertrande Aristide, the man supposedly responsible, so that’s direct from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

 

[Fidelis]

So much for “historical documentation.” Thanks, Rolltide.

 

[peary1]

Recently on his national television show Reverend Pat Robertson stated that much of the bad things that have happened over the decades in Haiti are due to a covenant that was made with the Devil. Many have ridiculed
his interpretation of religious history and Biblical scripture and I am wondering what the real story is and if there is any justification for his comments in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes. In that regard, many have said that God does not bring down retribution on countries or peoples. If that is so than how do you explain God’s causing the Great Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gammorah?

Here’s my take on it - anywhere in the world where the Mass, the Church, or where the spiritual and corporal works of mercy are not allowed to flourish, it just seems that terrible things happen.

 

[benwa]

Let’s forget the earthquake.

1. Why this country is so underdevelopped? Nothing works in this country and that, for many, many years. Why?
2. Just at the other end of this island, things go better - Dominican Repulbic. Why?
3. What is the effect of Vodou in Haiti?

I just want to know.

 

[Rolltide]

Let’s forget the earthquake.

1. Why this country is so underdevelopped? Nothing works in this country and that, for many, many years. Why?
2. Just at the other end of this island, things go better - Dominican Repulbic. Why?
3. What is the effect of Vodou in Haiti?

I just want to know.

As a Latin American history expert, I’ll take the question:

1. Haiti was French, the Dominican Republic was Spanish. Haiti is predominantly black, the Dominican Republic is predominantly Hispanic. The people of the Dominican Republic have traditionally been fairly racist toward their neighbors to the West. The poverty also sometimes drags the Dominican Republic down, and they resent it.
2. When Haiti successfully overthrew the French in it’s slave rebellion, virtually all other slaveholding nations (England, France, US, Brazil, etc…) conspired to make sure that Haiti failed. They did not want word of a successful slave republic getting around to their own slaves and giving them ideas. For almost a century, most nations simply refused to trade with Haiti or give them aid in any way. This crippled them from the start, and resulted in the decimation of education on the island.
3. How has Voudon (the proper name of the Voodoo religion) affected the island? Well, it tends to be very fatalistic, and so it stifles the initiative of the locals. They simply assume that nothing will ever improve. Also, the belief in zombies has been exploited to great propaganda effect by notorious Haitian dictators Papa Doc and Baby Doc.
4. Haiti was originally a VERY wealthy colony, but it was entirely based in sugar. When sugar became overproduced in the nineteenth century, and when sugar beets were discovered, allowing sugar to ALSO be grown in northern climates, the bottom dropped out of their only real money making venture, and nothing was there to replace it.
5. The Dominican Republic has been able to diversify, at least slightly, and make profits in other ways, such as fruit and tourism. It was also a source of rubber during World War II, and FDR heavily subsidized the dictator, Rafael Trujillo, so that we would have unlimited supplies for the war effort. Our regular sources in Asia had been captured by the Japanese.

 

[benwa]

Good. That makes sens. Thank you.

 

[Fidelis]

As a Latin American history expert, I’ll take the question…

EXCELLENT and learned answer as usual, Rolltide. I have a feeling I’ll be quoting you often on this subject, as it keeps coming up again and again.

 

[PeterK]

Rolltide,
Excellent analysis.

Thanks,

PeterK

 

[tabsie3210]

\I think I read somewhere that there actually was a pact made with the devil by the people of Haiti at some point - historical documentation there.

The assumption that everyone is making is that if the people of Haiti made a pact with the devil, then God is punishing them\

**And, obviously, everything you read (especially if it’s on the internet) is always 100% accurate. It’s even more trustworthy if merely “think” you’ve read it.

As one person asked, was this a deliberate pact with the Christian devil? Or was it merely an African-Voodoo cultic ceremony–assuming it took place.**

Le sigh.

Okay. I mentioned the bit about having read, from a textbook (not the internet), that Robertson may have been quoting an official source because the OP asked if Robertson was correct, and I was simply mentioning in passing that an offline source might have agreed with Robertson’s statement, therefore he or she (the original poster) should look into it. The “historical documentation” statement was to point out that it was offline, so he or she might have some luck finding further information in a library.

That’s all. I’m sorry if my reply was ambiguous. Please don’t read too much into it.

 

[JackQ]

Recently on his national television show Reverend Pat Robertson stated that much of the bad things that have happened over the decades in Haiti are due to a covenant that was made with the Devil. Many have ridiculed
his interpretation of religious history and Biblical scripture and I am wondering what the real story is and if there is any justification for his comments in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes. In that regard, many have said that God does not bring down retribution on countries or peoples. If that is so than how do you explain God’s causing the Great Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gammorah?

I’m going to say no, Pat Robertson isn’t correct. Even if there was some pact with the devil, why would God punish people who had nothing to do with it?

The problem with biblical literalism is that it’s indefensible. That’s why I don’t defend it.

 

[tabsie3210]

“I think I read somewhere” is hardly “historical documentation.”

And even if it were, God does not operate that way. Please (re-)read Post #2.

To clarify (and I’m sorry if my post was ambiguous), I think I read somewhere, offline (i.e. in a textbook of world history) that something akin to a pact with the devil took place on Haiti. I can’t say for certain one way or the other, but if the OP is interested in finding out more, she or he might have luck finding a source offline that could give more information. I don’t claim that my statement is historically correct. For all I know, the text might have said something like, “There were rumors that the people of Haiti made a deal with the devil, but that’s a rumor that’s been disproven,” or something.

As for Post #2, I’m in agreement with you. God doesn’t go around smiting people willfully. My statement that maybe, if there was a bargain made with the devil, that horrible things happened to Haiti because the devil did it, and not God, was because I agree that God is not likely to be punishing the nation. He doesn’t work that way. Remember the book of Jonah? He made Jonah preach to the traditional enemies of the Jews to ensure that the city was saved, even though Jonah didn’t want to save them. I’m inclined to think that God would not send hurricanes and terrible weather to hurt Haiti, but would instead be standing by to forgive the citizens and help them in any way, especially by His grace and His presence.

That’s IF there was a pact made.

I’m really sorry for being ambiguous. I wasn’t trying to suggest that I am certain Robertson is correct. I really don’t agree with him, but I don’t have the facts, and if someone is going to ask about the situation, they’d do well to look up info offline to get a more accurate look at what’s really happening in Haiti.

That’s all I meant.

 

[tabsie3210]

As a professional historian and expert on Latin American history, I can tell you that this rumor is categorically FALSE. The original legend about the consecration to Satan was fabricated by French aristocrats shortly after Haiti’s famed slave revolt made the island independent. By attempting to rouse the anger and disgust of Christians worldwide, they hoped to add their voices to the voices of slaveholders in the American South, Brazil, Cuba, and other Caribbean nations who were terrified that slave revolts would also occur in their territories. They wanted to isolate Haiti from the rest of the world and MAKE it fail to prove that a former slave republic couldn’t succeed. They did a remarkably good job, since Haiti has been impoverished for almost 200 years.

A rumored second consecration to Satan in the early 1990s is ALSO a myth. I have even met and SPOKEN with former Haitian president Jean Bertrande Aristide, the man supposedly responsible, so that’s direct from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

Awesome! I’m very happy to know this. I certainly don’t believe that God uses hurricanes and the like to punish people. Now that I’ve gotten to your post, it’s gratifying to know that there is historical documentation out there that can be easily found to verify or dismiss this rumor, and I’m pleased to see it dismissed.

And, again, I’m really sorry about how ambiguous my first response was. I was hoping that everyone would take it at face value - that I don’t know any facts but that there might be historical documentation of the incident that the OP could look up offline - but I didn’t realize that what I wrote came off as support for Robertson or a belief that Haiti was being punished for Satanism.