Religion & Law

I appreciate Robby's comments on Pat Robertson, and just to clarify, by labeling him a "showman," I do not mean that Robertson is not sincere.  I just mean that, given the controversies stirred up by his previous post-disaster statements, I have a hard time believing that he says these things without an eye toward the publicitiy it brings.  He appears to be someone who enjoys the limelight, and these days, his only entries into the limelight are at times like these. 

It is also important to remember that Robertson and the institutions he has founded do a lot of good in the developing world, including Haiti.  (Full disclosure: my cousin works for one of them.)  The world could probably use more people like Robertson, who puts his money where his (too often unfiltered) mouth is, than folks (like me, I'm afraid) who too often sit on the sidelines with their more theologically compassionate views.  Robertson's remarks are so regrettable because: 1) they become a sideshow, distracting from the powerful witness of those bringing Christ's love into the midst of suffering; and 2) they ensure that his own primary legacy will be that of a buffoon, which is not the whole picture.