on a “pact with the devil” purportedly entered into by the Haitian
people in a bid to defeat French colonizers in the early 19th century.
“Something happened a long time ago in
and people might not want to talk about it,” Robertson said on his
Christian Broadcasting Network show. “They were under the heel of the
French … and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They
said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’
“True story. And the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal,'”
Robertson said. “Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after
another.”
Hours after his comments ignited a firestorm in the
news media and online, Robertson’s “700 Club” TV show issued a
statement elaborating on his remarks.
Robertson’s comments were based “on the
widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion …where the slaves allegedly
made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the
French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country,
has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to
believe the country is cursed,” the statement said.
“Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was
God’s wrath,” the statement went on. It added that “Dr. Robertson’s
compassion for the people of
The Haitian uprising is regarded as one of history’s few successful slave revolts.
Robertson, the founder of the
He once said that Israeli Prime Minister
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005,
Robertson seemed to link the storm to abortion. About the same time, he
called on the U.S. to assassinate Venezuelan President
Following the
attacks, Robertson surmised that lack of prayer in public schools and
tolerance of abortion and pornography meant that “God Almighty is
lifting his protection from us.”
—
(c) 2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
