Pact with the Devil? Bad news says Pat Robertson

[AFK]

I watched the video on Countdown last night and I felt a little bad for the "anchor" woman or whatever she was sitting next to him.  She kind of had that look of "man, I'd really like to be ANYWHERE but here right now."

Also, I can only assume that Pat Robertson has some kind of deal with the devil.  It's the only explanation I can come up with for why he is alive. 

[Pariah]

[francejoke]Obviously the only way to beat the French is with the Devil's help  [/francejoke]

[Freeky]

Nevermind.

[The Fundamentalist]

He's probably talking about the aforementioned Papa Doc, who was into Voodoo and made himself out to be a god.  He had a personality cult, so there might be people who like him, but there are people who like Stalin too.  The majority of the country hates him, I'm sure.  Not that this matters to Pat.

Hm.  After he died, his son took over.  An outbreak of swine flu fever made the US insist that Haiti exterminate all of its pigs.  Bet they loved that.

The son is currently an illegal immigrant in Paris.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

There were some pretty nasty rumors about Baby Doc before he was deposed, as well. Of course, I really question whether much of it was simply political scare tactics for controlling the population.

Either way, Haiti is scary as fuck.

[The Fundamentalist]

Hearsay: Robertson thinks that Haitians used Voodoo to overcome their French slavemasters in 1791.  Voodoo is of course Satanic as he sees it.  Anybody have backup for that?

(If I remember my history classes, that would mean that Robertson's existence is indirectly reliant on Satanism, because Haitian revolution -> Napoleon gives up dreams of empire in the Americas -> Napoleon sells Louisiana -> Robertson's ancestors not slaughtered in French-American War)

[Requia ☣]

My knowledge of the religion is sketchy, but I think voodoo is specifically the 'bad' version of magic in it (the acceptable stuff is called Hoodoo), So linking Voodoo with devil stuff isn't entirely inappropriate (though still technically incorrect).

Of course, Pat probably lumps Hoodoo in with Devil stuff too.  This is the guy who claims I'm part of a secret Cabal of Devil worshipers because of my D&D book collection.

[BabylonHoruv]

My knowledge of the religion is sketchy, but I think voodoo is specifically the 'bad' version of magic in it (the acceptable stuff is called Hoodoo), So linking Voodoo with devil stuff isn't entirely inappropriate (though still technically incorrect).

Of course, Pat probably lumps Hoodoo in with Devil stuff too.  This is the guy who claims I'm part of a secret Cabal of Devil worshipers because of my D&D book collection.

You are, did we forget to teach you the secret handshake?  You have been sacrificing the requisite amount of virgins haven't you?

(see!  There's a reason that stereotype about D&Ders never getting laid exists)

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Vodou is the African-based Haitian religion. Hoodoo is African-American folk magic. Voodoo is the African-American version of Vodou.

[Requia ☣]

Ok, so he's probably just ripping on them for having the wrong religion in general, wonderful of him to do really, we can't have smudgy people who think differently from us white folk.

[Remington]

Olbermann brings the PAIN down on Robertson and Limbaugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoWOw8Jm5w&feature=player_embedded

Very well said.

[Cain]

Hearsay: Robertson thinks that Haitians used Voodoo to overcome their French slavemasters in 1791.  Voodoo is of course Satanic as he sees it.  Anybody have backup for that?

(If I remember my history classes, that would mean that Robertson's existence is indirectly reliant on Satanism, because Haitian revolution -> Napoleon gives up dreams of empire in the Americas -> Napoleon sells Louisiana -> Robertson's ancestors not slaughtered in French-American War)

Its true.  Religion played a large part in helping make the revolt popular.  I've actually been doing some reading on Haitian politics and religion recently, so I'll transcribe some of what I've learnt either this evening or tomorrow (busy night ahead of me, in theory). 

And yes, Papa Doc was big into voodoo as well, he was part of a Haitian intellectual circle who were pretty nationalistic, wanted to rely on a Haitian concept of culture and identity.  The book deals with that as well, so I'll throw that in for good measure.

[Cain]

OK, here we go.

On the 14th of August 1791, in Bois Caiman in Haiti, the Voudon god of war, Ogun, was invoked by Dutty Boukman, a Jamaican follower of the religion to initiate war against the colonial French.  A pig was sacrificed, and slave-leaders from plantations all over northern Haiti swore alleigance to him.

One week later, over 1800 plantations had been destroyed and 1000 slaveholders killed, so it was pretty successful.

As for Papa Doc...he was, in addition to a medical doctor, a keen enthnologist specializing in Haitian culture.  Before Duvalier became President, Voudon groups were broken up, their ceremonies banned and their instruments burned.  Once Papa Doc became leader though, he invited hundreds of Houngans to the Presidential palace, and gave many government positions and titles.  It was widely believed by Haitians that Duvalier's Tonton Macoutes were recruited from the Bizango secret society, a Voudon cult that relied on both mundane and occult methods of murder, and were responsible for discovering the method of creating zombies.  Duvalier himself cultivated the idea that he was the earthly representation of Baron Samedi.  He also believed that his Voudon workings were responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy, even going so far as to point out the date on which Kennedy died was the 22nd, 22 being a number of some importance to Duvalier and Voudon practitioners, to the point that Duvalier himself had it on his limosuine licence plate.

[Lord Quantum]

I hereby nominate Pat Robertson for Discordian Sainthood. He's obviously earned it. Anyone who can convince people that he's being dead ass serious when he attributes the movements of the Earth's plates to a centuries old "deal with the Devil" is deserving of our utmost respect. We should at least name a medal after him or something. Perhaps the "The Pat Robertson Failed Prophecy" award or the "Pat Robertson widely ridiculous statement by a public figure" award.

[MMIX]

OK, here we go.

On the 14th of August 1791, in Bois Caiman in Haiti, the Voudon god of war, Ogun, was invoked by Dutty Boukman, a Jamaican follower of the religion to initiate war against the colonial French.  A pig was sacrificed, and slave-leaders from plantations all over northern Haiti swore alleigance to him.

One week later, over 1800 plantations had been destroyed and 1000 slaveholders killed, so it was pretty successful.

As for Papa Doc...he was, in addition to a medical doctor, a keen enthnologist specializing in Haitian culture.  Before Duvalier became President, Voudon groups were broken up, their ceremonies banned and their instruments burned.  Once Papa Doc became leader though, he invited hundreds of Houngans to the Presidential palace, and gave many government positions and titles.  It was widely believed by Haitians that Duvalier's Tonton Macoutes were recruited from the Bizango secret society, a Voudon cult that relied on both mundane and occult methods of murder, and were responsible for discovering the method of creating zombies.  Duvalier himself cultivated the idea that he was the earthly representation of Baron Samedi.  He also believed that his Voudon workings were responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy, even going so far as to point out the date on which Kennedy died was the 22nd, 22 being a number of some importance to Duvalier and Voudon practitioners, to the point that Duvalier himself had it on his limosuine licence plate.

Fascinating post Cain. You would think that as an MD Papa Doc would have realised that correlation does not imply causation. I surely would not have wanted to be one of his patients . . .