Chasing Evil: Pat Robertson Again Makes a Fool of Himself

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Pat Robertson Again Makes a Fool of Himself

Robertson shows himself as a horse's rear end - again.

With thanks to http://www.islamophobia.com

Pat Robertson: Islam is not a religion
On the June 12 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, following a report on Muslims in Minneapolis seeking religious accommodations at school and work, host Pat Robertson stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have to recognize that Islam is not a religion. It is a worldwide political movement meant [sic] on domination of the world. And it is meant to subjugate all people under Islamic law."

He characterized the American Muslim community as "Islam light" and went on to say Muslims "want to take over and we want to impose Sharia on you. And before long, ladies are going to be dressed in burqas and whatever garments they would put on them, and next thing you know, men are going to be allowed to have wife-beating and you'll be beheading adulterers and so on and so forth."

Aside from Robertson's usual insane rant in the second paragraph, and his continuing need for grammar lessons, let's look at his basic premise in the first paragraph, that "Islam is not a religion."

Let's look at some definitions of the word "religion":

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source
re·li·gion (rĭ-lĭj'ən) Pronunciation Key n.
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

The life or condition of a person in a religious order.

A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

WordNet - Cite This Source
religion
noun
1. a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"

2. an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
re·li·gion /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-lij-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.

5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

Now let's see what the same sources have to say about "Islam":

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source
Is·lam (ĭs-läm', ĭz-, ĭs'läm', ĭz'-) Pronunciation Key n.
A monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of submission to God and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God.

The people or nations that practice Islam; the Muslim world.

The civilization developed by the Muslim world. [Arabic 'islām, submission, from 'aslama, to surrender, resign oneself, from Syriac 'ašlem, to make peace, surrender, derived stem of šlem, to be complete; see šlm in Semitic roots.]

WordNet - Cite This Source
islam
noun

1. the civilization of Muslims collectively which is governed by the Muslim religion; "Islam is predominant in northern Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and Indonesia"

2. the monotheistic religious system of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the Koran; "Islam is a complete way of life, not a Sunday religion"; "the term Muhammadanism is offensive to Muslims who believe that Allah, not Muhammad, founded their religion"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
Is·lam /ɪsˈlɑm, ɪz-, ˈɪsləm, ˈɪz-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[is-lahm, iz-, is-luhm, iz-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun

1. the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words and religious system founded by the prophet Muhammad and taught by the Koran, the basic principle of which is absolute submission to a unique and personal god, Allah.

2. the whole body of Muslim believers, their civilization, and the countries in which theirs is the dominant religion.

(and just for the heck of it, we'll throw in one more definition)

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source Islam
A religion, founded by Muhammad, whose members worship the one God of Jews and Christians (God is called Allah in Arabic) and follow the teachings of the Koran. Islam means “submission to the will of God”; adherents of Islam are called Muslims. The fundamental belief of Islam is “There is only one God, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, to fast in the daytime during the holy month of Ramadan, to abstain from pork and alcohol, and to make gifts to the poor. All of them are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Muhammad's birthplace, at least once in their lives.

You choose the conclusion here:

Once again Robertson shows:

1) He doesn't have a clue as to what he is talking about,

2) He has lost touch with this world and is off in some other universe (maybe Joni Ferris provided the ride),

3) He is tightly focused on hate speech,

4) He never lets facts get in the way of a rant,

5) He has forgotten the Great Commandment,

6) All of the above