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to the National Press | 6/6/05 
Pat
Robertson issued the following news release to which NCC President Rev. Rob Schenck
stated: "Making a public apology is always
a difficult and humbling experience, but Pat Robertson endured the humiliation
and did the right thing. There is a second step, however. I renew my call for
Mr. Robertson to clarify what the Bible and Christianity teaches about the permissibility
of taking human life outside of law. There are voluminous amounts of material
on when and by whom lethal force may be used to remedy human suffering. Mr. Robertson
in his statement cites German pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was killed
by the Nazis for an attempt on Hitler's life, but there is much, much more to
that story. Mr. Robertson owes it to his supporters and all Christians to fully
explore this difficult question. I hope and pray he will do so in the days ahead."
### _________________________________________________________________ PRESS
RELEASE
Pat Robertson Clarifies His Statement Regarding Hugo Chavez By:
Pat Robertson VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., August 24, 2005--I want to
take this opportunity to clarify remarks made on the Monday, August 22nd edition
of The 700 Club where I adlibbed a comment following a very brilliant analysis
by Dale Hurd of the danger that the United States faces from the out-of-control
dictator of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. In this story, Col. Chavez repeatedly claimed
that Americans were “trying to assassinate him.” In my frustration
that the U.S. and the world community are ignoring this threat, I said the following: Thanks,
Dale. If you look back just a few years, there was a popular coup that overthrew
him; and what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing;
and as a result, within about 48 hours, that coup was broken, Chavez was back
in power. But we had a chance to move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy,
and he’s going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and
Muslim extremism all over the continent. I don’t know about this doctrine
of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think
we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting
a war, and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific
danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can’t let this happen.
We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines that we have announced,
and without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge
pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out,
and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need
another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It’s
a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get
it over with. Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize
for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man
who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him. Col. Chavez has found common cause
with terrorists such as the noted assassin Carlos the Jackal, has visited Iran
reportedly to gain access to nuclear technology, and has referred to Saddam Hussein
and Fidel Castro as his comrades. Col. Chavez also intends to fund the violent
overthrow of democratically elected governments throughout South America, beginning
with neighboring Colombia. As I report the news daily from around the world,
I am acutely conscious of the fact that our nation is at war. Not only are there
active wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there is a war of terror being waged
against civilized nations throughout the world. We are in the midst of
a war that is draining vast amounts of our treasure and is costing the blood of
our armed forces. I am a person who believes in peace, but not peace at any price.
However, I said before the war in Iraq began that the wisest course would be to
wage war against Saddam Hussein, not the whole nation of Iraq. When faced with
the threat of a comparable dictator in our own hemisphere, would it not be wiser
to wage war against one person rather than finding ourselves down the road locked
in a bitter struggle with a whole nation? The brilliant Protestant theologian,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived under the hellish conditions of Nazi Germany, is
reported to have said: “If I see a madman driving a car into a group
of innocent bystanders, then I can’t, as a Christian, simply wait for the
catastrophe and then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle
the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.” On the strength
of this reasoning, Bonhoeffer decided to lend his support to those in Germany
who had joined together in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer
was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis, but his example deserves our respect and
consideration today. There are many who disagree with my comments, and I
respect their opinions. There are others who think that stopping a dictator is
the appropriate course of action. In any event, the incredible publicity surrounding
my remarks has focused our government’s attention on a growing problem which
has been largely ignored. |  |
