Do I need an exorcism now? He’s talking about Halloween, and he starts out by saying “we don’t believe in ‘haunted’, we don’t believe in ‘ghosts'”…sounding just like an atheist!
Too bad his next words were to declare that Halloween was Santa’s night. Oh, wait…or Satan’s night? I get the two confused.
Halloween is the night when Satan buries transitional fossils and puts homologous genes into primate genomes.
Gotta do it sometime, might as well do it on schedule.
Glen Davidson
An irony I’ve pointed out a fair bit: Fundamentalist Christians do more to promote witchcraft than atheists do. We generally don’t believe witchcraft exists. Fundamentalist Christians typically have an unwieldy theological construct that demands they believe in witchcraft and to spread the idea that witchcraft exists.
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Of course, this witch hunting hysteria is currently responsible for a lot of children in Africa suffering and dying because they were accused of witchcraft, a crime that does not exist in the real world.
It’s alright Ma, it’s only witchcraft.
I like the ‘unsaved community’ dig. Never heard that one before.
Does he include Jesus, Lazarus and depending on the gospel a lot of corpses in Jerusalem when he says the church should have nothing to do with the dead rising?
What Bible has he been reading? Mine has all kinds of crap about ghosts and raising the dead.
And what the hell is “ersatz entertainment?” Is that when somebody fools me into thinking I’ve been entertained?
I only made it 1:18 into the video. Did he make any points about how non-Christians are never happy, they just think they are?
The Holy Trinity includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Many Christians believe in this trinity and thus believe in at least one ghost.
I think when somebody like Pat Robertson says “I don’t believe in witches” he doesn’t mean he believes witches don’t exist. Rather, he means he’s anti-witch. It’s like not believing in Communism: communists are still out there, but he’s against it. It’s probably why he’s so confused about what atheists actually believe.
I like the ‘unsaved community’ dig.
Is that anything like the “undead community”?
I believe in gobling, err, never mind. Wrong word. As you were.
The Holy Trinity includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
They swapped the third person for the Holy Allah about 1400 years ago.
Patty:
“We don’t believe in ghosts”
Did Pat Robertson just deny the existence of the holy ghost? I think he did. Why…that’s blasphemy! Uh oh. Better consult the magic book.
You’re screwed now Pat. The Big Bogie’s never going to forgive you.
I guess Pat knows* that the train left the station long ago on that one…
(*in the emic sense of course)
I tweeted it, thanks for posting! TYT is a funny talk show, and Pat Robertson gets crazier and crazier as he ages.
Wasn’t there some nutbar last year…or was it the year before…who insisted that all Halloween candy had been cursed by witches? As though the candy companies had witches of staff for the purpose or something. This stuff sounds like it’s in the same category.
I’m sure there will be a lot of kids, and their parents, cursing Halloween candy this year, as they do every year, after eating too much of it.
Its OK PZ, its over now.
Na. I think that watching an episode of Mythbusters will be more fun and more effective at getting rid of any lingering woo.
I do find it hilarious that Robertson actually says – with a straight face no less – that October the 31st is ‘Satan’s night’, and then blathers on about witches and goblins as if these things actually exist mere moments after stating a non-belief in ghosts.
Because, you know, believing in goblins and witches is so much more rational than believing in ghosts, obviously…
Er, Pat? You do know it is the twenty first century, right? No educated, sane person believes in such things anymore…
Oh, right. Never mind.
Randomfactor @ 9;
Sadly, no.
Supernatural speed, strength, resiliance and co-ordination. Power over animals and the weather. The ability to compel other people to do my bidding with a mere gaze. Shape-shifting. Immortality.
I am as ‘unsaved’ as they come, and I can’t do any of that stuff!
;-P
Z at #11 is right. When Christians like Robertson say they “don’t believe” in witches or ghosts, they mean they don’t approve of them. There’s no skepticism about their existence and they don’t mean to express that. Unless they do: they hate witches so much they refuse to acknowledge their existence. Sort of like snubbing.
They’re sloppy thinkers. Believing THAT God exists is mixed up in their heads with believing IN God — you trust Him and Love Him and believe Him when He gets inside your heart and becomes a still, small voice booming I EXIST.
They’re confused about a lot of things.
What, not another reason for God to smite us with earthquakes and floods? We got atheism, abortion, homosexual marriage, and now Halloween!
Witch reminds me, these people on 100 Huntley Street and 700 Club, every time I see them I can’t help thinking, “These people must be really lousy in bed.” Nothing to do with Halloween, I just think that.
Well, at least he’s got the mythology right; traditionally, All Hallow’s Eve, the night before All Hallow’s Day, was the last chance for the various nasty spirits before the saints came out for the Christmas season and wrecked their fun.
There’s only a small chance he actually knows this, though; probably, he’s just picking up on ‘witchcraft = eeeevil’ or something.
Did you here about the dyslectic Satan worshiper? He sold his sole to Santa! PZ??
Wait, did I hear Robertson complaining about what holloween sells? Did he really say contemptuously “skeletons and all this, like the dead rising”? The dead rising? Really? You mean like the thing your whole stupid religion is based on?
He’s an idiot.
If I ever have a kid (that’ll be the day) I’m going to name it Satan just to piss Pat Robertson off.
No, name him “Love,” that’ll piss off Pat even more.
AussieMike #22
There’s no such thing. Everyone knows Satan cures all verbal, rhythmic and pitch problems in His followers. That’s why he has so much good music.
Isn’t Devil’s Night the night before Halloween? Anyway, I’m dressing up like Jesus – he was the original zombie.
Martin (#5) and Dennis (#23)
You guys picked up on that too… about the dead rising from the graves. A (Freudian)slip of tongue by ole’ Pat?
( Imagagine: Pat screaming at the production crew after taping, ‘SHIT,…did I really say that? Why the HELL didn’t you guys edit that?!’)
I have long since exorcized Jesus, Zeus, Bhaal, Cthulhlu and the Flying Spaghetti monster from my life. Real life has much more interesting and amusing things in store –Some of which are even Halloween parties. No, I probably won’t be the one in the sexy maid outfit.
As an official member of the Unsaved Community(tm), I want to stress my vehement denial to Pat and the 700 club that we actually need saving, even from goblins and/or witches.
They’re confused about a lot of things.
I think in Pat’s case, he’s just… OLD.
I mean, OLDER THAN DIRT.
wtf hasn’t he retired yet? The dementia is getting obvious.
Oh, Pat’s just angry because Halloween is the ONE pagan holiday (“holy day,” right?) which Xtians have been unable to either co-opt or stamp out.