Haiti legend cited by Pat Robertson a 'fabrication,' scholar says

By Matt Smith, CNN January 15, 2010 --

Pat Robertson has previously linked natural disasters and terrorist attacks to legalized abortion in the United States. STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Televangelist invoked tale saying natives made deal with devil for freedom from France Scholar: Tale is "longstanding trope of anti-Haitian venom" meant to discredit revolt, Vodou Legend stems from belief that slaves could not have pulled off revolt alone, Kate Ramsey says Spokesman denies Robertson said quake was God's wrath, says he is praying for Haiti

(CNN) -- Televangelist Pat Robertson wasn't blaming Haiti's catastrophic earthquake on "God's wrath," but was talking about a "widely discussed" legend that a Satanic pact aided its founding slave revolt, a spokesman said.

But the suggestion that Haiti's historic woes stem from a deal with the devil comes from a 19th-century "fabrication" meant to discredit its slave rebellion and Vodou religion, a Caribbean scholar said Thursday.

"This is a longstanding trope of anti-Haitian venom," Kate Ramsey, a researcher at the University of Miami, told CNN.

Robertson invoked the tale on his syndicated program, "The 700 Club," on Wednesday to suggest the poverty-stricken country's long history of natural disasters and political turmoil stemmed from a deal with the devil made by the leaders of its 1791 revolution against French rule.

"They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story," Robertson said. "And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "

The revolt succeeded, "but ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other," the 79-year-old Christian Coalition founder and onetime Republican presidential candidate said.

The legend of a Haitian deal with the devil dates back to the decades following its independence in 1804, Ramsey said. It began with a Roman Catholic campaign against Vodou, the Afro-Haitian religion widely practiced in Haiti, and spread as anti-slavery movements gained ground in the Caribbean, Europe and America, she said.

"They did become mobilized to discredit what was called the first black republic by outsiders, especially in the context of debates over abolition in the Caribbean and elsewhere," Ramsey told CNN.

European colonists in the Caribbean and the Americas believed that the Haitian slaves "could not have possibly pulled this off themselves" and must have had outside help, Ramsey said. Evangelical Christians have evoked the Haiti legend more recently and elaborated on it, "but it's drawing on a much longer history," she said.

"It's utterly a fabrication, and it's an extremely offensive one," she added.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest country, has faced a string of natural disasters in the past two decades and been wracked by political chaos for much of its history.

In a statement posted on the broadcaster's Web site, Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman Chris Roslan said the "widely-discussed" legend, "combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed."

But, he added, "Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God's wrath."

"If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson's compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster."

Robertson has previously linked natural disasters and terrorist attacks -- including Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people on the Gulf Coast in 2005 -- to legalized abortion in the United States.

Pat Robertson links Haitian earthquake with "pact with the devil"

By Andrew Zajac Washington DC Bureau
WNEP, 7:30 PM EST, January 13, 2010
WASHINGTON -

Conservative televangelist Rev. Pat Robertson on Wednesday blamed the earthquake in Haiti 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 Haiti, 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 Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them."

The Haitian uprising is regarded as one of history's few successful slave revolts.

Robertson, the founder of the Christian Coalition and a 1988 Republican presidential candidate, has a history of making provocative comments, often in the wake of calamity.

He once said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's incapacitating stroke was divine retribution for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.

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 Hugo Chavez.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror 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."

[email protected] 

http://www.wnep.com/news/sns-dc-robertson-haiti,0,2110981.story

 Pat Robertson Haiti Quotes Update

Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 6:24 pm

Pakistan News -

Pat Robertson Haiti quotes have become a hot issue in the whole media world. In fact, Pat Robertson Haiti quotes was so harsh and mocking that everybody has termed them as un-ethical, immoral and devoid of humanitarianism. When everybody in the world is mourning on the distressing earthquake of Haiti where thousands of people have lost their lives and millions of people have lost their homes and became injured and effected in different ways, such remarks by a TV commentator really pinched all and sundry. Such people attract severe criticism from analysts as well as the public at large. Now all are condemning him for his satirical comments on the people of Haiti.

Pat Robertson Haiti quotes – what these quotes actually were. Pat Robertson, in fact, while commenting on the recent Haiti earthquake had said that Haitians had committed an accord with the devil to ouster the French from their country and they succeeded in doing so with the help of the devil, hence this earthquake had taken place, which was a blessing in disguise for them, so that they could redirect themselves to God. These remarks were taken into account by everybody and welcomed a lot of criticism for Pat Robertson.

If we study the whole story of Haitian earthquake, we come to the conclusion that a gigantic and harsh earthquake has turned every thing upside down. The life has been transformed to death. The people world over are praying for the life of those who have been injured. People are sending donations for them very quickly. In such a situation, the Pat Robertson Haiti quotes have been disliked by every one. Such a criticism on his remarks is but natural. Nobody, having a human heart, could pass such remarks in this state of natural wreckage.