The Patwa

What is with Pat Robertson lately? Calling for Hugo Chavez’s assassination, condemning New Orleans and Dover, PA, saying that Ariel Sharon’s stroke was a good ol’ smiting, hawking a weight loss shake…seems like he’s trying way too hard to be in the center of attention right now. Is he afraid that the Good Word (TM) is no longer working, and he sees being Shock Jock for Jesus as his only way of communicating with the flock? Is he just clamoring for ratings? Is he batshit insane? Good questions all.

I think he’s just a tired old man who has hated so many for so long that he no longer knows who’s on his side and who isn’t. I think he’s so full of vitriol and anger that he’s spewing it at everyone he can. I think he feels betrayed by mainstream Christians and the political leaders of the far Right, who have abandoned their faith-based initiatives in order to save themselves from political scandal and unelectability.

Mostly, though, I think he’s getting to the end of his life, and he’s afraid of what comes next. He has spent his whole life believing that he would not die, but would ascend bodily into Heaven during the Rapture. He’s getting old, and Jesus ain’t back yet, and he’s getting more than a little anxious. This man has never before had to seriously confront his own mortality, because his skewed faith has told him otherwise. He’s lashing out because he’s backed into a corner, and you just know the doubts are piling up. “Maybe he’s not coming yet.” “Maybe I’m not pure enough.” “Maybe I shouldn’t use a religious program to sell weight loss products.”

It’s angering, sure. But moreover, it’s pathetic. Next time he says something outrageous, just look into those squinty eyes and remember the small, trembling fear that lies behind them, and let the anger give way to utter pity.