Pat Robertson recently had heart surgery. It was successful, and in a statement Pat said:
Only the prayers of thousands of believing people kept me on this earth.
Way to give credit where credit is due, Pat! Most people give their doctors some of the credit, and others give it all to God. But Pat gives the credit to Christians praying.
If I were his doctor, I’d be insulted.
Later in life, when he dies, will it then the fault of not enough people praying? Would he live forever if he could have his followers petition the Almighty often enough?
Of course not. He survived because his doctor did a good job and didn’t screw up. He can’t know whether prayer helped or hindered — but he can know that his doctor & his team was the main reason the surgery succeeded.
Jabster: “I see a lot of things science has produced for our benefit. Religion hasn’t given us anything to compare.”... 
Brian: the first time I see a monk levitate up to the moon I’ll start giving religion a little more respect. Theologians... 
52 Comments
What about all the people praying that he wouldn’t survive the operation?
Ha, damn, I forgot about all of those!
It’s all to keep the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ rollin’ in.
There’s saying “thank god I survived” and then there’s “No, literally, thank God I survived.” One of these is 1000X more douchebaggy than the other.
So, if I were his doctor, I would give him the option of waiving my fee–if he could prove it was god’s doing and not mine. I’m sure his faith would survive intact, but watching him dance would be hilarious.
Daniel,
Where did you find that picture? It’s brilliant!
The internets have everything!
possible caption:
“Oh yeah? Well here’s what I think of atheists!”
Snap!
It’s odd. The patients who refuse medical treatment and opt for faith healing alone don’t seem to make it out quite as well.
In addition, why did Robertson require painful surgery? If we still haven’t improved upon Jesus and His apostles method of simply touching or being touched by a person and instantly healing them, then why did God take a step backwards in how he doles out miracles?
God works in mysterious ways, don’cha know.
Why did he get the surgery, then? He should rely only on the prayers.
If he were so confident that it was all of the prayers that saved him why even see a doctor?
I’m confused
wouldn’t he need a heart to have one operated on?
Yessssssssss! (perfect, my thought too).
Pat Robertson deserves as much scorn as we can heap on him… but let’s keep it it to legitimate scorn.
He did praise the medical staff in the same statement. Read the whole thing.
http://www.cbn.com/about/pressrelease_patrobertson_heartsurgery.aspx
“Only the prayers of thousands of believing people kept me on this earth. As it is, I anticipate many more years of creative service in the ministry I founded (CBN), as well as Regent University and other endeavors devoted to the service of mankind. I cannot praise enough the dedication and professionalism of Dr. Andy Kiser and his staff who removed this growth from my continuously beating heart.”
So was it only the prayer of thousands that kept him on this earth, or not? He can’t have it both ways.
Exactly. What a douche bag. Seriously. In a double blind study in which heart surgeries were performed with or without prayer, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that anyone’s prayers would make a hill o’ beans of difference in whether or not their surgery was a success. It would ALL depend on the skills of the surgeon and other material factors (like the condition of their heart).
Lucky for them that scientists and doctors decided on a scientific approach to treating peoples’ illnesses. Or else he’d be screwed.
Not for nothing but in his mind, there probably is no contradiction. If God created everything, undoubtedly that includes the surgeon and his skills, and the prayers of the many may have had any number of functions once God heard them (guiding him to the physician that would save him, guiding the hands of the physician himself, preventing surgical complications, etc.).
Yes, there is. Because 2000 years ago, when there was no heart surgery, people prayed and then they died. This surgery is not from biblegod, it’s from human knowledge. The same “worldy wisdom” that is ridiculed in the NT.
That’s true, but he meant in this particular dude’s mind, the contradiction doesn’t exist.
It’s illogical, but so it is in some believers’ minds.
True dat!
The point of your post looks to have been aimed at deriding him for praising people for praying for him (and attributing his not-dieing to those prayers) while ignoring the medical staff — when the full context of his quote shows that he did thank the medical staff. Yes, he should kiss the ground that said medical staff walks on, but IMO, you should have pointed out plainly in your post that he did indeed thank them.
Obviously Pat Robertson is morally/ethically/intellectually bankrupt, but we shouldn’t unnecessarily stretch our criticisms when this tree produces sooooo much fruit to pick from.
Yeah, I saw that PR too. To me it seems a half-assed “oh, crap, this is going to look bad if Mr. Roberson doesn’t mention the doctors, here Mr. Roberson, say this!” coming from his PR lackies.
My full thoughts are here (shameless plug :) http://mewyn.blogspot.com/2009/08/pat-robertson-is-recovering-from-heart.html
Pick, pick, pick.
However the picture is funny.
You come to a site called unreasonable faith and then complain when we make fun of faith?
Victim, hes playing it for Pat.
Sorry about the misspelling, TY.
Oh, lighten up, Tye. Beside, you know I can’t take on all you mental giants.
I’m as light as it gets, and a mental midget besides, but the complaints from theists that Daniel’s posts are not sufficiently respectful of faith always make me laugh.
I am praying for him to get brain tumor.
i was praying for him to die!
Anyone saying that they were praying for Robertson to die needs to seriously consider their words. Atheists are not in a position to take positions lightly. If we’re to be taken seriously, flippant remarks like that become the ammunition for theists to demonize us.
Not the least of which, it’s a disgusting thing to say about another human being.
Anyone taking seriously the words of an Atheist “praying” for Robertson to die, needs to consider what they heard and then purchase a clue if they still don’t get the joke.
As if we should worry about what some silly theist will use to demonize us with next.
The least of which, Robertson is a disgusting human being.
My boss, my wife, and all my close friends are atheists/agnostics.
I kinda don’t give a rat’s ass if theists demonize me.
Here’s to selfishness.
Mainly what I’m referring to is the fact that atheists are the least trusted group in America. Maybe neither of you are concerned with making some kind of progress in that regard, but that doesn’t mean you can throw common courtesy to the wind.
Yeah, Pat Robertson is a vile person. There’s no argument there. But honestly, the best way to shut people like that up is to be demonstratably better people than they are, publicly and personally. Sure, it’s not hard to actually be a better person than Pat Robertson, but there is something to be said for appearances and posturing.
Personally, I’d like to live in a country where people don’t feel ostracized for being atheist, but that sort of progress has to be measured in baby steps.
I hate to say it, but there’s some scripture that says what you’re saying. Okay, I didn’t hate saying it.
Seriously, as someone who comes down on the opposite side of religion from you, I agree that atheists should not be ostracized, or treated as an enemy.
Ah, come on, Clergy Guy.
“there’s some scripture that says what you’re saying”
You’d have a tough time finding any idea that I can’t find a scripture to support with some creative interpretation. The bible is a gigantic collection of often random ramblings, mythology, and distorted history. Find me something that isn’t in there, somewhere.
Saying, “there’s some scripture that says what you’re saying” is like saying, “There are some electrons in that material.” It’s both easy and essentially meaningless.
Find me something that isn’t in there, somewhere.
Microwaves. Penicillin. The Internet. My Cats. Democracy. Paperclips. Post-it Notes. Postage Stamps. TV. America. English. Kung Fu. Batteries. Pizza. Toilet Paper. Toothpaste. Elevators. Books (as in, the codex form; ironic). The Printing Press. Emoticons. Penguins. Potatoes. Soybeans. Maple Syrup (a true tragedy). Vodka. Anyone named Alice or Bob (or Charley)….
You have proven that physical objects from the future are the exception.
Time Traveling Penguins For The WIN!!!
Time Traveling Penguins For The WIN!!!
LOL.
You have proven that physical objects from the future are the exception.
Democracy, penguins, potatoes, soybeans, and the New World all presumably existed before the Bible was written.
But you never know… :)
LOL. I’ve truly been enriched by the above subject matter. Can’t wait to take this info to my next Sunday school class.
People have used the bible to ‘prove’ that the founding of America was god’s plan. The Mormons say that the ‘new sheep’ were the native American’s Jesus went and preached to.
Potatoes and soybeans are both ‘clean’ foods to Jewish scholars, so somehow their reading of the bible managed to clear those foods.
I’m telling you, it’s tough to find something that someone somewhere isn’t claiming was talked about in the bible.
People have used the bible to ‘prove’ that the founding of America was god’s plan. The Mormons say that the ‘new sheep’ were the native American’s Jesus went and preached to.
They had to write a whole new book to make that make any sense, so I don’t think that counts.
Potatoes and soybeans are both ‘clean’ foods to Jewish scholars, so somehow their reading of the bible managed to clear those foods.
If you have clear enough sorting criteria, they will function even on unanticipated items. Doesn’t mean the items themselves are present in the articulation of the sorting criteria.
I’m telling you, it’s tough to find something that someone somewhere isn’t claiming was talked about in the bible.
That’s certainly true. People claim *lots* of wild stuff.
“They had to write a whole new book to make that make any sense, so I don’t think that counts.”
Oh, ‘making sense’ is a criteria?
Then you just wiped out 95% of what the bible says in one stroke. Seems kind of a harsh rule for this sort of challenge.
There’s also some scripture in there that supports burning me with purifying flame, ostracizing me and treating me like an enemy.
But you’d hate to say that too.
Okay, okay.
I like how he didn’t leave it up to prayer alone, and didn’t refuse to see a doctor. Nice faith there, Robertson.
All anyone needs to know about faith can be summed up in one statement:
The Popemobile has bulletproof glass.
“Only the prayers of thousands of believing people kept me on this earth”
What’s with the number? May god perform a miracle depending on the number of prays he receive?
- Sorry Lord, but you have to work today, prayers for Pat reached right now one thousand
or maybe….
- Mmm, not enough people praying, I can let those die
Does one thousand prayers change all-knowing god mind?
- I was planning for him to die, but maybe he deserves to survive, as they are one thousand people praying for him.
Are more prayers needed if the miracle to perform is “toughter”?
Maybe someone could write a paper answering those questions…
Former assistant dean at Pat Robertson’s Regent Univ and his wife plead guilty to child sex abuse:
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/12788/
Why don’t those religious people are afraid to do the test.
Just put him in a room, without doctors and medicine and put I a bunch of people that starts praying until he gets cured. Is it so hard to do that test?