HOLY CRAP! Pat Robertson repudiates Young Earth Creationism!


I really shouldn’t be surprised; Pat Robertson is kind of a dinosaur himself, and this literalist creationism pushed by Answers in Genesis is actually a relatively new development, but Robertson did come out and plainly reject the notion that the earth is only 6000 years old, or that dinosaurs and humans lived together. That’s sort of good news, but it’s really just old school creationism of the type that was common at the time of the Scopes trial and up through the 1950s.

But still…it’s always helpful to see the religious right splitting this way. You just know that Ken Ham is spitting blood in fury at this horrible liberal Christian who is denigrating the holy word of god! For the Hamites, the young earth is a bloody battle flag emblematic of their whole struggle for a Christianist nation, and to see Robertson under the banner of “Millions of Years” must be irritating.

(via The Friendly Atheist.)

Comments

  1. says

    It would be interesting to know how common Old Earth Creationism is these days. I seem to remember that Jimmy Swaggart for example believes in an old Earth.

  2. Aratina Cage says

    It would be awesome to see a Ham vs. Robertson kook fight. Robertson just laid waste to the entire premise behind Ham’s “museum” and implied that Ham is a fraud and a fool. I don’t know how much of a following Robertson has, but isn’t it possible he cut into Ham’s profits with that statement? Ham must be really mad.

  3. says

    I suppose it was buried in the shocking revelation that Pat has noticed the fossil record, but what I mostly got out of it was that some poor woman is being kept awake at night by the thought that she’ll be spending eternity in “heaven” being forced to watch her husband and children suffer in hell.

    My response to her would be “You have higher moral standards than the god you worship, so maybe you should rethink your worldview.”

  4. chrislawson says

    Or is it just a case of “pitching tent with the crazies hasn’t worked out so well for the Republican party, so now I’ll move a little closer to the reality-based community…just a little bit, mind you…
    “?

  5. says

    I really shouldn’t be surprised; Pat Robertson is kind of a dinosaur himself, and this literalist creationism pushed by Answers in Genesis is actually a relatively new development

    But that doesn’t explain his views on the legalization of marijuana. Could he be slowly lurching to the left?

  6. A. R says

    It’s important to remember that even if Pat Robertson was lurching to the left, he would have a bit of a way to go to hit even moderate conservatism.

  7. leftwingfox says

    chrislawson: Yeah, no. The dude’s always been a twisted troll.

    I think it’s likely that he was raised on Old Earth Creationism, and wants to reassert his inerrant view of the bible over the more recent inerrant view of the bible he disagrees with.

  8. okstop says

    Hey, instead of “Hamites,” can we call them “Hammies?” Please say we can call them “Hammies.” It’s so much fun.

  9. scott says

    That’s one thing I just don’t get about YECs. Their choices come down to:
    * I, a fallible mortal, am misinterpreting my holy book. I need to study and pray more for understanding.
    * Every scientist for the last century has been either taken in by obvious fraud or consciously involved in a Satanic conspiracy. The few brave scientists who know the truth are suppressed by this conspiracy.

    And somehow they pick #2 every time. I suppose the rank and file just don’t know enough to make the choice fairly, but their leaders do, or at least *their* leaders.

  10. says

    Of course if you start caring about what the evidence implies, you’re just a hair’s-breadth from outright apostasy, like accepting evolution.

    Ham basically has it right, deny “historical science” whenever it doesn’t suit you, and don’t give an inch to evidence if it’s against your holy prejudices.

    Don’t go praying to God if a hurricane is bearing down on you, Pat. Give in to Satan with his evidence even once, and you have no calling upon God.

    Glen Davidson

  11. says

    * I, a fallible mortal, am misinterpreting my holy book. I need to study and pray more for understanding.
    * Every scientist for the last century has been either taken in by obvious fraud or consciously involved in a Satanic conspiracy. The few brave scientists who know the truth are suppressed by this conspiracy.

    It’s pretty simple really. The second alternative is a cool-ass movie, and the first is painful. We humans are pattern-seeking creatures, and a world where there’s a deity who writes infallible holy books and all problems will be solved once you slay Lord Voldemort just makes sense!

  12. fredericksparks says

    The mother who wrote the letter should be happy she has critically thinking children. Alas….

  13. Sven says

    Pat Robertson is now officially more reasonable than my grandfather. I don’t even know how to react.

  14. says

    I had no idea “refudiate” had crawled under my brain to jump out in my stream of consciousness when I read “repudiate”, but it appears to happen every time.

    Does anybody have some wire wool and a brain brush? Having that word in my head is making me dumberer.

  15. says

    Weirdly, I’m seeing an ad for Liberty University with this post . . .

    Anyhow, Robertson is demented. He doesn’t remember what he believes from one day to the next. He’ll have another little chat with God and change his tune.

  16. anathema says

    Do you think that the people at AIG are going to start demanding a debate with Pat Robertson the same way that they demanded a debate with Bill Nye? Because I have to say, a debate between Ken Ham and Pat Robertson would be hilarious.

  17. jeevesmkii says

    This is the same Pat Robertson who allowed Ray Comfort on his show to promote his terrible book, and who laughed along with his parody of actual science. If he isn’t actually a YEC, he’s certainly too spineless to challenge the creationists he allows on his show.

  18. F [disappearing] says

    ChristineRose

    the shocking revelation that Pat has noticed the fossil record

    I’m sure he spends a more than average amount of time at a mirror.

  19. Gregory Greenwood says

    Careful, Pat – getting that close to a halfway rational position will make you come out in a rash…

    Still, I don’t doubt that he will innoculate himself with planty of xian BS and will be all better soon, none the worse for wear for his brush with reality.

  20. reynoldhall says

    I agree with commentator number twenty: If Pat is not an actual young-earther then he’s spineless. Or maybe it is possible that he’s changed his views since he had Comfort on? Maybe Comfort should go on again and talk about this pronouncement with Pat

    Anyway, as predicted, Ham is not pleased.

  21. canabob says

    scott @ 13 – You clearly don’t understand the power that Satan has over Christians – the more fundamentalist, the more power. These guys believe that world is coming down to “one honest man” – and when he is corrupted, Armageddon happens.
    What’s a few thousand – or a few hundred thousand – scientists compared to that? Billions are already in Satan’s grip!
    The end is near!
    The end is near!

  22. grumpyoldfart says

    Donations must have been down last month. He’s trying to rope in some new suckers with new money.

    I have to laugh at the way his co-host (all of them, not just this one) fails to help him through his ever more frequent mind blanks. They just sit their and watch him stumble.

  23. Sarcosapien says

    The number of living dinosaur species outnumber mammal species ~2:1; we call them “birds”.

  24. Tyrant al-Kalām says

    is a bloody battle flag emblematic of their whole struggle for a Christianist nation

    It’s emblematic of their whole struggle against reality…

  25. NotASaint says

    “revealed science”? I haven’t heard that one. Just another way of saying “we can’t argue this any more, so let’s claim it”, I guess.

  26. cunninglinguist says

    Speaking of Ham, y’all can imagine my horror when I logged on to facebook recently and saw a picture of my sister’s kids with him at their baptist church. There was some comment about being excited to hear the TRUTH about the dinosaurs. Ohhhh boy.

  27. Ichthyic says

    I find it really disconcerting to agree with anything Robertson says.

    easy fix:

    consider instead as Robertson agreeing with you.