We all know Pat Robertson can be completely off his beam, but today on his program The 700 Club, he ventured into the realm of downright cruelty. An elderly woman, clearly on a very tight fixed income, wrote in for advice on what to do about her money woes. His response is absolutely brutal.
Terry Meeuwsen: My husband and I are in our 80s and have been tithing for many years. We both love the Lord and give willingly and our tithe is over 10 percent. I praise Him and thank Him for our blessings. I declare that this is our time of prosperity, but we never have an extra penny after our bills are paid.
Our old car just broke down and we had to borrow money to fix it. We both need dental work, but we can’t afford it. I constantly have to use our credit card to pay for medical needs. I speak the verse about "give and it will be given to you." We have no unforgiveness in our lives. What could we be doing wrong? - Audrey
Pat Robertson: Ask God to show you some ways of making money. There are many ways of making money, even at 80 years old. You know, you can get on the telephone, people are hiring. There are all kinds of things you can do. For example, you may have a bunch of junk lying around in your garage that you can sell on eBay, and get some money that way.
There are many, many ways of making money. And you’re looking at the downside of all the bills you’ve got instead of saying, ‘God, I’ve been faithful to you. Now, I claim my blessing, and I ask you to open the windows of heaven and pour me out a blessing. Show me what you’re going to do, show me how I can move into blessing.’ So, just ask him. He'll give you some concepts. Your mind will open up.
You read/heard that right. Anyone with a head with which to think would have immediately told this woman that tithing at this point in this aged couple's life has come to a necessary end. In fact, a reasonable person holding a responsible position at a church might even ask if there is anything the church might be able to do to help. Perhaps dipping into the tithing basket to provide comfort to a fellow congregant in dire straits would please the Lord.
But no, this money grubbing scammer has been on the take for so long, it obviously didn't even cross his mind that a religious institution might look into its heart instead of someone else's wallet. Wouldn't the very philosophy of Christianity dictate that the least fortunate among the flock should not be put in a position to sacrifice medical attention or to keep the lights on for the sake of a tithe basket?
I'm sure Pat didn't give it another thought as his driver drove him home to the manse.