"I see the rise of Islam to destroy Israel and take the land from the Jews and give East Jerusalem to [Palestinian Authority Chairman] Yasser Arafat. I see that as Satan's plan to prevent the return of Jesus Christ the Lord," said [Pat] Robertson, a Christian broadcaster.

Pat Robertson and the Evangelicals he speaks for are insane. We can all thank Protestantism for allowing Christianity to become a straw man and caricature of itself; that's what happens when exegetes float in a vacuum, free of all tradition.

Even if Jerusalem were to disappear tomorrow, I somehow doubt that that's going to prevent the Second Coming. It just seems goofy for Robertson to suggest that Satan could have that much power over God (that he could prevent Judgment Day by handing Jerusalem over to the Muslims). Such comments just go to show the quality of this man's thinking. It's sad that so many people listen to him.

Apocalyptic Evangelicals spout a dangerous theology. It's bizarre to push for the End of the World (since even great saints have written that it will be a difficult time, one that they'd rather not see; I'll trust Saint Basil the Great--who expressed great fear over the Parousia, though I can't find the quote online--over Pat Robertson any day of the week). It's prideful to assume that you'll be one of the "elect." Plus, Protestant exegesis about Judgment Day is just way off (think the Left Behind series). It's yet another aspect of Protestant misdirection, a misguided asumption that one's spiritual life has all but come to fruition simply by accepting Christ, when in fact that's just the first step of a long and painful road. Finally, it displays a great contempt of God's grand creation to want to be rid of it.

So, in case you missed it, I disdain Pat Robertson's theology and resent the fact that he leads so many to such lies.