Just checking in on what Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell said on Sept. 13, 2001, when they accused the ACLU, liberals, feminists, abortion rights supporters, gays and lesbians, and People for the American Way of seizing control of jetliners and crashing them into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
JERRY FALWELL: Well, as the world knows, the tragedy hit on Tuesday morning, and at 2:00 in the afternoon, we gathered 7,000 Liberty University students, faculty, local people together, and we used the verse that I heard you use a moment ago, Chronicles II, 7:14, that God wanted us to humble ourselves and seek his face. And there's not much we can do in the Church but what we're supposed to do, and that is pray. Pray for the President that God will give him wisdom, keep bad advisors from him, bring good ones to him, praying for the families of the victims, praying for America.
… I sensed a brokenness, tears. People were sobbing at the altar. And, they have no shame about it. It was the kind of brokenness that no one could conjure, only God could bring upon us. And, that is to me the most optimistic thing that I see today as I look across America. And every city, I called a friend in Springfield yesterday. He said at least a hundred churches, Springfield, MO, at least a hundred churches have special prayer meetings for America today and tonight. And, that's happening by the thousands all over America. This could be, if we will fast and pray, this could be God's call to revival.
PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I believe it. And I think the people, the Bible says render your hearts and not your garments, and people begin to render their hearts and they weep before the Lord, and they really get serious with God, God will hear and answer. We'll see revival. I am thrilled to hear that about your church because it's happening all over.
Falwell and Robertson were thrilled with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They said that if the deaths of thousands of civilians is what it takes to put asses in pews, then they're all for it. Just two days after Sept. 11, 2001, Falwell and Robertson announced that they were on the same side as the terrorists who had killed more than 3,000 people. Like Osama bin Laden, they don't like liberals and they don't like their fellow Americans and they want Americans to turn to the One True Religion.
There's some disagreement as to what that One True Religion is, but Falwell and Robertson didn't want to make such distinctions while they were metaphorically clasping fists with bin Laden. Dinesh D'Souza is making the same argument as Falwell and Robertson did, at book length.
But our mission today isn't to marvel at the hatred of America that Falwell and Robertson share with bin Laden. It's to ask a simple question: Why didn't God answer all those prayers that Falwell and Robertson talked about?
Why didn't God give President Bush wisdom? Why didn't God keep bad advisers from him? Why didn't God bring good advisers to him? Why didn't God comfort the families of all the victims? Why didn't God prevent America from division?
Falwell and Robertson were chirpily confident that a religious revial would result from the deaths of thousands of Americans. Where's the revival? Do Falwell and Robertson now believe that the terrorist attacks were in vain? Are they disappointed?
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