In a word, yes.
Listen, I'm not going to go into whether his take on history is right or if his understanding of Haitian religiosity is correct in every respect. What I would like to address is whether or not evil exists and if it does how does it effect us. Is it possible that a "deal" with the Devil could cause an earthquake?
I believe it could and here is why. If we accept the idea as postulated in the Second Law of Thermodynamics that all processes deteriorate without the input of additional energy then it stands to reason that all material bodies and processes, left to their own devices, will fail. Something has to hold them together and supply the energy needed to keep them functioning.
If the source of energy necessary to replenish the system is withdrawn what happens? The system decays. If you have a cell phone and the battery is not recharged it will cease to function. The same is true of all battery operated devices. If you don't maintain your home it will eventually collapse and return to the dirt. Even humans, at the physical level, wither away with time. We can use diet, medicine and exercise to extend the process but in the end we can't supply the energy of life. It exists outside of us and is unavailable to us.
We can and do fall apart physically; this is measurable and demonstrable. But, what about spiritually?
I suppose one could argue that there is no spiritual world; that all that exists is material and measurable. To that I would ask, "Can one quantify love, hate, jealousy or pleasure?". Of course we can't yet most would agree they exist.
So, if we accept the existence of a spiritual reality, do the laws that apply to the physical world apply to it, too? I would argue yes, some do. I would also argue further that it can be proven. Perhaps not through the measurements applied to physical science but through observation and experience.
If our existence as a physical and spiritual being requires external power to slow or stop our decay, what is that power. To many people of faith the answer is God. We believe that a power exists outside of time and space that created everything and is the source of all power needed to maintain the physical world. Remove this life sustaining power and the inevitable disintegration of the system begins. That is an undeniable physical law (which we believe God created, too).
At the spiritual level the same rules apply. However, here we have a little more say in the game. Through free will (another gift from God), we can choose to reject or accept good. (I know, good and evil don't exist. They do and it is provable; I just don't feel like getting sidetracked. So, for the sake of argument, just go with it.) God is good and God is the power that holds everything together. When you choose to reject good, you have rejected God and thus along with Him you have rejected the power that you need to maintain a proper system.
As an example:
We have all engaged in sinful activity (all of you that believe in absolutely no absolutes like good, evil and sin, just sit down and shut up). We know from personal experience that as we continue to participate in evil and reject good that the evil becomes easier. We know that over time, one evil leads to another. We know that given enough time we will sink into a morass of moral depravity; the system will collapse.
Unless, of course, we allow energy into the system by choosing good. It is evident to anyone that has changed and turned from sin that life gets better. We can look at people we know personally or publicly that have repented and chosen good and have seen their lives restored to balance and happiness. We have all observed the physical law in action at the spiritual level.
The question raised by Pat Robertson is whether a society can suffer a moral collapse of the system and then could this collapse cause an earthquake? I think the answer is yes.
If we accept that the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies at a physical as well as spiritual level then it is logical that a society that chooses through their actions to reject good would eventually see the disintegration of their society. If we accept the premise of both spiritual and physical ramifications to a rejection of system sustaining power then why wouldn't a withdrawal of that power affect the land the people live on. Isn't an earthquake, by its very activity, a complete destruction of a system , casting it into complete collapse? Isn't part of the system required to maintain human life the environment? Why wouldn't the destruction of that environment be part of the collapse chosen by the people through their rejection of God?
This is what Robertson is saying. The people of Haiti chose the path that has resulted in the collapse of their system. They rejected God for Satan through the use of voodoo and other pagan forms of worship.
The media and its pundits are calling Robertson a madman. Don Imus went so far this morning as to say that he needed to be strung up. Wow. It seems to me that Robertson has followed a logical train of thought based on what he believes. You don't have to believe what he believes but to call him mad for using logic is in itself crazy. His comments would have been understood for what they meant maybe as few as 50 years ago. We have chosen to not understand and have forced that choice on subsequent generations through incomplete education. We have chosen evil.
And if Robertson is right, and I believe he is, what is in store for America? We have chosen pagan gods over the one true God and have added in the sacrifice of millions of children through abortion. An earthquake will be just the beginning.
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