The 700 Club… A personal account

I sat down the other day and did some research. I subjected myself to an episode of the 700 club to get a feeling for what the religious right was thinking.

I had seen Pat Robertson cajoling with Sean Hannity before, I had seen him on many television news broadcasts, but never his own. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for until I watched.

It was by far the scariest experience I have ever had on television. Let me just describe the format. The 700 Club is primarily a news broadcast with the CBN (Christian Broadcast Network) reporters reporting the news of the day. This time they were discussing Arlen Specter and his recent comments and how Arlen Specter should not be appointed head of the judiciary committee etc. This is when it began. They switch to Pat and he gives his Radical Right Wing talk about how Arlen is literally an impediment to the anti-abortion movement. He proceeded to give the best breakdown of the Nuclear Option that I have seen (and I scoured the net for an easy to read version of what this was). Three bullet points is all Pat needed. I remembered hearing Sean Hannity bring up the nuclear option that night, and, since it was the first time I watched the 700 club, I wasn’t sure which came first Hannity or Robertson with this one.

Either way in three bullet points Pat described the nuclear option and how easy it would be to implement. Then he displays another graphic on the screen with the House and Senate numbers and urged his viewers to call. If they loved God and all that is Holy, they will call their representatives to stop Arlen Specter from chairing the JC and to get the nuclear option up and running.

It was the first of more scary television. All the way through the Robertson commentary, he used God’s name the whole time. Mind you, I have seen other televangelists, they are usually out for themselves, asking for money to heal people and praying and stuff. This was the first time I saw news infused with the Crusade agenda.

Next came a news report that was entirely baseless but started with “In John Kerry’s hometown of Boston Massachusetts, an Extreme Muslim Community has begun construction on a mosque.” This report went on to connect (without really connecting) some of the members of the Muslim group to Wahabiism (an extreme form of Islam, like the kind the hijackers were on 9/11). Went on to say that Tony Blair himself condemned the people building the mosque, cutting to a shot of Tony in the House of Commons saying we will not tolerate terrorist groups. They made up a huge concocted story, of the likes I had never seen before. In short, they played 6 degrees from Tony Blair with these people without proving anything but that there was a mosque being built, and while they denied it, the people building it were islamo-fascist terrorists. By the way, all this is going on in John Kerry’s hometown of Boston.

REDICULOSITY, yes? Or is it Strategery?

Pat came right back on, bashed Muslims, and all religions non-Christian. Saying Jesus is the only way. Etc.

Let the brainwashing continue. So far, we have legislation, and hate towards other religions, specifically the ones we are fighting in the Middle East.

Before he gets to bashing feminism, Pat had a small segment where a woman who watched his show was miraculously cured of cancer. This was a segment complete with a halo lighting effect on the cured (black) person, doctors stating it was a miracle, even I thought it was a miracle.

It seemed so far fetched, then they started to pray. Pat and his sidekick woman (who was wearing a sexy leather short skirt with tassels, real red state looking) start a prayer session where people who are watching are healed by their prayers. The weird part is that they take turns praying. When one is praying, the other is whispering very softly, like subliminal messages. They take turns and by my count, at least 10 people were healed of various diseases, which they didn’t even know they had. Seriously, one of the prayers said that you don’t know you have throat cancer, but you will feel a sharp pain in your neck and it will be gone.

Whew, I was glad my neck didn’t feel funny for once.

Leaving no stone unturned in his crusade show, onto bashing feminism. Pat’s lady sidekick then interviewed Rebecca St. James, a Christian singer. The conversation was based on how hard it is to be a feminist in this world and how much easier it is to just be a woman according to conservative philosophy. Just do whatever men tell you to do and you will be fine. God will help heal all your wounds etc.

Onto the music. Rebecca sings a god song.

Then the last and final stone. The children. Pat’s studio audience is filled with Christian kids who are confused on life. They ask Pat questions about gays, dating, sex, drugs, and politics. I mean these kids probably had the questions given to them but Pat answered each and everyone with nothing short of hatred for all groups who were against Jesus, including gays, liberals, Muslims, and of course exonerated and glorified President Bush.

After sitting through yet another round of Jesus based commercials (that’s right, it’s straight Jesus, even in the ads), I finally understood why people could say:

The country is in God’s hands now.

I urge you all to tune into the 700 club with a strong mind and unwavering spirit. It is an education on Right Wing Morality, and how they can brainwash anyone who is willing to listen. I was almost victimized myself. Be prepared, have a Michael Moore movie on hand to bring you back from the Darkside.


Further reading:
Article in the Guardian (I think the reporter saw the same show I did), if you don't believe anything I say, click the title of the post and check it out.