Televangelist Pat Robertson has come up with some goofy ideas in his time. He once thought God wanted the United States to assassinate Hugo Chavez.

Aside from the fact that Robertson claims to be a Christian and not an orthodox Jew, meaning that the law would permit execution by mobs with stones as opposed to the forgiveness and mercy preached by Jesus of Nazareth, theres a bigger issue here.

Robertson announced that “we cannot let this stand” and in so doing actually incited rebellion by Christians against the laws and government of the United States. He also came dangerously close to pleading to Satan for him to cease making people believe that Joe Biden won.

Technically this is a misuse of the tenets and intent of Christianity. It, like so much of what he says in the name of God, is heresy.

That’s scary. Heretics, as judged by inquisition in the past, were often executed. Usually in public and by extreme methods. Those who were spared were often forced to undergo torture to determine if they were witches or possessed by demons as well as spreading ideas and views not condoned by the church. At first the Roman Catholic Church but even, and especially after the reformation, it kept happening. Protestants are not guiltless in evil practices now or through their history.

Only today, for the most part, it is not the Roman Catholic Church engaging in heresy, but ultra conservative Christians from the protestant churches. Pope Francis is often referred to as a heretic for being too progressive. That is nonsense; he merely recognizes that all people have the right to seek God and pray in His house. He raised eyebrows when he told a boy that his father was surely in Heaven. The boy grieved for his papa, who was an atheist but had his four children baptized. Watch this extraordinary video and you can see Christ working through Francis. Because surely this is what Jesus would do:

Francis has never liked the actions or the words of President Trump. He knows that Trump is no Christian. I wonder what he’d say about Pat Robertson.

Calling out on television for Democrats to be executed by firing squad was one recent example of one televangelist going far outside the laws set forth by Jesus in his New Covenant. From the days before Constantine, Christians have shed blood and rebelled with murderous results, always against the teachings of Christ, in whose name they killed.

Today, there is genuine reason for concern. In the latter books of the Bible, whether Protestant or Catholic canon, there are many warnings about “apostasy” in the prophecy of the last days. It is even mentioned in Daniel.

Apostasy is, simply put, false teaching. In other words heresy in word and put into practice. And it is everywhere, never more so than the protestant right, the Evangelical churches and in televangelists. I have said before and repeat it here: no one can support Donald Trump and be a Christian. The two are grossly at odds with each other. Donald Trump cares nothing for God, and he panders to evangelicals for their support. Money. Votes. Otherwise he has no use, only contempt, for them.

The proof is glaring: three thousand children were kidnapped by the United States, children of immigrants. Most are lost forever as the bureaucracy failed to monitor and document their dispersal to facilities in various states, including at least one operated by Betsy DeVos. Conflict of interest? Nope. She did whatever Trump wanted her to do.

Then there was the travesty of his foreign policy. A disastrous mess wherein allies were denigrated and enemies put upon pedestals. The Russia scandal was, and remains, all too real. Vladimir Putin had long before compromised Trump through financial debt and illegal dealings as well as a possible sexual scandal. Men were convicted of complicity with Russian operatives and more in the 2016 Trump campaign and more is being revealed as I write this.

The pandemic has offered Trump every chance to make good decisions and to mitigate the impact. He has steadfastly refused all opportunities and instead committed more crimes against humanity, this time directly victimizing the citizens of the country he swore to faithfully serve. The coronavirus continues to spread, but Trump takes credit for a vaccine, a bold lie, just one of many thousands he’s told in the time since he announced his candidacy in 2015. And the results of those lies are tragic: so many shattered lives, so many dead. Children traumatized and forever wounded. Inept, ignorant leaders have gone in and out the revolving doors of the White House. It never ends.

This Christmas season, an important holiday for Christians, is not a happy time. The people who started the year 2020 with jobs and whole families are mourning the deaths of a quarter million kin and friends, they have no food to eat, their friends have abandoned them, and they cannot heat their homes as winter weather moves in. Utilities shut off service, moratoriums on evictions have expired, and anyone proud of what Donald Trump has done is brainwashed or delusional, which should really scare you. There’s no cure for that except the power of the very God so many claim to serve, yet fail to do while inflicting pain and engaging in terrorism through speech and hateful behavior.

The miracle Pat Robertson prays for will not happen. The electoral votes have been officially sealed by Congress and Joe Biden is our president-elect. I find it comforting and hopeful that he and his vice president will repair some of the damage done by Trump and his unholy political allies, but it will take time. They will be dealing with Mitch McConnell, for one thing, a man so devoid of humanity that the words “let them die” have actually come from him. Food stamps, disability benefits, social security and every kind of aid the poor and infirm depend upon to survive have all been targeted by McConnell and others. He’s inhuman yet Pat Robertson and the base Evangelicals back him.

Which doesn’t make sense because Evangelical leaders like Robertson have Christian charity programs, which makes them the super-hypocrites of the modern age.

I contend that these people are not only not true Christians, but that they are frauds who never believed in the divinity of Jesus.

They take photographs and videos of truckloads of bottled water arriving at scenes of recent disasters but Jesus warned, “when you give alms, do not be showy. Do it quietly.” It’s good that they help. But the way they present themselves as good guys in white hats saving the world is a sin, a lie and wrong.

What’s even worse is that some pastors claim the “seed gospel”, a money scam that, once begun, can bilk gullible people out of thousands of dollars. They promise you riches and prosperity but what usually happens is that people get relieved of their savings, and, their faith shattered, leave the church and become bitter opposition to all Christians everywhere. That’s a terrible, horrible way to end up.

People who go to a church seeking God, seeking spiritual help especially in times like this, often end up worse off than before they went.

Now, Christians, real believers, are leaving the churches.

Jesus surely hates what has been done in his name. One of his warnings went like this: “In this world you will have a lot of troubles, but be brave, for I have conquered the world.”

You know he never promised anything else; of the rich, he said that a camel could more easily pass through the eye of a needle than could a rich man enter God’s kingdom. That’s not subtle; the reference to a needle’s eye was a narrow and low city gate. Even a horse would have trouble with some of them since the whole idea of a wall and gate was for defense against military attack.

He also said that anyone who wanted to follow him had to take up their own crosses and follow him while bearing that burden. Carrying a cross was not meant as a separate ordeal in itself. It meant trial, torment, being hated, hunted, scorned, beaten and killed. His charge was to lead simple lives and to have faith. And a little bit of faith can do wonders.

After the events in my post “Attacked!” I asked for help from a Catholic priest. I know he did the Rosary and prayed. Since then no further attacks have happened, and the only thing bothering me is the usual nightmares. Demons love to play in dreams. As spirits, they can do that. And the closer you get to belief and Christian faith, the better the chances are of drawing an attack. Satan doesn’t want you to start believing in him. But when you do, he hates it and goes to work.

In these days of suffering and death, I find comfort that the Virgin Mother is open to our pleas. Cry out to her, and she will intercede and pray for you; this is powerful faith. Pat Robertson doesn’t understand things like that. He’s lost his way, he speaks heresy and promotes hate.

The protests in Washington are all about Trump being wrongfully deposed. Behold, a preacher who holds up a demon as God’s chosen.

Men like Robertson drive and fuel the bigoted hatred they are supposed to proclaim are hateful before God.

Remember what Christmas is really about. Remember one special woman who believes in you as much as she believed in God when she was visited by an angel. Think about love, forgiveness, compassion, anonymity and charity. Help people who need it, and don’t regret it for a minute. Remember he whose life we’re about to celebrate in our hearts, no matter our situation.

Above all else, try not to feel hate. It will never help you with your troubles. It has never served me well.

God bless you, and, for what it’s worth, have a happy Christmas as best you can.