Mister Persistence:
|
|
Reverend, broadcaster, television personality and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson is a font of opinions.
Robertson weighed in on everything from the 24-hour news cycle to Christian snake handlers on April 10, in a video teleconference with students organized by C-SPAN.
Robertson responded to pointed questions about the Christian Coalition by referring to the organization as "a voice at the table" for religious people in the U.S. He criticized the government for yielding to the pressure of an atheist minority.
"Public education as we know it was started in the Protestant Reformation by Martin Luther," he said, arguing for the institution of prayer in schools with his trademark persistence.
Robertson was so persistent, in fact, that he inspired some heated exchanges uncommon in the usually-polite Distance Learning conferences. "Islam is not really a religion," Robertson remarked, "it's a political system . . . a political system that wants world domination."
George Mason student Duha El-quesny confronted Robertson about his comments. "I just want to know where you got your information," she said.
"I've studied this extensively," he replied.
Later, Mason student Asma Chaudhary asked Robertson if he used "subliminal messages" in his Christian Broadcasting Network television programming.
"He was everything I expected him to be," said George Mason student Jade Newman. "Self righteous, arrogant and rude. It's amazing how he managed to be all of those things and maintain a jolly old man's smile."
Videoconferences are arranged in conjunction with C-SPAN's Distance Learning and include students from Pace University in New York and The University of Denver as well as George Mason. We Mason students attend the videoconferences at the GMU-TV Studio in Innovation Hall. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, it's a handsome facility. Here's a link. |