IWOG RELIGIOUS FIGURES

    Celebrity evangelists JERRY FALWELL and PAT ROBERTSON. Prior to the 2000 presidential election, they supported President George W. Bush's idea of a federal office to fund faith-based charities...support which they very much withdrew after Bush made it clear that non-Christian religious charities would also be eligible to apply for funding. Robertson in particular was worried that "non-mainstream" religions like Scientology and the Hare Krishnas would be able to get government money; Falwell opposed funding Islamic charities on the grounds that many Muslim countries, in his own words, promote hatred.
    Also, both of them added to their IWOG status by laying partial blame for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. on the left-leaning side of American society. On Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network two days after the attack, Falwell and Robertson both claimed that the attacks were a punishment born from divine wrath. "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve," Falwell stated, to which Robertson agreed.
    For "throwing God out of the public square," Falwell added, "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.'"
    To that sentiment, Robertson simply said, "Amen."
    In an interview shortly afterwards, Falwell continued, "I put all the blame legally and morally on the actions of the terrorist." But America's "secular and anti-Christian environment left us open to our Lord's [decision] not to protect. When a nation deserts God and expels God from the culture...the result is not good." Robertson said he agreed simply because he hadn't understood what Falwell was saying.
    Despite the backpedalling, though, Robertson announced in a January 2002 episode of his program not only that things in America still had not changed, but that he himself had a pretty good idea of where the next terrorist attacks would take place. "People think their lives have changed," he said. "The truth is people are right back where they were before. And although there's a small remnant who are really praying and seeking God and turning from sin, there hasn't been a sense of national repentance. We just haven't had that. We had a day of reconciliation, whatever that means, but we didn't have a day of repentance."
    As to the targets he added, "Take this for what it's worth and no more than that. But I do believe that San Francisco is going to be a target and I think that Detroit is going to be a target," and that the means of attack would be "I think something through ship."

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