Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his "700 Club" viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death."Sheesh - would even Ann Landers give advice like that?During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.
"I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her," Robertson said.
Sadly, this "pursuit of happiness" mindset pervades so many facets of life, that a lot of professed Christians get the God-given right wrong and misapply it. Myself included - the temptation to always "do what I want" instead of "doing what I ought" is difficult to resist. There's heroic virtue in suffering, and so many folks don't get it. Folks like Robertson, obviously - you'd think he'd know better.
Instead, he further weakens traditional marriage. This is another sign that so-called gay marriage isn't the greatest threat to marriage (don't get me wrong - it is a great threat, but not the greatest). It's divorce - by eradicating the permanence of marriage, the institution becomes about as meaningful as a car lease: fun for a few years until the magic wears off or stuff starts to break down, so just trade in the current model for a younger, flashier one.
Thanks for nothing, Pat.
h/t Mark Shea
