Pat Robertson
warns Pennsylvania town of disaster

Antigay religious broadcaster Pat Robertson warned residents of a rural Pennsylvania town Thursday that disaster may strike there because they "voted God out of your city" by ousting school board members who favored teaching "intelligent design." All eight Dover, Pa., school board members up for reelection were defeated Tuesday after trying to introduce intelligent design--the belief that the universe is so complex it must have been created by a higher power--as an alternative to the theory of evolution. "I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city," Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's 700 Club. Eight families had sued the district, claiming the policy violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The federal trial concluded days before Tuesday's election, but no ruling has been issued. Later Thursday, Robertson issued a statement saying he was simply trying to point out that "our spiritual actions have consequences." Robertson made headlines this summer when he called for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device. He has also said that feminism encourages women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians." (AP)