Pat Robertson, Part 1

This is the first part of a transcript of an interview with Pat Robertson conducted by Correspondent Rita Braver for CBS News Sunday Morning, broadcast April 9, 2006.

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Watch the interview

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RITA BRAVER:
So I-- I guess one of the reasons that we're here is to talk about your new book. You-- you have a new book out--
PAT ROBERTSON:
Right.
RB:
--it's-- you were 17--
PR:
Seventeen.
RB:
-- it's called Miracles Can Be Yours Today .
PR:
Yeah.
RB:
What-- what's the basic thesis of your book?
PR:
Well the basic thesis is that there's a god in heaven who is all powerful who wants to help people. And that-- he will answer prayer, and does miraculous things in people's lives. And so I've documented some of these wonderful things.

I've-- I've had one woman-- African-American woman raised from the dead. She was stone cold dead, and her prayers of her church brought her back to life. Another woman was a spastic quadriplegic from the time--
RB:
These are--
PR:
--she's--
RB:
--things you've been particularly personally involved in? Or just--
PR:
Well-- some of us-- have-- the-- these stories that we've carried on our television. And-- (COUGHS) our producers have done it. I-- they're-- they're not-- what I think-- involved in prayers that I gave spec-- specifically. But-- they have really-- they're heartwarming. They're just bring tears to your eyes, some of these things. And they're-- they're--
RB:
You know you-- you talk about-- a couple very specific cases in the book that--
PR:
Yeah.
RB:
--you say you were personally involved in. You tell the story of-- being on a trip to the Holy Land, and some people coming to you and asking you if you can help a woman with severe asthma.
PR:
That's right.
RB:
And you say-- that God spoke to you and--
PR:
Well--
RB:
--told you--
PR:
--well it wudn't (PH) quite that way. Well-- well anyhow, they thought she was demon possessed. And these women are in the conference, and they said, "Go cast demons out of her." And I ignored it and ate dinner and went on to the meeting.

And then the next night, they had moved this poor woman out of the hotel. She was crying out for mercy and saying, "Oh God, help me," because she had such bad asthma. So-- I had to go see her. But fortunately I had my wife with her, so we went to another hotel-- in the heart of Jerusalem and knocked on the door.

And here, this haunting woman, she looked like-- she really looked like she was terrified-- very attractive-- striking brunette, 45 years old, you know thin, 5'8" kinda thing. And-- she had this look in her eyes. And-- so I went in, and my wife was with me. And they took the two chairs and I sat on the bed.

And I said, "Tell me about your problem." And she said, "I've got this asthma." And I said, "Have you been to the (LAUGHTER) doctor?" And-- and she said, "Yes. The doctor said my asthma was caused by praying with nuns." And I said, (LAUGHTER) "A doctor?"
RB:
That sounds--
PR:
"A doctor?"
RB:
--that sounds like-- (LAUGHTER) you should've advised her, "Maybe go see another doctor."
PR:
There was-- (LAUGHTER) well see-- the-- "A doctor told you this?" (UNINTEL) said, "Yes, that's what my doctor told me." And I says, "There is no way that praying with nuns is gonna cause you-- asthma." And then I prayed. And I said, "Lord, what's wrong with her?" I just prayed silently. And the Lord said, "Ask about her sex life." And--
RB:
The-- the Lord said that to you?
PR:
Yes, He said that to me. And I said, "There's no way I'm going to ask a strange woman about her sex life." So I said-- (COUGHS) "Excuse me for-- being personal, but would you tell me about your marriage."

She said, "Oh, I have a wonderful marriage." I said, "You do?" She (UNINTEL PHRASE), "A wonderful husband, wonderful marriage. It's just absolutely marvelous." I said, "You do?" She said, "Yes." So I prayed again. (LAUGHTER) I said, "Lord, what's the matter?" And she-- He said, "Ask her about her sex life."
RB:
I-- it's hard to imagine the Lord--
PR:
The-- the--
RB:
--saying this to you--
PR:
--the Lord say-- well He did. And I-- and I said-- "You know, please forgive me if I'm being personal, but tell me about your sex life." And she said, "I don't have any." And I said, "Well, I thought you had a wonderful marriage." And she said-- "I do, but I don't have any sex life."

And I said, "How long has that been going on?" And she said, "Two years." And I said-- "And that's when your asthma started, isn't it?" And she said, "Yes." And I said, "Well it's obvious that you're blaming yourself-- for this condition. What's the problem?" And she said, "My husband's impotent."

And I said, "You think it's your fault." And she said, "Yes. It's-- I think it's my fault." And I said, "Well it isn't your fault. And it may be that he's working too hard. He may be having a physical impairment. But-- there's something in his life, that this isn't your fault." And she said, "It's not?"

I said, "Absolutely not." And I said, "Okay, now let's pray for your asthma. And she said, "Okay." And we prayed. And God healed her asthma just like that. And--
RB:
You-- you know that--
PR:
There's--
RB:
--that's a tough one for people to swallow.
PR:
I was there. My wife was the witness. And thank goodness she was there. I never woulda done this otherwise. But that woman went on her ma-- her way rejoicing. And it took maybe max, 10 minutes.
RB:
Oh-- (LAUGHTER)
PR:
And-- and-- whereas if I was a psychologist, I could've had her on the couch for you know, a year and a half and not gotten to the root of the cause. Or if these women thought she was demon possessed, and the doctor says she's got asthma 'cause she prays with nuns. They were all wrong. (LAUGHTER) But the Lord knew what her problem was. He's (UNINTEL PHRASE) about even the most intimate details of our lives. And I think that's what's so very important.
RB:
So you think if people read your book, they'll understand that prayer will bring them blessings?
PR:
Well there isn't any question that-- they'll get another ap-- appreciation of who God is, of how much He loves them, of His power. Jesus talked about miracles. And he said, "Have faith in God."

So I'm talking about what faith is. What's great faith? What's little faith? What-- what brings about the miracles to move mountains? 'Cause Jesus talked about these. You know, he walked on the water. He multiplied the loaves and fishes. He cast out devils. He healed the sick. He did all these wonderful things. And he says we can do the same thing.
RB:
You know, in-- in the book and in general life, I know you have a very religious perspective. But h-- how do you describe your religious affiliation?
PR:
Well-- I was brought up as a Southern Baptist. But I'm-- I'm really very interdenominational. I have friends who are Roman Catholics. I have friends who are Lutherans. I have friends-- I-- I've served in a Methodist church for a short period of time.

I was ordained as a Baptist. I have great fellowship with Presbyterians. My wife attends a Presbyterian church. My-- my two sons go to Episcopal churches. So--
RB:
How about you?
PR:
Well I-- I go all over in a sense. But I-- I'm interdenominational. I-- I just-- I just believe in the Lord and--
RB:
You're evangelical.
PR:
I'm evangelical. And-- along the way I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. You see, we use that term charismatic. And that-- that-- gave me a new dimension of Christianity, which is like the N-- New Testament. I walked into the Book of Acts. And it's-- it-- it transformed my life.
RB:
So you just feel that your religion is that you have accepted Christ in your heart?
PR:
Uh-huh (AFFIRM).
RB:
And-- and that's kind of where you are? You don't feel like you need to say, "Oh I'm-- I'm in this church, or I'm in that church"?
PR:
Well technically, I'm still a Southern Baptist. (LAUGHTER) But-- I-- I just-- I'm much broader than that. You know when the Pope came to-- New York and he had the-- that great mass in Central Park, I-- I was up in the (UNINTEL). I walked in with the-- with the archbishops and the cardinals. And-- and the announcers said, here's Cardinal so and so, here's Cardinal-- and then-- and Pat Robertson (LAUGHTER), again. So I mean I-- I've-- I feel great fellowship with these people.
RB:
A lot of times (COUGHS) you're called-- a lot of times you're called Dr. Pat Robertson. Are you a-- do you have a doctorate in anything?
PR:
Oh-- yeah, I-- I have a-- a jurist doctor-- I'm-- I'm a-- graduate of the law school. And when you're not--
RB:
Oh my gosh--
PR:
--practicing--
RB:
--we'd have to call a lotta lawyers doctors--
(OVERTALK)
PR:
Well if you're practicing, you don't use doctor. But if you're not practicing, the jurist doctor is doctor. I also have a-- what they call a donated divinity-- (LAUGHTER) a Doctor of Divinity. So I've got a D.D. on top of the other. But the jurist doctor is-- is for real. And if you're not practicing, doctor is appropriate.
RB:
I've been calling you Reverend Robertson. That's fair, too?
PR:
Anything you want to. (LAUGHTER) Mostly (UNINTEL).
RB:
Well let me ask you about that. Your-- your real name is Marion Gordon Robertson (PH). Where'd Pat come from?
PR:
Well-- it was inflicted on me by my-- by my brother. And-- since he's passed on, I can't hold (UNINTEL) to (UNINTEL) account. (LAUGHTER) But I understand when I was a little baby, he was doing this to my face and say, "Pat, pat, pat." And so they named me Pat because of that. Honestly. And so it-- stuck.
RB:
You-- you know when I was watching the program-- and I had been thinking about this before-- you were talking about Presidential-- the Presidential race. And you-- you spent most of your career in-- in the religious world. But there was a time when you thought you'd be a good President. It didn't work out too well. (LAUGHTER)
PR:
Yeah.
RB:
Do you-- do you have a reason for that? Do you think that the world just-- that this country just wasn't ready for someone with such a close association with religion?
PR:
I don't think there's any question about that. But I-- I felt at the time that I might be an heir of Ronald Reagan. I-- I shared his-- points of view about the-- the economy, about-- strong defense, about-- strength against-- Communism and these other things-- free enterprise, etcetera-- and the moral values.

My race for the Presidency-- I didn't do all that bad for an amateur, you know. I beat the sitting Vice President in a number of states. But nevertheless-- when it was all over with, I had mobilized 300,000 plus people in about 35 states.

And that became the core of the Christian Coalition, which in turn became a very highly visible part of the-- Republican Party, and perhaps has been major-- major influence in winning the Congress for the Republicans and maybe putting a born again Christian in the White House. So I was sort of a forerunner of-- of a-- of a group that was given a voice.
RB:
You-- you helped form the Co-- Christian Coalition. Then you sort of--
PR:
That's right.
RB:
--stepped away from it.
PR:
Right.
RB:
But why?
PR:
Well I'd-- I'd had enough. We-- we had accomplished our goals. We had a 10 year set of goals. And we-- we got every one of them. The only one we didn't get is the Supreme Court, and we're-- we're only one judge short of that. (LAUGHTER) So I think-- the Congress conservative, a-- a majority of governorships conservative, a born again Christian in the White House, and-- so-- I-- I had done what I set out to do. And I went back to more important work, which is leading people to the Lord.
RB:
On a personal level, did you learn anything from that experience of running for President and-- and not winning?
PR:
Oh-- what I learned was-- was how wonderful the American people are. You know, I'm from Virginia. And unfortunately there's a certain hauteur that comes about from the East Coast of America. Perhaps you've run into it. But--
RB:
Now and again.
PR:
--now and again. (LAUGHTER) You see? But the-- the Midwest-- Iowa, Nebraska, and-- and Kansas, and Minnesota-- these wonderful people. And I-- I-- I met people in Arizona and people in the South, all over this country, beautiful marvelous people I just grew to love and admire.

And-- I realized that-- these are the people that shed a tear when the flag goes by. And when they sing the "Star-Spangled Banner," they're-- it-- it-- patriotic. And I-- I-- that's what I learned.

Next: Pat Robertson: Part Two