Pat Robertson, level 8 Delusionist: Intelligence 5, Charisma 10, Wisdom 0.
Although he's said far more offensive things in the past, the latest allegations made by television evangelist Pat Robertson have crossed the line into the bizarre.
During a mental health and suicide segment for his TV show, "The 700 Club," Robertson linked fantasy role-playing game "Dungeons & Dragons" and other "demonic games" with teen suicide.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our children are at risk. ... They're bulimic. There's anorexia. There's all kinds of demonic games they play. It used to be 'Dungeons & Dragons.' They've got some new ones now. The pressure on them is just incredible," Robertson said in the segment, which aired Monday.
According to Right Wing Watch, the news segment had focused on the 2009 suicide of Melissa Strange, daughter of Southern Baptist leader Frank Page. In an interview with Religion News Service, Page indicated that prescription drugs and what he described as his daughter's "addictive personality" played a part in her death:
I wish that we would be a little more careful in our use of drugs and our prescription of drugs. They are powerful forces, and when one already has the previous disposition that she did, it’s like throwing a lighted match on a gasoline-soaked pile of rags just ready to go.
Page did not mention games of any kind in the version of the interview published by RNS.
In the recent "700 Club" segment, Robertson also noted that he thinks many teenagers commit suicide through fatal automobile accidents. "I think many of these automobile accidents are actually death by cars," Robertson said.
This is far from the first time Robertson's comments have made him appear out of touch.
In January, Robertson was "shocked" to learn that women watch pornography and read erotica, such as "50 Shades of Gray."
In September 2012, he advised a "700 Club" viewer who felt disrespected at home to become a Muslim so, as Robertson put it, "then you could beat your wife."
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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