Pat Robertson’s Alzheimer’s Divorce Advice Sickens Many, as it Should

Pat Robertson, televangelist and sometime politician, is known for making controversial and outspoken remarks. Still, the “700 Club” host may have jammed his proverbial foot into his own mouth with his September 13 comments about divorce and Alzheimer’s Disease.

A TV viewer, noted only as Andreas, sought Robertson’s advice about a friend, who was caring for his wife with Alzheimer’s while participating in an extramarital relationship with another woman. The question was part of the “Bring It On” series of the popular Christian Broadcasting Network program.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative neurological disease that generally leads to memory loss and dementia. Currently, Alzheimer’s is considered incurable and often terminal, although scientists are working towards a cure.

“I have a friend whose wife suffers from Alzheimer’s,” the “700 Club” inquirer explained. “She doesn’t even recognize him anymore, and, as you can imagine, the marriage has been rough. My friend has gotten bitter at God for allowing his wife to be in that condition, and now he’s started seeing another woman. He says he should be allowed to see other people, because his wife as he knows her is gone.”

Is it wrong for a spouse to divorce a husband or wife with Alzheimer’s?

That was the question in a nutshell.

The 81-year-old high-profile Southern Baptist preacher answered, “I hate Alzheimers…. You love someone for 20, 30 years, and suddenly they’re gone. I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again.”

On-air, Robertson did advise that the troubled husband of the Alzheimer’s patient ought to make sure his wife had custodial care as part of any divorce arrangement.

Co-host Terry Meeuwsen jumped in to remind Robertson about that sticky part of traditional marital vows, in which couples promise to care for one another in both sickness and health.

“If you respect that vow, you say, ‘Till death do us part,’” Robertson replied. “[Alzheimer’s] is a kind of death.”

The entire “700 Club” segment may be viewed online.

Immediately, hearers’ heckles went up across the land.

Believers of every stripe began weighing in on the weighty issue. My own friends and colleagues responded with strong opinions.

Pam, a bold Pentecostal Christian from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, minced no words.

“Mr. Robertson is 100 percent unbiblical,” she exclaimed.

Michael, an Adventist from Mineola, Texas, said he was initially taken aback, but felt better after reviewing the video footage the “700 Club” segment.

“I read the news elsewhere and was shocked. Taken in context, I don’t think Robertson’s advice is as bad as the media is attempting to make it sound,” he countered.

Mike, a Protestant from Green Bay, Wisconsin, tried a temperate approach to Robertson’s bluntness.

“I respect the empathy for the lonely heart in [Robertson]’s answer,” Mike said. “Certainly the husband in question would be justified in having a deep, albeit platonic, relationship with another woman at such a point in his life, but to divorce the woman he (probably) vowed himself to through ‘sickness and health, for better or worse’ simply turns him into a liar. What are such vows for if not to be held onto tightly when the sore trials do come?”

Those whose loved ones have been touched by Alzheimer’s may react on a more personal level.

Karen, an evangelical Christian from Lake Villa, Illinois, described an enduring love between her own grandparents, even after her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s erased her own recognition of her husband, a retired military chaplain.

“My grandparents dealt with Alzheimer’s for over eight years after my grandmother was diagnosed in 2001,” Karen related. “They relocated to a senior care facility, and eventually she was moved to the Alzheimer’s wing. Every morning, he pushed her wheelchair back to his place to spend the day with her. He never complained. She had changed, but he was steadfast. He fell and broke his hip almost two years ago. We brought Grandma to him, and they sat in their wheelchairs holding hands. She was oblivious, but he was elated and gazed adoringly at her.”

Lori, a self-proclaimed non-Christian from Denver, Colorado, who has volunteered with Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes, recalled her own grandmother’s struggle with the memory loss associated with the dreaded disease.

“I think that’s the cruelest part about Alzheimer’s,” Lori pointed out. “Your loved one becomes a living ghost, a constant reminder of a loss you already feel, even though they are still alive. I think recommending divorce, as the speaker did, is wrong; odds are, you’re going to be leaving your former spouse without insurance, or anyone looking out for her well-being. Even if your spouse has her own benefits, you’re still leaving her to be her own guardian. Love is a precious gift, and life is cold and empty without it.”

Robertson clearly struck a nerve with his comments on divorce and Alzheimer’s.

Why did listeners react so strongly to Robertson’s statement? Why are sound bites and quotes pinging through cyberspace in evangelical, Pentecostal and many other circles?

Perhaps the crux of the controversy is not simply whether it is right or wrong for a spouse to divorce his or her mate, who happens to suffer from Alzheimer’s. Maybe the main sticking point that has thrust Robertson into heated headlines once again has more to do with his perennially pointed comments on sexual morality, family values, conservative politics, traditional definitions of marriage and other hot topics.

Robertson is wont to issue notable quotables on a host of issues. The 1988 U.S. Presidential candidate is comfortable with controversy. Recently, for example, he was quoted as asking whether an earthquake-caused crack in the Washington Monument might be “a sign from the Lord.”

As a reader, viewer and individual with personal long-term medical concerns, I cannot help but join those who shudder to think what sign God might show next, if preachers counsel spouses to abandon their husbands or wives over inconvenient health conditions. No matter where individuals may stand on the ethics or biblical grounds for ending marriages, a faith-based minister who advises divorce for dementia is sure to set many teeth on edge.

Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.

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