As virtually every person in the Western Hemisphere is now well aware, Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake last Tuesday.

With a weak economy, a continuously corrupt government and perhaps most relevant, weakly-constructed buildings, such a powerful natural disaster could not have struck a nation less equipped to deal with it. As the first graphic images offered by news sites and networks made clear, the situation was grim; thousands of Haitians filled the streets in search of what they needed but what was nowhere to be found: medical care, food and shelter.

Unfortunately, these necessities — while generously donated by the many countries that had, upon hearing of the situation, chosen to immediately send ships and aircraft filled with medical supplies, food, and water — could not be delivered.

The 7.0 quake had decimated not only airstrips and roads, but also the country’s main port, resulting in dozens of circling planes and moored ships and making the “so close but yet so far” cliché ring true.

But determined aid workers slowly began to reach land toward the end of last week. Just as donations to the Red Cross and other organizations began rolling in via cell phone text messages, images started to appear of the injured being cared for, food being delivered and, miraculously, workers pulling from the rubble those who had been buried alive for days. Granted, one can not gloss over the facts that an estimated 200,000 Haitians died, aid workers still face daily challenges and questions of how the country will ever be rebuilt are daunting, yet the tragedy has inarguably brought out the best of many people from many nations.

Of course, while the bulk of news reports and images have significantly improved each day, the tragedy hasn’t brought the best out of all.

No, I’m not talking about those Haitian citizens who have descended into looting and fighting.

Rather, I refer to the disrespectful and ignorant words regarding the earthquake that were uttered last week by Pat Robertson, the televangelist preacher of “The 700 Club” fame.

Robertson suggested that the earthquake resulted from God’s revenge for what he called a “pact to the devil” made by French-enslaved Haitians a couple hundred years ago.

Now, I could go off on a rant here, but I’ve no desire to attack faith itself, so let me clarify that first. Still, it should be pointed out that, as Robertson told it, the voodoo-practicing Haitians promised their souls to Satan in exchange for their freedom, and that’s how they broke their chains.

In fact, the 500,000 slaves who had been brought to work Haiti’s lucrative sugar and coffee plantations were first freed in 1794 due to the fallout from the French Revolution and then, after being re-enslaved by Napoleon, freed themselves in 1804 when Touissant L’Ouverture led the first successful slave revolt in history.

We could argue all day over whether earthquakes — like hurricanes, typhoons, blizzards and tornados — are natural occurrences or punishment sent by a vengeful god, and likewise, we could argue the logic of Haiti’s supposed deal with the devil when there are so many counter-balancing arguments — 96 percent of the population claims Christianity as its religion, the country has an 80 percent poverty rate and a life expectancy of 60 years, for a few examples — but in the end, this shouldn’t be about Robertson. It should be about a devastated people struck with a terrible disaster, and how we can all — atheist, agnostic, spiritual, religious and more — come together.

It’s up to us to send that message, as Robertson has demonstrated his inability to do so.

Rather than send a message of a welcoming religion that seeks to help those in need, Robertson cast Christianity as a religion with a vindictive God.

Even if it was not his intention, he demonstrated heartlessness and ignorance just as he did in the wake of 9/11, when he similarly suggested that Americans’ openness to abortion brought about what our country apparently deserved.

Fortunately, Christians — not to mention people of every other religion and even those without — from all over the world have demonstrated what religion and humanity is really about: helping one’s fellow man (or woman) in a time of need. Unlike Robertson, the world community has responded not with hurtful words, but with help.

If you want to do the same, donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting “HAITI” to 90999.

Steve Adams is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Annapolis, Md.