Virginia Beach, Va. ? Televangelist Pat Robertson warned residents of a rural Pennsylvania town not to be surprised if disaster strikes there because “you just voted God out of your city” by ousting school board members who favored teaching “intelligent design.”

“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 Thursday on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “The 700 Club.”

Robertson, a former president candidate and leading evangelical Christian, has frequently come under criticism for his admonitions and recommendations. He made headlines this summer when, during his daily show, he called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

In October 2003, during an interview with an author of a book critical of the U.S. State Department, Robertson suggested the agency’s headquarters 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.”

Reaction to intelligent design

His latest remarks come after all eight Dover, Pa., school board members up for re-election were defeated Tuesday after trying to introduce “intelligent design” – the belief that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power – as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

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.”

“God is tolerant and loving, but we can’t keep sticking our finger in his eye forever,” Robertson said. “If they have future problems in Dover, I recommend they call on Charles Darwin, maybe he can help them.”

Robertson’s “The 700 Club” is viewed around the world and is translated into dozens of languages.