...mainly because I have a ton on my plate today and I didn't want to take time out to add to the clutter of commentary. However, I couldn't resist pushing the button to support the guy on facebook, so I expect to get flamed by people for being a bigot, etc. Rather than repeat my reasoning over and again, I'll jot down my thinking so I can refer concerned citizens here.
The first thing I did was try to find his "offensive" comments. I mainly found people griping about his comments and not what he actually said. As near as I can tell this was what kicked the hornets nest:
"It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man's anus, that's just me," the reality star said.
"I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there," he explained when asked by GQ's Drew Magary what exactly he considered sinful, "bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson-equates-homosexuality-bestiality-article-1.1551556#ixzz2nxZO84MS
Now I grabbed those from the NYDailyNews who were mildly biased against Phil in their reporting (in my opinion.) I rather prefer James Poniewozik coverage of it in Time Entertainment (Link Here).
The first thing that I notice, and James eludes to the same thing, is that Phil didn't actually say anything overtly anti-gay. This is a huge to do about nothing. Phil expressed an opinion, which is something celebrities do ALL the time. He indicated strongly that it was a sin. Congratulations! If you're looking for a reason to hate him he said something was a sin. Read the bible folks--just about everything is a sin.
Phil stopped short of advocating one direction or the other about, "sin." He didn't say, "and all sinners should be killed." THAT would be hate speech. THAT would also make Phil a sinners because if you hate someone it's the same as murder. That's in the bible as I read it, and I bet that's how Phil views it too.
Phil also stopped short of saying, "I have no problem with that particular sin." And I think that's why he's being suspended.
The Daily News article included some odd statement, for example.
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe," GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz responded in a statement.
“What’s clear is that such hateful anti-gay comments are unacceptable to fans, viewers, and networks alike,” Cruz said. “By taking quick action and removing Robertson from future filming, A&E has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value.”
I found it interesting that there's an assumption all of a sudden that all Christians everywhere are okay with homosexuality. I asked a friend, "when did that become the norm?" She said, "I think it's when the pope made his comment about it."
I recall the popes comments, which were quoted on the Barbara Walters special last night. As I'm pressed for time let me paraphrase (I don't have time to look it up right now). Basically he said, "If a person is homosexual, and wants to learn about the love of Christ, we shouldn't deny them that."
That's a pretty big reversal of policy for the papacy. BUT he didn't say, "I'm cool with being gay. It's not a sin anymore."
So why is it, when the Pope says something that can be construed as pro-gay he's hailed as a hero, and when Phil says something that can be construed as anti-gay he's decried?
These two men's statements are not mutually exclusive. The fact that they are seen as polar opposites shows a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity.
So let me state this again, just to be clear. Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins. "While you were yet sinners Christ reconciled the world." Man's opinion doesn't factor in here. The bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin. The bible teaches that hatred is a sin. If you don't receive Christ's blood over your sins, its bad for you. Despite what many religions teach, none of us gets to decide exactly how the forgiveness thing works. So I can point out someone's sin, but I can't determine what God is going to do about that. That's up to God.
Most of us don't walk around pointing out each others sins. Some do, and I can tell you it's not very effective. Christians are cautioned against judging others. "Judge not lest ye be judged." So what Phil did was say that he viewed men having sex with men as illogical and sinful. Is that judgmental? Not in my opinion. He wasn't passing judgement on a person, he was stating an opinion of an action. That's actually our right in America.
A&E's comment about suspending Phil was that discrimination was neither a Christian, nor an American ideal. Clearly A&E is struggling to understand the word discrimination, and Christianity, and American. I'm sure Phil will excuse their ignorance.
Well I've more to say, but I'm completely out of time. Let the angry emails begin.
Update: Here's a link to the Families Statement. http://duckcommander.com/news/robertson-family-offical-statement
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