Posted on 12/19/2013 5:52:58 PM PST by Starman417
Oh my, it has hit the fan.
Phil Robertson ignited a firestorm of criticism that engulfed him following a GQ interview in which he spoke about his views on what he believes is immorality. That interview has resulted in his Robertson's suspension from the show "Duck Dynasty." A sample of what he said:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. 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.”
They take their religion seriously:
And then, of course, there is their faith, which plays no small role here. During the family’s initial negotiations about the show with A&E, Jase told me, “the three no-compromises were faith, betrayal of family members, and duck season.” That refusal to betray their faith or one another has been a staple of every media article about the Robertson family. It’s their elevator pitch, and it has made them into ideal Christian icons: beloved for staking out a bit of holy ground within the mostly secular, often downright sinful, pop culture of America.
And they're not shy about it
“We’re Bible-thumpers who just happened to end up on television,” he tells me. “You put in your article that the Robertson family really believes strongly that if the human race loved each other and they loved God, we would just be better off. We ought to just be repentant, turn to God, and let’s get on with it, and everything will turn around.”
The interviewer pushed on and asked Phil what he considered sinful and opened Pandora's box:
What, in your mind, is sinful?“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
Then he added something important and germane:
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”
Hang on to that.
The reactions were swift. Robertson was suspended from his show by the A&E network, something of such apparent import that even the NY Times took note. And here we'll being to examine how this event is being framed:
Mr. Robertson, who travels the country preaching, graphically denounced gay sex in the magazine and called it a sin.
They made it sound as though Robertson singled out homosexuality as a sin. He didn't.
There was outrage, complete with misrepresentation. From Eric Sasson at the WSJ:
After an interview appeared in GQ in which he equated homosexuality to bestiality, used a quote from Corinthians which likened gays to “drunkards” and “prostitutes,” and questioned the “logic” of gay sexual practices, Phil Robertson has been suspended indefinitely from A&E’s hit show, “Duck Dynasty.”
Other than Phil being suspended, none of that is true. There was soul searching:
I’m reminded of something Bill Maher said during the height of the Paula Deen controversy: “Do we always have to make people go away?” I think the question applies in this situation, too.Why is our go-to political strategy for beating our opponents to silence them? Why do we dismiss, rather than engage them? One of the biggest pop culture icons of today just took center stage to “educate” us about sexuality. I see this as an opportunity to further the discussion, to challenge his limited understanding of human desire, to engage with him and his rather sizeable audience—most of whom, by the way, probably share his views—and to rise above the endless sea of tweet-hate to help move our LGBT conversations to where they need to go.
GK Chesterton said that bigotry is “an incapacity to conceive seriously the alternative to a proposition.” If he is right—and he usually is—then I wonder if the Duck Dynasty fiasco says more about our bigotry than Phil’s.
But that was only the beginning. Duck Dynasty is the most popular program in cable history and golly do people feel strongly about it. Duck Dynasty fans took to the interweb quickly. A "Boycott A&E" page was set up on Facebook and it has generated 750,000 "likes" as of last count.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
ROBERTSON FAMILY STATEMENT ON Duck commander website at 7pm
We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E’s decision. We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word. While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Phil would never incite or encourage hate.We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty. Again, thank you for your continued support of our family.
Awesome - I hope they all walk off the set. It’s time to take a stand !!!
The individuals who made the decision to censor Mr. Robertson should come forward and publicly identify themselves. Its easy to assume politically correct postures while hiding behind a corporate shield.
O’Reilly had some silly theory that Robertson’s comments crossed some imaginary line because it was “judgmental”, rather than just a statement of opinion. It reminded me of the meaning of “is” and hanging chads...
It’s too bad liberals can’t just listen to the opinions of others instead of criticizing, finger-pointing, and stopping their ears going “la la la la la I can’t hear you la la la la la racist bigot la la la la...”
Now its heading to a million likes.
And in steps Phil!
Hey you gays...the shame you felt growing up gay was REAL. No amount of media acclaim and praise and acceptance can remove the nagging hint of shame.
Yes. You are angry. You are still ashamed.
But Phil is not the problem...take a good long look in the mirror.
A man who cannot accept personal responsibility for his actions cannot heal.
I think gays are “over-represented” in the entertainment industry.
A&E is a jv of Hearst and Disney.
So the person(s) making this decision are likely very much in accord with the corporate view.
I guess you’re allowed to say you think it’s a sin, as long as there are no consequences.
O’Reilly is never judgmental about anyone of course.
But I have faith that Phil will be the exception. He knows where his treasure is stored up, and I don't think the haters can touch him.
How about sell the series to another cable channel that actually wants to get rich.
> The individuals who made the decision to censor Mr. Robertson should come forward and publicly identify themselves. Its easy to assume politically correct postures while hiding behind a corporate shield.
They won’t because gays are cowards by nature. They travel in groups for a reason.
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”
So much for his "Phil is judging" argument.
Did he talk about "Christian philosophy"?
Oy.
More people have supported Phil Robertson in the past 18 hours then have signed up for Obamacare. REAL AMERICANS
Vaginas have done more for the human race than gay anuses ever have.
Go to "The Blaze" and start the media revolution!
Wow - that didn't take long ...
I predict that Saturday Night Live will do a skit on this “controversy” this week. I also predict that they will make Phil Robertson look like a buffoon. They will then be shocked by the backlash. When A&E first decided to can Phil, I told my wife that they had no clue the kind of “S”-storm they were getting themselves into.
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