A few random thoughts on this whole Duck Dynasty nonsense…
1. Yes, Phil Robertson is entitled to his opinion, regardless of how backwoods bible-thumping ignorant it may be. Seriously, have you seen the show – what did you expect?
2. Yes, A&E is entitled to fire him. They haven’t yet, he’s only been “suspended”, whatever that means, but if they decide Phil’s opinions do not represent A&E in a way they would like to be represented, they are within their rights to fire him. (If Phil worked for me, as a public representative of my business, I would fire him, or at least strongly consider it.)
3. Yes, freedom of speech still exists. Freedom of speech means the government cannot throw you in jail for something you say publicly (or privately). It does NOT mean you are guaranteed to keep your job. You are not. Don’t believe me, try saying something derogatory about your employer and see what happens. No one is going to throw Phil in jail for any dumb ass thing he’s said in GQ magazine.
4. Bigotry is NOT faith. It is bigotry. Now I don’t know whether Phil Robertson has hate in his heart, and I don’t really care, that’s between him and his god. But, to blindly defend bigoted attitudes by saying it’s “faith” is a cop-out. It wasn’t that long ago that many southerners defended segregation as being part of their “faith”. Mixed race relationships were condemned as a sin, and churches refused to perform mixed race weddings. All as an expression of “faith”. Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but… it was bullshit then, and it’s bullshit now.
5. If you want to follow Jesus, read what he wrote. He was all about acceptance and love, not condemnation and hate. On the other hand, if you want to follow the teachings of the old testament, like the ones Phil quoted, read the whole old testament and learn to follow ALL of the teachings. Don’t just pick out the ones that support your ignorant ass opinion. Say goodbye to bacon and lobster, and for god’s sake stop wearing cotton and linen together. And don’t get me started on the sin of crop rotation. And if you got a tattoo, oh well, you’re pretty much screwed.
6. Religion based on hate and condemnation is a cancer on society. Period. I don’t care which god they purport to serve. If you’re not sure about what your church teaches, ask yourself, does it all come down to love and acceptance, or does it come down condemnation and punishment. If it’s the latter, and you’re okay with that, do me a favor and just go ahead and reach for that “unfriend” button right now. The older I get the less patience I have for that kind of nonsense in my life.