‘Duck Dynasty’ star Phil Robertson speaks out for the first time since A&E suspended him from his reality TV show after the uproar over his controversial comments on homosexuality in a GQ magazine interview.
In the aftermath of Duck Commando company founder Phil Robertson’s remarks to GQ in which he outlined his opposition to homosexuality within the context of his Christian faith, he found himself the center of a media firestorm and swiftly put on an “indefinite” suspension by A&E network. He was the only member of the Robertson family so penalized. However, the family was quick to issue their own statement that they will not go forward with the program without their patriarch.
For days he has been a predominant topic in media and social media, and a constantly trending topic on Twitter. Finally, on Sunday, he invited the UK newspaper The Daily Mail to his Bible study group at the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ in his home town of West Monroe, Louisiana to report his exclusive remarks.
According to the publication, he said to the group in defense of himself: “I love all men and women. I am a lover of humanity, not a hater.” He also said: “I will not give or back off from my path.”
He made it clear that he had no intention of distancing himself from the remarks that caused the controversy, and he again spoke out based on his interpretation of the scripture, saying: “Common sense says we are not going to procreate the human race unless we have a man and a woman. From the beginning Jesus said, ‘It is a man and a woman.’ Adam was made and Eve was made for this reason.”
He added: “I am just reading what was written over 2,000 years ago. Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom. All I did was quote from the scriptures, but they just didn’t know it.”
He also acknowledged the backlash he had been subjected too and took issue with how he has been characterized by some, as he said: “We are a bunch of rednecks from Louisiana, but I am not uneducated, I have a degree from Louisiana Tech. But this week I have been called an ignoramus.”
As The Daily Mail reports, he continued to put this views within the context of his faith and his beliefs as he said: Jesus will take sins away, if you’re a homosexual he’ll take it away, if you’re an adulterer, if you’re a liar, what’s the difference? If you break one sin you may as well break them all.”
He added: ‘If we lose our morality, we will lose our country. It will happen. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all walk around without stealing from each other and killing each other? Why don’t we just love each other enough that we wouldn’t want to do these things to each other?’
You can read the more of the transcript of his Sunday morning remarks at The Daily Mail.
Up until the controversy arose, ‘Duck Dynasty’ stood as the most popular reality TV series on television with a viewership of around 12 million. Its numerous fans have rallied around the suspended patriarch in numerous efforts including a Change.org petition which has more than 100,000 signatures demanding that the network reinstate him.
Phil Robertson has had the support of a wide variety of public figures from politicians such as Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as well as a variety of pundits and commentators including former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. He also found support from the openly gay academician and polemicist Camile Paglia. He has also had his share of opponents as well both from numerous individuals as well as some major civil rights organizations including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and the NAACP for his equally controversial remarks on pre-Civil-Rights blacks in Louisiana.
At stake is not just the reality TV show whose future is the subject of much speculation, but the multimillion dollar ‘Duck Dynasty’ franchise as a whole. The quickly moving story has seen such rapid developments such as Cracker Barrel’s quick reversal of their decision to pull ‘Duck Dynasty’ products from their shelves only to quickly restore them after the backlash.
But now the patriarch at the center, Phil Robertson, has weighed in, letting the world know, regardless of controversy and backlash, opposition or support, he is not backing down. It is this very authenticity — love it or hate it — that has won him and his family such a loyal fan base.
Pictures: PR Photos
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/lG_sl_MGD48/
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