In defending Duck Dynasty star
Phil Robertson, social conservatives have compared him to Pope
Francis, Martin Luther King, Jr. and even Jesus Christ.
Anti-gay remarks Robertson made in an
interview with men's fashion glossy GQ created
a firestorm of controversy and led to his indefinite
suspension from A&E, the network which airs the reality show.
“It seems like, to me, a vagina –
as a man – would be more desirable than a man's anus,” the
67-year-old Robertson told the magazine. “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.”
He later added: “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. 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.”
During an appearance on Fox News, radio
host Mike
Slater stated: “In 1958, a young boy wrote a preacher a letter.
Saying that he was struggling with homosexuality. And this preacher
wrote back, 'Son, won't worry, there's a solution to your problem.'
That preacher was Martin Luther King, Jr. I guarantee you that
Martin Luther King, Jr. loves that boy just like Robertson. The
point is, the Robertson family loves everyone, that's the point
here.”
Newt
Gingrich also praised Robertson during an appearance on CNN's
Crossfire: “Ironically, if you read the whole interview, not
just take one section, he talks very specifically about loving
everybody. He talks very specifically about not being judgmental
toward anybody, that's God's decision, not his. I mean it is
remarkable. There are sections there where he sounds like Pope
Francis.”
And in a blog post in which he claimed
that Robertson was being bullied by gay rights activists, NOM
President Brian Brown evoked the name of Jesus Christ.
“What Phil Robertson has done is
express the traditional Christian view of homosexuality – decry the
sin but love the sinner. It's what every major Christian leader
including Jesus Christ himself has taught us,” Brown
said.