Duck Dynasty, first amendment rights, and Christian values

This woman sums up nicely how silly people are with this redneck thing.

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2013/12/duck-dynasty-first-amendment-rights-and.html

Duck Dynasty, first amendment rights, and Christian values

My facebook feed has been lit up with people responding to the suspension of Phil, the patriarch of A&E’s popular Duck Dynasty reality show. For full disclosure . . . I watch this show and enjoy it. Sarah James turned me on to it and I find the family to be inexplicably endearing. They all have a great sense of humor about themselves and I appreciate the clearly loving family dynamic. They live a lifestyle that is completely different from mine, yet I find them somehow relatable and refreshingly normal. So I was disappointed to read what Phil had said, and to hear of his suspension, even though I understand why A&E made that decision.

However, I have also been disappointed to hear so many Christians respond to his suspension by defending him as representing Christian values, and by perpetuating a narrative that Phil is being persecuted for his faith. Let’s talk about the first amendment issue for a second. The first amendment gives us freedom of speech. It does not give us freedom from accountability for our speech. It ensures freedom from imprisonment . . . it does not dictate what an employer has the right to address within the workplace. And thank goodness – can you imagine a society where employees could say any hateful thing with no repercussion? Whether you like A&E’s decision or not, this is not a first amendment issue, and it’s a little frightening how many people believe that it is, including some of our elected officials.  Phil Robertson’s freedom of speech has not been threatened . . . he can continue to talk about whatever he wants to talk about without fear of being thrown in jail. But A&E, as a business, has the right to decide that he is no longer a good fit for representing their brand.

Now, regarding the idea that Phil is being persecuted for his faith – I think it’s really important to look at what he actually said rather than jumping on a bandwagon of religious persecution. I don’t believe that Phil was suspended for his faith. Phil has been preaching Christian values for a long time. Literally preaching. Here’s a video of him giving a sermon at Saddleback Church. He and his family have been incredibly vocal about their Christian beliefs, both on the show and in countless interviews. His vocal views about his faith have never put him in jeopardy of losing his job and I would argue that this is still the case. It’s not a belief in Jesus Christ that got him into hot water. It’s the way he framed homosexuality as a societal ill and LIKENED IT TO BESTIALITY.

Quote :

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine…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,”

To me, this moves from talking about personal views into homophobic territory. But there’s more:

Quote :

“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.”

To reduce a person’s sexuality to an oversimplified and graphic question of where to put the penis is dismissive and homophobic. And honestly, I don’t think it represents most Christians’ views on homosexuality. Even most conservative Christians believe that same-sex sexual attraction is not a sin in and of itself. But Phil depicts gay people as deviant, and that’s a big problem. And if his words above represent “Christian values” then we need to have another look at Jesus.



But Phil’s problematic rant didn’t stop there. He later included Nazis and Islamists in a list of reasons the world is suffering, and also made some really ignorant remarks about black people:

Quote :

“I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field.... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.”

I don’t even know where to start with this one. Comparing black people to white trash is cringey, but suggesting that black people were happier during segregation? That because Phil never heard a black person publicly complain BACK IN THE ERA OF LYNCHING means that they must have been satisfied with the state of things? This is so racially tone-deaf that it reminds me of the time Paula Deen romanticized the slaves as being “like family”. Not to mention, the subtext of his remarks is that black people nowadays are entitled, unGodly, discontented welfare recipients. So when I see people as “standing with Phil” based on their Christian values, I really have to ask . . . how does an apologist for our country’s ugly Jim Crow legacy represent Christian values?

As a Christian, Phil’s views on gay people and on black people do not represent me, and I’m embarrassed by those who are holding him up as a martyr or an example. I get that Phil is dear to many . . . he’s a likable guy and a very public Christian. But that doesn’t excuse his ignorant remarks, nor does it mean that he gets a pass from accountability.

Regardless of where we fall in the “is homosexuality a sin” debate, as Christians, our greatest charge is to LOVE. I don’t feel that Phil’s remarks were loving to gay people or to black people. And I don’t believe the blind support he is getting from Christians is very loving, either.

The Bible, Torah and Quran all say being gay is a sin. No matter what anyone says they can't change that about those religions. You can't call yourself a true Christian if you say being gay is acceptable.

I agree with Phil and freak about being gay.

Ya man my FB par exploded as well
I don't think it was a first amendment right at all
If I go to work tomorrow and tell customer "fags are going to hell"
I expect to be fired pretty quick.
The Christian right is retarded IMO. Liveticus, the text that they quote cause it
Says "a man shall not lie with another man"
Also says your going to hell if you have a tatoo, have eaten crawfish,
Have clothing with two different kinds of material in them, and my personal favorites ;
You can not go to church within 33 days if you have just given birth to a boy, 66 days for a girl.
Seriously look up Leviticus it's 76 nutty fuckijg rules and the Christian right focuses on 1 while probably doing 50-65 of them themselves

freakzilla wrote:

The Bible, Torah and Quran all say being gay is a sin. No matter what anyone says they can't change that about those religions. You can't call yourself a true Christian if you say being gay is acceptable.

Sure you can if you follow the teachings of Jesus rather than the tremendous amount of nonsense found in the Old Testament

freakzilla wrote:

The Bible, Torah and Quran all say being gay is a sin. No matter what anyone says they can't change that about those religions. You can't call yourself a true Christian if you say being gay is acceptable.

i'm sure whoever wrote the bible, the torah and quran respectively would be mortified at how irrationally literally people came to take the fables contained within. If they could've seen into the future they'd never have written them in hindsight.

in a hypothetical scenario, would you say someone who rejected organised religion and all the nonsense attached to it yet lived a good, selfless life in accordance with christian values was less of a true christian than a well to do christian who was in church every sunday, tithed to their church and believed this gave them the right to judge their fellow man against their own subjective interpretations of an anthology of outdated fables....................... despite the fact that they've never had a genuine christian thought for the wellbeing of another fellow human being at any stage of their lives?

The second individual is a description of your orthodox christian, jew or muslim to a tee.

I believe being gay is a sin but I have never gone out of my way to tell gay people off or done anything to stop any gay person from doing what they want ever.

Also the Quran is meant to be taken literal and has never been changed.

I don't care about this subject anymore. I have a tattoo and love crawfish, so I'm going to hell and I've never had a dick in my mouth.

No matter what the topic you always seem to make me crack up Beast.

whenever their contract is up with A&E I hope the Duck Dynasty family goes over to a competing network and makes 10 times more than they did with A&E.

I'm tired of all this politically correct BS the media and special interest groups spew daily.

Whatever happened to "I don't agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it."

Freak I just try to make things funny or lash out on any topic. I haven't been diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I'm bipolar. I asked a doctor one time and she said I wasn't. I hugged her and punched the bitch in the face one minute later. Just life...


OGGY, I agree with you so much! Bookmark this shit!!! I am sick of GLAAD and PETA going off and hurting peoples lively hoods. I bet GLAAD hasn't done shit for A&E since this Phil Robertson stuff, and the fact gay people in the United States claim they're being persecuted like black people in history makes me sick! Watch Django Unchained fags and then tell me you've had it that bad.

This has nothing to do with free speech. When you're a public figure and talk about gays and talk about blacks not being that bad off during the Jim Crow years, the corporation and/or company you work for has every right to suspend/terminate/etc

its true, A&E have every right to fire him, and the fans of the show have every right to boycott A&E.

Doesn't appear that will be necessary though, it was either apparently all a PR stunt or the backlash from the decision made them change their minds...

It has now been revealed that Phil Robertson will be returning to Duck Dynasty on January 15. A&E said they have no plans to fire the star.

It appears as though the war on Phil Robertson and his freedoms of free speech and religions aren’t quite so savage. Although A&E declared they were suspending the star “indefinitely, ” it was apparently only a façade for the gay community as sources say they still intend to air episodes featuring Robertson.

I had never heard of Duck Dynasty until this happened.

freakzilla wrote:

I had never heard of Duck Dynasty until this happened.

It targets mostly american audiences and maybe some obscure late night slots overseas, but I doubt it.

freakzilla wrote:

I had never heard of Duck Dynasty until this happened.

The show is about Phil Robertson and his family.

Wow I checked him out on Wiki, his life story is pretty crazy...
Self made millionaire


Phil Robertson

Phil Alexander Robertson (born April 24, 1946) is an American professional hunter, businessman (Duck Commander), and reality television star on the popular television series, Duck Dynasty. He is also featured on the television show Buck Commander, a hunting program on the Outdoor Channel.

He attended Louisiana Tech University where he played football, but turned down an opportunity to play professionally with the Washington Redskins. He received a master's degree in education and spent several years teaching.

Robertson attracted controversy in 2013 when he was suspended from A&E after making anti-gay[1][2][3] and racially insensitive comments[4][1][5] in an interview with GQ Magazine. He is a devout Christian, a recovering alcoholic, and strongly pro-life.

Robertson was born in Vivian, Louisiana. He was the fifth of seven children of James and Merritt Robertson. Because of financial setbacks during his childhood, the family lived in rugged conditions having no electricity, toilet or bathtub. The family rarely went into town to buy groceries, and instead lived off of the fruits and vegetables they grew in their garden; the meat from deer, squirrels, fish and other game they hunted and fished; and the pigs, chickens, and cattle they raised.

In his book, Happy, Happy, Happy, Robertson recalls that "It was the 1950s when I was a young boy, but we lived like it was the 1850s...but we were always happy, happy, happy no matter the circumstances."[6]

As an athlete in high school, Robertson was all-state in football, baseball, and track, which afforded him the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech University in Ruston on a football scholarship in the late 1960s.[8] There he played first-string quarterback for the Bulldogs, ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw,[9][10] the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. When he arrived at Tech in 1966, Bradshaw caused a media frenzy on account of his reputation of being a football sensation from nearby Shreveport.[11][12] Robertson was a year ahead of Bradshaw, and was the starter for two seasons in 1966 and 1967, and chose not to play in 1968.[13] In his time at Louisiana Tech, Robertson completed 179 of 411 passing attempts for 2,237 yards. He threw 12 touchdowns, but had 34 interceptions.[8] It was thought he had the potential for a pro career, but his mind was elsewhere.[8] In an interview with ESPN, Robertson stated that:

"One time a bunch of geese came over and I was over there with the coach and talking about techniques or whatever, a big skull session on the practice field. I heard these geese. Remember we were practicing in the fall of the year — and the grand passage as we call it — the ducks and geese were coming from Canada. I heard these blues and snow geese coming over and I sort of fell into a trance. Of course I had my headgear next to my chest and I'm looking toward the sky and finally one of them coaches looked around, and he started cursing at me, "What are you doing son? Get over here! What are you looking up at?" I said, "A bunch of them geese, Coach. Boy they pretty, ain't they?" He said, "Get your butt over here."[8]

And this was most certainly not a secret; even Bradshaw claimed that:

"The quarterback playing ahead of me, Phil Robertson, loved hunting more than he loved football. He'd come to practice directly from the woods, squirrel tails hanging out of his pockets, duck feathers on his clothes. Clearly he was a fine shot, so no one complained too much."[14]

When Paul Harvey confronted Robertson with a recruitment to play professionally for the Washington Redskins, he declined because football conflicted with his hunting. Besides, football was only about holding up his scholarship to him, while Bradshaw practically lived and breathed the sport.[12] Robertson put it in this way: "Terry went for the bucks, and I chased after the ducks."[8]

Phil received a bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's in education.[15]

Robertson initially spent several years teaching. He said while his students claim he was an excellent teacher, spending time in a classroom brought him to the conclusion that his time and talents would be better spent in the woods.[15]

For a while, he was a commercial fisherman. In the 1970s, his marriage became strained. Robertson, now running a bar, was falling prey to alcohol, and at times would kick his wife and children out of the house. He began to commit many crimes, and would hide out in the woods for weeks at a time to avoid the authorities. His wife, Kay, put the whole scene in this way:

But he thought he was looking for his freedom...I told our kids, I said, 'The devil is in your dad now. Your dad is made from God. He has a good heart and is a good man, but right now Satan is occupying him and his mind. Don't hate your dad. You hate Satan and the forces beyond him.'

The only thing that kept Kay in the marriage was the quote, "One man, one wife, for one life".[16]

In 1975, while Robertson was running a bar, his sister, Jan, asked a fellow Christian man to go to the bar with her to discuss the gospel with Robertson and hand out Bibles to the patrons. Robertson forced the man to leave, but allowed Jan to continue handing out Bibles and warned the patrons of the bar not to harm her. After a series of distressing incidents and a period of time spent away from his wife and children, Robertson returned and found the man who had come to the bar with his sister. They discussed Robertson's life, and Robertson eventually agreed to be baptized in the presence of his wife and children. He was 28 at the time.[17]

Duck Commander
As an avid duck hunter, Robertson was dissatisfied with the condition of duck calls. He began to experiment with making a call that would produce the exact sound of a duck. He invented his first Duck Commander call in 1972. He received a patent for this call and the Duck Commander Company was incorporated in 1973.[15] Today, the company of Duck Commander is a multi-million dollar empire, headed by his son, Willie Robertson.[18]

lol the dude is a idiot coward bigot aka traditional American Role Model.

freakzilla wrote:

I believe being gay is a sin but I have never gone out of my way to tell gay people off or done anything to stop any gay person from doing what they want ever.

Also the Quran is meant to be taken literal and has never been changed.

We had this talk before, you said you can't even be friends with someone who is gay.

So? I can't be friends either unless she goes both ways and brings a friend along. I don't consider you a friend, just a gal with hot ass OU. I don't want to confuse or mislead you here.