Phil Robertson, the star of the breakaway hit reality show Duck Dynasty, has been placed on “indefinite hiatus” by A&E after making anti-gay comments to GQ . In an interview appearing in the January issue of the magazine, Robertson said, “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 then paraphrased 1 Corinthians 6:9, saying, “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.” Robertson also made an anatomically graphic statement concerning his thoughts about homosexuality.
The statements drew immediate criticism from the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, whose said, “By taking quick action and removing Robertson from future filming, A&E has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value.” In his own statement about the controversy released yesterday, the Robertson family patriarch said that despite the comments, its his goal to treat all people with respect. “My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other” …
