Actor's Comments
Challenge Freedom
Of Speech And FaithStigl
By Harriett Ford
The
duck call does more than honk. Duck Dynasty
Commander Phil Robertson, 67, is making noise that demands a new
definition for the terms “freedom of speech” and “freedom of
religion”—a definition free from extremist labels of
“intolerance,” “political correctness,” and the right not to
be offended.
The
hugely popular (and profitable) reality
show now has a questionable future because patriarch Robertson dared
to quote
a passage of scripture from I Cor. 6:9-10, expressing his personal
faith in God's word. Because this passage does not condone
homosexuality, Robertson is accused of making “vile” comments.
When
did Christians lose the constitutional right to freedom of speech and
the freedom to give voice to their faith without being labeled
intolerant or vile?
“Whether
I said it, or someone read it, what's the difference?” Robertson
commented during the subsequent media storm. “It's not my word,
it's God's,” he might have added.
Pro-gay
organization GLAAD describes the quoted passage “vile.”
Christians across the nation find this remark deeply offensive. They
do not believe they have the right to re-interpret God's word,
regardless of Obama's “evolving” opinion and the current push for
cultural acceptance of gay marriage. Would the same group describe
passages from the Islamic Koran as “vile” and not expect an
outcry of offense? Are the adulterers, idolaters, drunkards,
swindlers, and male prostitutes (also not condoned in the quoted
verse) equally as offended? Is it also a “vile” hate crime to
describe these behaviors as sin?
The
position of the Christian faith has always been that God loves the
sinner and hates the sin. Yet today, it is increasingly unpopular in
this culture to label any behavior as sin. Granted there are always
extremists who do not act in love toward others. Stupid behavior is
what makes us human. However, it is the prayer of sincere believers
that God will unite us in love, not in hate. That includes reaching
out to the “sinner” to offer the hope of eternal life.
