Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Russell Moore Express Outrage at Duck Dynasty Suspension
Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal and Russell Moore expressed outrage that Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson would be suspended from his popular A&E show for expressing traditional views about homosexuality.
"It is a messed up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended," Jindal, the governor of Robertson's home state of Louisiana, said in a press release.
Robertson was suspended from the top-ranked show after an interview with GQ. He mentioned homosexual behavior among a list of other sins, claimed Christians cannot judge whether someone is going to heaven or hell, and argued Christians should love those with same-sex attraction.
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Beginning with a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians, he said, "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. ... We never, ever judge someone on who's going to heaven, hell. That's the Almighty's job. We just love 'em, give 'em the good news about Jesus – whether they're homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort 'em out later, you see what I'm saying?"
In his typical blunt style that has made his show popular, he added: "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."
Russell Moore, president of Southern Baptist Convention's Ethic and Religious Liberty Commission, thought the "anatomical comparisons were ill-advised and crude," but added that his views were "more or less" consistent with what the Bible says.
"As Christians, we believe that Jesus is lord over sexuality, and he says that sexuality is expressed rightly only in the marriage of a man and a woman. That's not new. We also think we're all sinners, and that God calls us all to repentance. That's not new either," he said.
Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and host of Fox News' "Huckabee," is promoting a "Stand with Phil and Support Free Speech" day for Monday, Dec. 23. At the time of publication, the associated Facebook page has over 25,000 members. Huckabee complained Thursday morning, though, that Facebook has blocked the ability to invite others to the page.
"For this network to toss Phil Robertson off of TV because he believed something and said what he believed, this network is insulting and snobbing the millions of Americans who hold the same view, albeit perhaps expressed in less graphic terms," Huckabee wrote.
Jindal similarly argued that those who support Robertson's suspension argue for tolerance of all views except those they disagree with.
"The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with. I don't agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive. But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views," he said.
Even though "we're a divided country on sexual issues," Moore added, Americans should debate "in a civil fashion, without attempting to silence one another."
