A&E has suspended Phil Robertson from its No. 1 hit show Duck Dynasty after he made controversial statements about homosexuality. Influential Christian lawyers are unanimously supporting the Robertson family patriarch.
Robertson was indefinitely suspended from A&E’s Duck Dynasty after he told GQ magazine that he doesn’t understand how two men could enjoy making love to one another. Using anatomically correct language, the Duck Dynasty dad said that in his opinion, a woman has more to offer a man sexually than another man.
“America was a country founded upon Christian values,” Robertson told GQ, and “the gradual removal of Christian symbolism from public spaces has diluted those founding principles.” Using the removal of Ten Commandment monuments outside of courthouses as an example, Robertson said, “Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine.”
When the reporter asked what is sinful, Robertson listed homosexuality and promiscuity and quoted from 1 Corinthians.
“Whether or not A&E violated the legal rights of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, they most surely violated a fundamental principle of American society: that people have the right to express their religious viewpoints without being punished,” Liberty Institute said Thursday in a statement.
“Liberty strongly condemns A&E’s intolerant and inflexible bullying of Phil Robertson and its insensitivity to its viewers, most of whom agree with Robertson’s religious viewpoint,” the statement continues.
“We stand ready to defend the rights of people of faith in the workplace—such as our client Craig James in his legal action against Fox Sports—when such religious discrimination violates the law, as it often does.
“In the spirit of American tolerance of religious diversity, A&E should reinstate Mr. Robertson and apologize for its religious bigotry.”
Alliance Defending Freedom has also shown support for Duck Commander’s Phil Robertson.
“America’s long tradition of free and open discussion about important cultural issues is the cornerstone of a healthy society,” says ADF Senior Vice President of Legal Doug Napier. “This move is more evidence of the one-sided censorship of the cultural and political elites outraged by such a basic teaching. A&E, as a media outlet, should understand better than most the free marketplace of ideas.”
“The self-appointed speech police rallying behind A&E don’t believe in the free marketplace of ideas and have no tolerance for any beliefs other than their own,” Napier adds. “Alliance Defending Freedom exists to preserve and protect free speech and to stand against these types of meritless attacks upon freedom.”
In addition, the attorneys at Liberty Counsel stand behind Robertson.
“To fire someone because of his religious beliefs is outrageous and anti-American,” says Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “A&E has pandered to the wrong group. The television network should apologize for censoring Phil Robertson. I am sure other cable networks would love to carry Duck Dynasty.”
“This is another example of the left clamoring for tolerance for everyone except Christians,” Staver adds. “Duck Dynasty’s unashamed displays of faith and traditional values are a breath of fresh air in this Miley Cyrus culture, where flagrant displays of sexuality permeate entertainment. In fact, I believe it is the show’s strong family values that make the reality comedy the most-watched nonfiction cable telecast in history.”
Staver adds, “Phil Robertson is correct. While every person is created in the image of God and deserves respect, sinful people do sinful acts that cannot be condoned. Homosexual behavior is abnormal and sinful. It is contrary to the natural created order and is physically harmful. A&E has made a big mistake. By censoring Phil Robertson, A&E has offended the bulk of its viewing audience.
Staver concludes by quoting Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”
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