It’s been awhile now since I wrote about anything that specifically dealt with the spiritual side of sexuality. That all began to change though when I caught wind of the news about the words Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame shared in his interview for a GQ article.
In it, he shared:
“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.”
He went on further to say:
“Everything is blurred on what’s right and 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. 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.”
Being a gay male myself and currently in a monogamous relationship with a partner who I love dearly, it saddens me to see someone take a whole group of people in this world and denounce them so openly, especially given the fame he has gained. Of course Phil is entitled to free speech and I know there are probably many more who feel the same way as him out there in this world. But it’s really not him, or anyone else that so openly denounces homosexuality, that bothers me. It’s how they all don’t realize what they’re saying is the exact opposite of what being a true Christian means.
Jesus Christ walked this Earth and practiced offering love and light to everyone. Not once does the Bible ever recollect anything about Jesus denouncing two men or two women for being together in a loving relationship with each other.
Too many Christians continue to take a text written 2000 years ago and use it as a weapon against a whole set of people on this Earth who have souls just like them. They share their opinions, and not facts, based upon those writings in the Bible to say who is or isn’t going to Heaven and who is or isn’t going to Hell. The reality is that they aren’t God, Jesus, the Disciples, or anyone else from that time. They aren’t all-knowing or all-seeing. They have their opinions that are solely being based in their minds as facts because of what they read in the Bible.
Phil Robertson is an example of this. While he is entitled to his free speech, he’s not practicing spreading the love and light that Jesus once tried to spread on this Earth through the comments he said in that GQ article. What’s even harder to swallow is all the thousands of comments I’ve already seen written online in response to A&E’s decision to place the man on hiatus from Duck Dynasty. Many of those people are claiming themselves to be Christians like Phil, except they are spewing hate, anger, rage, spite, malice, and other things that are more bestowed from those living in darkness.
It’s not my place to tell Phil Robertson how he should feel. He feels as he does and interprets the Bible from his own viewpoint. But I can understand why A&E placed him on hiatus from appearing on Duck Dynasty. In today’s day and age, a bad public image for a person of fame, or any company that represents that person, can end up destroying both’s reputation. I’m sure that A&E is afraid of losing viewers and offending any of those that are either gay or support gay rights who might either watch Duck Dynasty or other programs on their network.
Regardless of everything I just said, I do want to say that I have never have watched Duck Dynasty nor have I ever been into hunting. But my deepest truth about all of this controversy is the following. If I had been watching the show and then caught wind of Phil Robertson’s words speaking out against homosexuality, I wouldn’t be watching it anymore. It’s as simple as that for me these days when it comes to anyone or anything that speaks out so negatively against the whole gay community. Speaking out against anyone with such slander is not walking in the footsteps of Christ nor is it spreading any love and light on this planet. It’s only creating more darkness instead.
I spent many years not understanding why God had me be born gay if it was such a sin. Thankfully that changed when God helped me to see that being promiscuous with my sexuality was the actual sin, but loving one man with all my heart, mind, and soul was not. Unfortunately, people like Phil Robertson, and the others in this world who feel as he does about gay people, might not ever understand this. Hopefully though, one day they will.
But like everything else, such as when the CEO of Chick-Fil-A went through this very same issue quite recently, this Duck Dynasty issue will eventually blow over too. And when it does, another incident in similar nature will sadly just take its place. This will happen over and over and over again until people like Phil Robertson begin to take a different look at homosexuality. You see, it’s on the day when EVERYONE can start realizing that two men or two women loving each other unconditionally is acceptable and blessed in the eyes of God, that we’ll all be a lot more loving as Jesus Christ once was.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
