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 Phil Robertson of A&E's "Duck Dynasty" has been suspended for his comments on homosexuality.
December 20th, 2013
11:23 AM ET
Does Phil Robertson get the Bible wrong?By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - The Robertson family of "Duck Dynasty" fame has rallied around its patriarch, saying his controversial comments on homosexuality are "grounded in the teachings of the Bible." But Scripture is fiercely contested ground, and some experts say Phil Robertson misinterprets a key Bible verse. A&E, the network that broadcasts the hugely popular "Duck Dynasty" show, suspended Robertson for a now infamous interview with GQ magazine. In the article, Robertson, who became a born-again Christian in the 1970s after a prodigal youth, is asked to define "sin." Here's what Robertson says: “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." Robertson, 67, then paraphrases a Bible passage from the New Testament: “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.” That's a pretty close citation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which is a letter from Paul, often called the father of Christianity theology, to a fledgling Christian community in Corinth, Greece. Here's what Paul's passage says, as rendered in the New International Version, by far the most popular translation among evangelicals and conservative Christians such as Robertson: "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Evangelicals, who make up about a quarter of the U.S. population, tend to take that passage at face value. The Robertson family pastor, for instance, told CNN on Thursday that "the verse explains itself." Robertson himself is no religious neophyte. He's an elder in the White's Ferry Road Church of Christ and offers spiritual counseling, charity and Bible studies to many in his hometown of West Monroe, Louisiana, the family pastor, Mike Kellett told CNN. The "Duck Dynasty" star also preaches around the country to conservatives that flock to hear his blend of woodsy, plainspoken Christianity. Many conservatives backed Robertson's views on Scripture and homosexuality this week, if not the "crude" way he argued his point to GQ. My Take: The Bible really does condemn homosexuality But other Bible experts said the Scripture Robertson cited isn't quite clear about homosexuality. "A lot of people misread this text because it's so complicated," said O. Wesley Allen Jr., an associate professor at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. First, scholars say, we have to look at the context surrounding Paul's letter. The Christian leader is trying to get the quarreling Corinthians to stop taking each other to civil courts and being judgmental. "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already," Paul says. Things were supposed to be different after they became Christian believers, Paul continues; they were supposed to stop their sinful ways. Then Paul lists some of their sins of the past, including greed, drinking too much, worshipping idols and sexual immorality. "That is what some of you were," Paul says. "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." The list of sins is likely based on rumors that Paul heard about Corinth, says Warren Throckmorton, a psychology professor at Grove City College in Pennsylvania who has studied the Bible's teachings on homosexuality. Bible scholars call it a "vice list," and it appears several times in Scripture. So what does Paul's "vice list" say about homosexuality? That's the tricky part. The first word Paul uses is "malakoi," which means "soft" in Greek, according to Allen. By analogy, the word came to mean "effeminate," which is how the King James Version of the Bible translates it. "In the ancient world, it would refer to a boy in a relationship with an older man," Allen said. "It was pederasty, not homosexuality as we think of it today." The other relevant word on Paul's "vice list" is "arsenokotai," which means "male sex." It refers to the other half in the man-boy relationship, common in Greece at the time, Allen said, the older male having sex with the "soft one." "It isn't anything to do with what we would see today in an intimate, mutual relationship between gay adults," said Allen, who is co-authoring an upcoming book on homosexuality and heterosexuality in the church. My Take: The Bible’s surprisingly mixed messages on sexuality Even so, scholars such as Allen acknowledge there are no Bible passages that support same-sex relationships, and at least seven that appear to condemn gay sex. "There's no way around the fact that those passages take a negative view of homosexuality, and nowhere in the Bible is a positive view offered," Allen said. "So conservatives and liberals continue to debate." Liberals say that some parts of the Bible offered particular truths for a specific times and places but those times and places, as well as human understanding of sexuality, have progressed dramatically. "The Bible may be divinely inspired, but its authors were human and saw, as St. Paul puts it, through a glass darkly," said Jim Naughton, a Christian gay rights activist and communications consultant. "On the subject of homosexuality, the Bible doesn’t mean what Phil Robertson thinks it means." Conservatives such as Robertson, on the other hand, argue that the Bible is the bedrock of their faith, unchanging and unalterable. "We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word," the Robertson family said Thursday. For decades, the gulf between the two sides has divided denominations, churches and families. To paraphrase Lincoln, both sides read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and both invoke his aid to argue against each other. Which is why our contemporary debate over homosexuality is so fierce, and so seemingly unending. soundoff (5,719 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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This is about a man expressing personal opinions that don't hurt anyone. Hurt feelings are not newsworthy.
the gay-lobby is VERY drama oriented. So yes, their feelings do matter. And if you don't thtop your narrow minded ways, you'll get a man-purse full right in the kisser.
Elliott,
Fortunately, education is slowly eradicating ignorance and bigotry.
Sadly, not fast enough,
and hopefully it will have an effect on yourself, to the point you'll actually tolerate and accept someone who believes in God. No go ahead and make a comment that you are already an open-minded person and lovable and all that nonsense. LOL
This is about a man who is employed by a network. This network has the right to protect it's product.
and protect it for 2% of Americans who don't even watch the program. Check back this time next year; A&E, if they are interested in making money, will most likely regret their decision. But your are correct, it's their decision. I won't stop you from cutting your finger off.
Sodom and gomorrah. =/
If I saw someone raping a little girl, I'd try to stop it. That's the difference between me and your god.
Thanks Bernadette. You obviously feel much better about yourself.
How about abortion? How about the starving children in Africa.
What exactly are you doing other than being worried about what others believe?
The Bible NEVER mentioned abortion. God killed every fetus on the face of the earth at one time.
Wouldn't you like to know, Elliott. Now how about you get back to the subject that I replied to.
Bernie, isn't that why the anonymity of the internet is so appealing to your types. You can allude to all of those wonderful things you are doing without anything to back it up.
Wow – Elliott fancies himself a mind-reader.
rose,
The sin of Sodom was GREED. Please read a Bible someday.
Yet another fairy tale.
Timothy 2:12... your God commands you!
Quoting the Bible, as an authoritative text on "anything," is misleading and prejudicial whether you are a born-again Christian or an alien snerf herder. The book is simply not a clear representation of "any" universal law; it "is" a text for a specific, man-made religion, based on the biased – applied and perceived – rules of "that" religion, and even then, not clearly defined. Standing behind the Bible, as a judgment, in any opinionated assignment, is similar, in nature, to standing beneath a plate glass skylight for protection from asteroids.
Alien snerf herder? Best allegory of the day.
The bible is just another tool that some people use to beat others over the head in an attempt to feel self-righteous.
Does CNN flog a dead horse into eternity? Does it have problems choosing a single message board?
Ignorant, yes. But what gives A&E the right to punish this guy for a statement he made on his own time while not representing the network? It's time we demand that companies, networks, sports leagues, etc. stop trying to be the freaking thought police and punishing people for exercising their 1st Amendment rights to self expression! No one would suggest that he be prosecuted for making offensive statements like this. The same theory should apply to A&E. Someone says something that your organization doesn't agree with, too bad, you can't retaliate it's his right to free speech.
he made the statement on a highly publicized forum, so lets stop pretending that he was persecuted for stating an opinion among his peers. he has a right to say what he will just as his employer has a right to fire him if he proves a threat to their revenue. you conservatives need to decide once and for all whether or not you want government interfering with a company's right to choose their own employers. i bet you never once raised a stink at the news of someone being fired for being gay.
American laws providing the right to enter into a contract. Actually goes back thousands of years. It's called freedom – you don't have to pay someone who makes your company look like a fool.
For someone who has the name 'lawguy' you certainly are light on the understanding of what basic free speech means! Freedom of speech applies to public speech. A company can do what it wants, except discriminate (A company cannot refuse to serve a white person because he is white for example).
When did 2 viginas make and baby and when did a penis in the poop-shoot become an ok idea? Now a group wants to make this normal?
Jeff,
To avoid being so ignorant, ask some of your hetero male friends about sodomy with their girlfriends. You don't get around much.
Indeed, I think I will go home and take the ol vein train to A-Town with the ol lady tonight to highlight this convenient oversight.
You and your sheep friends may know best, but mmmmm, no, not for me.
Did you read that statement before you printed it?
so sick of stupid people attempting to reason based only on their 2000 year old book of dubiously translated magical stories.
Ohhhh.....so they are antequated ideas and laws?
Gays deny Jesus Christ and the Bible because they are trying to deny their sin..
Christians cling to their religion because they are terrified of dying and their belief allows them to pretend that they will live forever.
See how easy it is to make broad statements about people you don't know?
As Christians we are promised eternal life. Eternity has two destinations and we all have free will to chose which one we will go. It's not too late for you. The only way to the Father is thru the Son. Accept Jesus now as your personal savior.
ironic screen name, eh?
pull the bible out of your backside, boy
join us in the 21st century
Pull the Penis out of your backside and ask for forgiveness
Jesus was single, wore a robe and sandals, and hung out with 12 dudes. Just saying.
Is idiocy a sin?
Yes the Gays wrote their own bible and pretend they can make it to heaven. How sad for them.
It's sad when someone uses a 3,000 year old book to justify their own prejudices.
how sad that you hold to an translated, edited hearsay written by iron age sheep molestes to determine your morality
Oh who cares...in 1.235 million years the Ants will have won, the planet will be theirs, and we will be subjugated to their ONE TRUE GOD (which happens to look oddly like an aardvark...its a sick universe)
You may have something there
Actually, I think it might be roaches.
That reminds me of an old Cerebus the Aardvark tshirt – "He doesn't love you, he just wants your money".
Any old Cerebus fans out there? (chuckle)
All Hail Aardvark, bringer of everlasting salvation.
Why isn't free speech protected from employers as much as gender, race, disability, etc.?
Isn't the ability to speak freely without punishment just as important in a democracy?
The Civil Rights Act covers religion also.
As much as you might want to insult and threaten everyone at your place of employment, you can't do that.
the first amendment was not violated, you ignorant tool.
danny boy....if you owned a business, took lots of pride in your product, and one of your employees posts on his facebook page that danny boy's products totally stink.....do you feel that this is free speech that should be protected? in your world, would you not fire him?
It's funny how all the republicans are getting their shirts all puffed up over this issue. The repubs have fought to remove worker's rights and give more rights to companies. Oh, you said something that embarrassed your employer? That employer gave you that job, and they can take it away too. It's all part of that "removing troublesome regulations" on businesses that republicans love so much. All Phil Robertson did was out himself as profoundly ignorant and 'backwoods' as his image. If you can be fired for being gay (in many states you can), then why shouldn't companies be able to fire you for shooting off your mouth?
Nailed it.
The Bible is immoral. Who cares what it says?
AGREED!
I suppose you for legalizing 'choas'.
You can often spot the thumpers, by their atrocious grammar 🙂
The Bible says ra pe is a-ok. And you think our society can't function without it? Follow the Bible to a T and you'll find yourself locked up.
When has gay relations ever produced another living thing? Never.
Danny Boy,
Gays and lesbians can reproduce.
Ooops.
Not with each other.
Neither can two hetero males.
So you only like women for the purpose of reproduction?
S E X is for reproduction only. Any other use is wrong.
Unless they are sterile, every gay person is capable of producing another living being, just like any straight person.
And... that would be important why exactly? We don't exactly have an underpopulation problem after all.
does nobody believe in freedom of choice anymore? if you agree or disagree it doesnt matter. do what you want with your own body.
Denying equal rights to another group of human beings based on your religious beliefs is still called bigotry.
That statement also works both ways. I just want to know which bigot is bigger.
Off course he is wrong. Red neck religion is always wrong.
That is hateful and bigoted
But is it incorrect?
What is wrong with hating red necks? I hate Nazi's also. And all Tea Billies.
That just opens the door to people saying I hate gays or blacks. All generalized hatred is wrong
And the key word" hate" translates to bigot.
Logically, if it's unacceptable to quote the Bible because it offends some people, perhaps the Bible should be banned. Today, it seems that anything that bothers anybody must be kept from the public eye. I don't personally pay much attention to the Old Testament, or the new one. The duck hunter didn't say gays should be prosecuted or persecuted. He just said what he thinks the Bible tells him. And the blacks he knew seemed like happy people. Thus he was banished from the Kingdom of Television.
If that is what Phil interpetes from the bible, that is his opinion, everyone has one. Nobody should judge him for it. IT IS CALLED FREEDOM OF SPEECH! AMEN
Judging him for what he says is very different from recognizing his right to say it.
And A&E suspended him because they are his employers and his remarks damaged their product. Actions have consequences.
then why can an employer not fire a gay for ruining their business.
SCORE!!!!
Sure. And A&E has the same right to continue his employment. Oh, well.
Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say anything you like and have no one judge you.
Freedom of speech is that you can say whatever you like. You can't be put in jail or fined for it.
But other people have freedom of speech too, to say they find what you say disgusting, and A&E has the right to discontinue employment if they believe an employee is hurting their company.
"Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say anything you like and have no one judge you".
Unless you're the liberal left. If someone speaks in opposition to gays, then they try every way possible to have you charged with a hate crime. And if that doesn't work, they simply resort to slandering your name, making up stories, twisitng facts, and generally trying to destroy you.
"...and A&E has the right to discontinue employment if they believe an employee is hurting their company".
Please....don't make me laugh. "Duck Dynasty" MADE A&E what it is today. The only thing that will "hurt" their company, will be losing the show.