Phil Robertson "Fired"

[Sgt Floyd]

The problem is, and I have truly fallen short of this even in this conversation. Is that we let issues like homosexuality in and it takes away the entire message of the gospel.

What? I honestly don't understand what you are saying here. It still sounds pretty negative...

Are you saying that homosexuality is a threat to the gospel? Or are you saying the gospel is taken out of context when it comes to homosexuality...

 

[dwayne1115]

What? I honestly don't understand what you are saying here. It still sounds pretty negative...

Are you saying that homosexuality is a threat to the gospel? Or are you saying the gospel is taken out of context when it comes to homosexuality...

Neither! What I'm saying is that Christians go off on all these issues, and forget what's really important. Which is to Love your neighbor, and spread the gospel. The issue of homosexuality is not a threat to the gospel but it can pull Christians away from being able to share the gospel. I hope that explains what I am trying to say.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I understand what he was clumsily trying to say, but his lack of empathy toward oppressed human beings who where in such close proximity to him demonstrates a level of sociopathy that I really can't fathom.

I did not get lack of empathy from that statement at all. He worked with African Americans. He referred to himself in a deprecating way, not in a superior way. He's not exactly a touchy feely type of guy and maybe that comes across as insensitive, but not racist. Frankly most African Americans don't want everyone walking around feeling sorry for them. They want to get on with their lives.

And saying the welfare system we use today is broken is not lacking in empathy. That is reality, sadly.

Look at it this way. Everyone agrees that Jim Crow laws were wrong. But there are many Old School African Americans who might argue that in the old days, religion was respected more. Children respected themselves and their elders more. Certainly, there were more job opportunities in the past. I think that's all that's going on here.

There is a reason why the majority of the press has focused on his statements about gays and not about race. He very obviously has strong opinions about homosexuality. But I don't see racism in his comments. He is guilty of not speaking in a perfectly PC way. But that is not automatically racism. John Lennon also spoke rather clumsily about God. That didn't make him anti-God.

 

[jvcarroll]

What I think is sickening is the fact people can bash Christians all day long, and no one will say anything. However you say something about negative about gay people, and everyone is ready to hang you. Being a Christian is almost more low respecting then being gay. Everyone is fine with someone being gay, but if some one is a Christian and try's to live a Godly life with morals and beliefs then there is something wrong with you. I'm A Christian, and I am proud of it. I believe in God, and that he sent his only son to die for our sins. The Bible is very clear on what a sin is, and I believe that it is the Holy Word of God. I live by faith, and I don't need anyone to tell me otherwise!

• First, I think its great that you have found a religion that brings you joy!
• Second, I don't support the bashing of anyone for any reason. We all have absurdities and sometimes some polite chiding is in order, but never disrespect. Not toward Christians. Not toward gays. Not toward anyone.
• Christians are not being bashed as pertains to this particular controversy. Insensitivity is the culprit. In various statements, Mr. Roberson mocked gay sexuality, equated being gay to promiscuity, terrorism, murder and animal fornication. He even went so far as to say that the existence of gay people will lead to the fall of America. That's bashing. He could have shared his message the way Jesus would (or better yet, just say exactly what Jesus said on the subject which was nothing).
• If you'd like to understand true intolerance, that would take walking around in someone else's shoes for a while. Maybe you should visit with a few gay people without witnessing to them and just listen to their stories. Hear how their family treated them. Did they get kicked out onto the streets? How many friends did they keep after coming out and which ones left? How hard was going to school and being taunted? Do they have to stay closeted at work in order to keep their job? These are just a few of many things that happen to LGBT people everyday. We all have hardships, but simply loving someone of the same gender doesn't need to be one of them. To judge an LGBT person, Bible or not, is cruel. It is also presumptuous to believe that they haven't heard all the things Christians have to say.
• We all deserve equal respect and dignity. While I understand witnessing to people is a part of Christianity, there is a time agree to disagree with other people and respect that their beliefs are just as heartfelt as your own.

I guess that's all I have to say.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Wow, this just speaks for itself. This marks the difference between Christianity and bigotry.

While the Bible says many things (it also endorses raping, pillaging, selling others into slavery and many more quite horrible things), ...

I'd like to see your work on this claim cause I don't believe it's true

 

[CensoredAlso]

I'd like to see your work on this claim cause I don't believe it's true

It is technically true in that the people who wrote the Bible saw slavery as a normal way of life and thus rationalized that it was part of living a holy life. They were wrong and thankfully we as a culture figured that out eventually. There were many times that Jesus openly contradicted things in the OT. It's the same thing with Christians eventually rejecting slavery.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'd like to see your work on this claim cause I don't believe it's true

Ehh... try re-reading the Old Testament. Heck, as a matter of fact, there's even polygamy and incest in the Old Testament as well.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Ehh... try re-reading the Old Testament. Heck, as a matter of fact, there's even polygamy and incest in the Old Testament as well.

I'll ask again, please show your work cause I don't believe it's true.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I'll ask again, please show your work cause I don't believe it's true.

Please read my reply to your post. It is true, but it's a complicated situation.

 

[jvcarroll]

I did not get lack of empathy from that statement at all. He worked with African Americans. He referred to himself in a deprecating way, not in a superior way. He's not exactly a touchy feely type of guy and maybe that comes across as insensitive, but not racist. Frankly most African Americans don't want everyone walking around feeling sorry for them. They want to get on with their lives.

And saying the welfare system we use today is broken is not lacking in empathy. That is reality, sadly.

Look at it this way. Everyone agrees that Jim Crow laws were wrong. But there are many Old School African Americans who might argue that in the old days, religion was respected more. Children respected themselves and their elders more. Certainly, there were more job opportunities in the past. I think that's all that's going on here.

There is a reason why the majority of the press has focused on his statements about gays and not about race. He very obviously has strong opinions about homosexuality. But I don't see racism in his comments. He is guilty of not speaking in a perfectly PC way. But that is not automatically racism. John Lennon also spoke rather clumsily about God. That didn't make him anti-God.

His statement is no different than the average white person presuming to understand what an African American goes through because they "have black friends" or coworkers. Well, except for the fact that things were a million times worse back then. The amount of devil's advocate you're playing here is tantamount to being Big Red himself. I'm not buying what you're selling. I'm calling complete BS on it.