Let's face it...there are double standards in this world. Everywhere one turns, it is OK for one person to offer a "personal opinion" and not OK for another. I always told my children that the beauty of having an "opinion" was that everyone had one. An "opinion" is yours...YOU own it. So, why, I must ask myself, is everyone so concerned about making "opinions" all the same?
I am a southerner. And yes, most of us do cling to our guns and religion. And family. This is a way of life for us. This is how we were brought up. From the very beginning, I have enjoyed watching the Duck Dynasty television show, not only because the Robertson family is from Louisiana but because those Robertson boys' antics are some my own boys have experienced. Growing up in the south is a different lifestyle. We hunt, fish, play sports (Louisiana is the Sportsman's Paradise, after all) and go to church. And we don't just "go" to church; we wear our Christianity on our sleeve like a badge. We pray for everything from rain to good farm crops to healing. And what's wrong with that? I, personally, love that.
Phil Robertson first got reprimanded for saying a prayer at the end of every Duck Dynasty show each week. It apparently offended people. Hmmm...my answer to that is, don't watch it then. There are lots of shows on television that offend me. Do I pitch a hissy fit (a southern term) and say, "Make them stop doing that!" No, I simply turn the dial to another program and go on down the road. Phil refused to stop praying on the show. Then, the people who are for gun control said the show offended them. Again, turn the dial. There are many television shows AND movies that depict guns used in a much more violent manner than hunting (It's OK for Hollywood to depict in in movies...). Hunting is a way of life here in Louisiana. We hunt food to put on our tables; that is the truth. So, finally, they got him. He gave an interview for GQ Magazine (Which has not come out yet) and some questions were asked of Phil that he answered honestly, according to HIS "opinions and beliefs" and the outcry has begun.
"Suspended". That word sounds like one uses in schools around the country when children have broken a rule. "Suspended Indefinitely" sounds like "expelled" (that's when one has seriously fractured a school rule). Phil answered some questions by quoting the Bible. Questions that were asked by the interviewer, whom I'm sure, expected the sort of response he got. He had Phil Robertson right where he wanted him. He, the interviewer was going to make a name for himself by breaking this rural born, southern man of God down; he was going to expose him for what he really was. And he did. He exposed Phil Robertson for being a Christian who is not afraid of voicing his "opinion" of what is right and wrong in this world. He is not afraid of quoting the Bible. He is not afraid of praying on television, where millions of people see he and his family living their faith. This man is not afraid of the television network's threats or being "indefinitely suspended". His honestly for standing up for his beliefs is something all Christians should be proud of. The interview did not break Phil Robertson down; he stands as firmly as these old oak trees that have weathered many hurricanes here in the south.
Now, I must pose the question I started with: "Would it have been different if the makers of South Park had said it instead of Phil Robertson?" I never watched or allowed my children to watch South Park growing up...because it was one of those shows I just chose to turn the channel on. Therefore, when my season ticket package to the theatre this year contained tickets to "The Book of Mormon", all I knew was the it was one of the most popular shows on Broadway and a very difficult ticket to obtain. I settled into my seat and as the show began, I was appalled. I am not Mormon but that show was one of the worst I had ever seen. Broadway shows are always a bit "edgy" but this show was more than edgy; it not only made fun of the Mormons but also had parts that were very offensive to me, as a Christian. When my husband and I walked out of the theatre, he made a comment that has stuck with me. He said, "That show is what the world finds funny." There's that double standard I was talking about. Everyone has been touting "The Book of Mormon", saying it is the funniest and best show out there. Have you heard of one person out there demanding they take it off Broadway? My point is, why should Christians keep their mouths shut about their beliefs? Whey should they be persecuted for quoting the Bible, when others can quote Marxists or Communist or anybody else in their interviews? Why should they not be allowed to pray on their television show(which depicts their lifestyle) when others television shows portray characters of other religions praying to or worshiping their gods.
The ridiculousness of this situation shows the state that our nation is in. This nation was formed on the premise of "Freedom of Religion". Our forefathers were tired of others telling them what they could think and how they could worship. It seems to me that "Freedom of Religion" these days only applies to every other religion than Christianity. I, for one, applaud Phil Robertson for his honesty and voicing his opinions and his beliefs. We, Christians, should all strive to be so bold.
2
I am a southerner. And yes, most of us do cling to our guns and religion. And family. This is a way of life for us. This is how we were brought up. From the very beginning, I have enjoyed watching the Duck Dynasty television show, not only because the Robertson family is from Louisiana but because those Robertson boys' antics are some my own boys have experienced. Growing up in the south is a different lifestyle. We hunt, fish, play sports (Louisiana is the Sportsman's Paradise, after all) and go to church. And we don't just "go" to church; we wear our Christianity on our sleeve like a badge. We pray for everything from rain to good farm crops to healing. And what's wrong with that? I, personally, love that.
Phil Robertson first got reprimanded for saying a prayer at the end of every Duck Dynasty show each week. It apparently offended people. Hmmm...my answer to that is, don't watch it then. There are lots of shows on television that offend me. Do I pitch a hissy fit (a southern term) and say, "Make them stop doing that!" No, I simply turn the dial to another program and go on down the road. Phil refused to stop praying on the show. Then, the people who are for gun control said the show offended them. Again, turn the dial. There are many television shows AND movies that depict guns used in a much more violent manner than hunting (It's OK for Hollywood to depict in in movies...). Hunting is a way of life here in Louisiana. We hunt food to put on our tables; that is the truth. So, finally, they got him. He gave an interview for GQ Magazine (Which has not come out yet) and some questions were asked of Phil that he answered honestly, according to HIS "opinions and beliefs" and the outcry has begun.
"Suspended". That word sounds like one uses in schools around the country when children have broken a rule. "Suspended Indefinitely" sounds like "expelled" (that's when one has seriously fractured a school rule). Phil answered some questions by quoting the Bible. Questions that were asked by the interviewer, whom I'm sure, expected the sort of response he got. He had Phil Robertson right where he wanted him. He, the interviewer was going to make a name for himself by breaking this rural born, southern man of God down; he was going to expose him for what he really was. And he did. He exposed Phil Robertson for being a Christian who is not afraid of voicing his "opinion" of what is right and wrong in this world. He is not afraid of quoting the Bible. He is not afraid of praying on television, where millions of people see he and his family living their faith. This man is not afraid of the television network's threats or being "indefinitely suspended". His honestly for standing up for his beliefs is something all Christians should be proud of. The interview did not break Phil Robertson down; he stands as firmly as these old oak trees that have weathered many hurricanes here in the south.
Now, I must pose the question I started with: "Would it have been different if the makers of South Park had said it instead of Phil Robertson?" I never watched or allowed my children to watch South Park growing up...because it was one of those shows I just chose to turn the channel on. Therefore, when my season ticket package to the theatre this year contained tickets to "The Book of Mormon", all I knew was the it was one of the most popular shows on Broadway and a very difficult ticket to obtain. I settled into my seat and as the show began, I was appalled. I am not Mormon but that show was one of the worst I had ever seen. Broadway shows are always a bit "edgy" but this show was more than edgy; it not only made fun of the Mormons but also had parts that were very offensive to me, as a Christian. When my husband and I walked out of the theatre, he made a comment that has stuck with me. He said, "That show is what the world finds funny." There's that double standard I was talking about. Everyone has been touting "The Book of Mormon", saying it is the funniest and best show out there. Have you heard of one person out there demanding they take it off Broadway? My point is, why should Christians keep their mouths shut about their beliefs? Whey should they be persecuted for quoting the Bible, when others can quote Marxists or Communist or anybody else in their interviews? Why should they not be allowed to pray on their television show(which depicts their lifestyle) when others television shows portray characters of other religions praying to or worshiping their gods.
The ridiculousness of this situation shows the state that our nation is in. This nation was formed on the premise of "Freedom of Religion". Our forefathers were tired of others telling them what they could think and how they could worship. It seems to me that "Freedom of Religion" these days only applies to every other religion than Christianity. I, for one, applaud Phil Robertson for his honesty and voicing his opinions and his beliefs. We, Christians, should all strive to be so bold.
