March 26, 2014
Quacked Logic: 'Duck Dynasty' Star's Son Defends Father's Anti-Gay Comments
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Some apples don't fall far from the tree. The son of the "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson, who dominated news last year for comments he made about sexuality and race in a GQ interview, may be following in his father's footsteps after making similar statements in an interview with CNN.
Willie Robertson, who stars on the A&E reality show, and his wife Korie Robertson spoke with CNN in an interview that aired Wednesday, and said he stands by his father. He said the GQ interview already "had what he wanted to put, and he was specifically asking this and that."
"Phil just said what he thought, what was on his heart," Willie Robertson said. "He did some paraphrasing there."
CNN's Kyra Phillips asked Willie Robertson: "Let's lay it out. He paraphrased First Corinthians where it talks about homosexuals, male prostitutes, drunkards, thieves, that they're all the same. Is that what you believe?"
Willie Robertson paraphrased Corinthians, saying, "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."
He added: "I believe what the Bible says. You have to read the Bible and make up your own mind. You have to decide, and God will ultimately decide then. We don't profess to be God, and we certainly don't profess to be perfect. Because we have our own sins that we deal with."
Phillips then asked the reality star, "And for him and for you, the Bible is literal, that's how it is, right?"
"That's how it was said," he replied.
Willie Robertson's wife Korie Robertson also defended her father-in-law, saying, "Anybody who knows (Phil) ... any gay, straight, black, white, anybody who knows Phil knows that he is about love and his message is about God's love, God's grace and his forgiveness, ultimately."
Phil Robertson's original statements sparked a huge controversy late last year, causing A&E to suspend the program. High profile conservatives like Sarah Palin and Sen. Ted Cruz defended the reality star, arguing that his religious freedom and freedom of speech were being compromised.
"It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus," Robertson, 67, told GQ in December. "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."
"Everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong. Sin becomes fine," he went on to say. "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."
Though "Duck Dynasty" broke ratings records on A&E and on cable television (its fourth season premiered earned 11.8 million viewers, which is the most-watched non-fiction cable series in history) its fifth season, which premiered about a month after Phil Robertson's controversial remarks, debuted with just 8.49 million viewers.
You can watch the CNN interview here.