Unlike other conservative commentators, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is strongly criticizing "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson for making homophobic comments resulting in his on-again, off-again suspension from the hit show.
On "The O'Reilly Factor, " and in several other forums, O'Reilly hasn't been shy about condemning Robertson over the last week.
"Mr. Robertson, I believe, made a mistake by the condemnation line. It’s not about the Bible, or believing or not believing in the Bible," he first said on his show on Thursday.
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"It’s singling out a group," he continued,
according to Politico. "It could be any group, and saying to that group, ‘Hey, you are not worthy in the eyes of the Lord, or in the eyes of God. You are not worthy because of who you are.' So once you get that personal, once you get down and into that kind of a realm, problems arise.”
On his spoken and written "Talking Points Memo," O'Reilly offered a Biblical analysis of the Gospels in question.
"Robertson has a constitutional right to define his religious beliefs but is misguided by targeting specific groups of people for damnation," O'Reilly said. "If you adhere to the Christian philosophy you know that Jesus was quite clear, all judgments about the consequences of sin are to be made by God and God alone. We're all sinners, and because of that the Gospel of Luke 6:37, mandates -- mandates that Christian human beings refrain from judging others. Again, that is God's prerogative.
"Now you either buy into Christianity or you don't. So Mr. Robertson's vision is flawed, according to Luke. As I said last night, this controversy is helping anti-Christian forces in the USA. The secular progressive movement seizes upon stuff like this to portray Christians as cruel fanatics. People only interested in imposing their point of view on the nation."
O'Reilly pointed out that he had written a book about Jesus Christ, the best-selling "Killing Jesus."
"Jesus was adamantly against bad behavior that injures other people but he would not condemn a woman in his presence who was an adulteress," O'Reilly said.
"And time and time the Nazarene persuaded folks that his way of living was worthy because it was so compassionate. Homosexual Americans should not be demonized just like devout Christians should not be demonized and people who have strong beliefs should understand the big picture. Portraying gay Americans as sinners gives license to harm them. It's insulting and demeaning."
Robertson was suspended from the show by the A&E cable channel, which airs the program, after he told GQ magazine that homosexuality was a sin and compared it to bestiality, among other things. He also paraphrased the passage in Corinthians from the Bible comparing homosexuals to "drunkards," and "adulterers," saying "they won't inherit the kingdom of God."
Robertson was immediately put on indefinite hiatus by A&E, which declared that his personal opinions were are not reflective of the network.
The Robertson family has since released a statement on their website suggesting the
fate of the show is in jeopardy because the Duck Dynasty stars "cannot imagine" continuing without their patriarch.
O’Reilly does say, however, that he thought Robertson's attack on homosexuality was fine because he was expressing his own views. But he erred, he added, with his "condemnation line."
"See, that’s where I think he made his mistake," Reilly told his viewers and guest, conservative radio host Laura Ingraham at one point. "Right up to there, he was okay. But once he went in and said you are not going to go to heaven."
O’Reilly, however, went on to criticize A&E's decision to suspend Robertson, claiming it was meant "to marginalize a Christian who has a big platform."
Ingraham also weighed in on the network's decision.
"They want him to shut up. It’s the new blacklist. If you don’t submit to their world view they will try to destroy you," she said.
Added O'Reilly, "There is no doubt about that. With all due respect to him, I think Phil Robertson helped them."
O'Reilly's criticism of Robertson was surprising, given that other conservative commentators and activists have thrown their support behind him, including Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Brent Bozell and Ralph Reed.
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