The Ghost of Phil Robertson

Sometimes bigots say non bigoted things.

The meme below keeps appearing in my Facebook timeline. It was difficult to know if those posting it were bigots or didn't realised who was on the meme and what it was being used for. Now days there are a lot less bigots on my Facebook, standing up against homophobia will do that, i think those still posting it don't realise its history. I keep explaining it but it wont go away, its like the ghost of Phil Robertson's bigotry is haunting my news feed.
 So today we are going to take a look at the man, Phil Robertson (pictured), what he stands for, and why the meme was created.

Phil Robertson

He was born on born April 24, 1946, he kills animals for a living,has a business based on hunting and reality television actor on Duck Dynasty.He was suspended from the A&E program after he revealed his bigeted views, but a backlash from bigoted views caused A&E to reinstate him to the show. If you think that is unacceptable you can contact A&E here.

What he said:

• "gay men were sent by the devil to tempt us all with their magnificent anuses"

•  "picking cotton was so fun, black people just couldn't stop singing"

•  "You got to marry these girls when they are about 15 or 16,"

•  "Two guys break into an atheist's home. He has a little atheist wife and two little atheist daughters. Two guys break into his home and tie him up in a chair and gag him.Then they take his two daughters in front of him and rape both of them and then shoot them, and they take his wife and then decapitate her head off in front of him and then they can look at him and say, 'Isn't it great that I don't have to worry about being judged? Isn't it great that there's nothing wrong with this? There's no right or wrong, now, is it dude? Then you take a sharp knife and take his manhood and hold it in front of him and say,  Wouldn't it be something if there was something wrong with this? But you're the one who says there is no God, there's no right, there's no wrong, so we're just having fun. We're sick in the head, have a nice day."

• “I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once,” he said. “Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field … They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!… Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.” (this was in relation to the African American civil rights movement).
•  “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.”
•   “It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. 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.”

What happened:

A&E suspended Phil for his bigoted comments but due to a huge outpouring of bigots claiming free speech and freedom of religion. A&E reinstated the bigot after only nine days. The bigoted protesters seems to ignore that fact that in America at the time you could be fired for being born gay, they don't seem to be protesting about that at all.

That is when this meme surfaced, while it seems innocent enough, what it is really saying is that Phil's comments are acceptable and even compassionate! I am sure that those who post this meme on my Facebook do not agree with his comments, or that they are in any way acceptable.

We should always remember that your religion should dictate how you behave. Freedom of religion allows others to dictate how they behave based on their religion or moral code. Your religion or beliefs should not not trump anothers rights to freedom or equality. 

So would you still post that meme on your Facebook, would you do it if you had gay, vegan, religious or African American friends on Facebook?