An Open Letter to the Executive Officers of A&E

Dear A&E Executives:

I have never viewed “Duck Dynasty,” one reason being that I do not subscribe to cable TV; another being that I do not even own a TV set. (My radio and my Internet connection together provide quite adequate information about happenings in the outside world.)

However, I HAVE indeed read EVERY WORD of “What the Duck?” by Drew Magary, as posted at http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson. (Magary’s  multiple usages of the “F” word were offensive to me, but I plowed on through.) Moreover, I have been following the hullabaloo and bullying campaign against Phil Robertson which has occurred as a result of your prompt kowtowing to the LGBT lobby, who comprise not more than 4% of the population of the USA.

Have any of you actually compared Mr. Robertson’s impromptu paraphrase of portions of the Bible with published paraphrases as well as with more literal translations of the Bible???

The word “gay” occurs once in “What the Duck?” The word “homosexual” occurs twice; the plural form “homosexuals” occurs once; and “bestiality” occurs once.

The passage to which the LGBT lobby and their sympathizers object the most appears to be the following:

[Phil:] “Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong,” he says. “Sin becomes fine.”

[Drew:] What, in your mind, is sinful?

[Phil:] “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,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “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.”

According to a continuum beginning with “Word-for-Word” and proceeding to “Thought-for-Thought,” graphically depicted in “About Bible Translations,” an article compiled by ChristianBook.com [@http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=73521&sp=104481&event=1003SBR|2350733|104481], the freest paraphrases of the Bible in English are The Message, The Living Bible, and the Contemporary English Version (in descending order); whereas, the most literal modern translations are (disregarding the Interlinear version) the New American Standard Bible, the Amplified Bible, the English Standard Version, and the Revised Standard Version (in descending order).

Please take time to compare Mr. Robertson’s impromptu paraphrase (quoted above) with the corresponding passage in the Contemporary English Version (copyright ©1995 by the American Bible Society):

⁹ Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom? Don’t fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual ¹⁰ will share in God’s kingdom. Neither will any thief or greedy person or drunkard or anyone who curses and cheats others. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, CEV)

Now, let’s compare the same passage in the Revised Standard Version (copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA):

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, RSV)

And the same passage in the New American Standard Bible (Copyright © 1960-1995 by The Lockman Foundation):

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, NASB)

And the same passage in the English Standard Version (Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers):

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous ^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^{[c] 10} nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)

The two footnotes cited in the above-quoted ESV passage are informative:

b. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Or wrongdoers                                                                                               
c. 1 Corinthians 6:9 The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts

Mr. Robertson’s impromptu paraphrase does no violence to the text of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. If his paraphrase constitutes “hate speech,” then the corresponding passage in the Bible also constitutes “hate speech.”  Furthermore, use of the “hate speech” epithet raises a very pertinent question, i.e.: What is “hate speech,” anyhow? I.e., what is the source of the criterion for determining and defining what constitutes “hate speech”???

All of you, as well as all LGBT persons and their sympathizers, have the right to choose what you believe and what you reject. But all of our choices have consequences.

I respectfully urge you to reconsider your suspension of Phil Robertson from appearing in future episodes of “Duck Dynasty.” Please stop kowtowing to the intolerant LGBT bullies whose orders you robotically obeyed.

Sincerely,

Cheryl J. Rutledge, Ph.D.

Academic Editor @AcademicEnglishEditing-DrRutledge.com