Revelations from the Duck Commander controversy

Disclaimer: I am a fan of the Duck Dynasty TV program. I look forward to each new episode and have watched many of the shows several times. Best show on TV, Jack.

Phil Robertson, the Duck Commander, is in the center of a controversy because of some statements he made about sin, in an interview with GQ magazine. I am not surprised by the reaction. The collision of free speech, religious liberty, and tolerance can be messy. Not to mention, anything to do with the "s" word, sin, in our contemporary society.

Much is being written and said about this from both sides of the argument. I wish to approach this from a slightly different angle.

When Jesus walked the earth, he openly criticized one group of people, the Pharisee's. He accused them of being white-washed sepulchers, full of dead men's bones. Cup's that were clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. The problem with the Pharisee's was, in a word, hypocrisy. They looked down on others for being sinners, but did not recognize that they were sinners as well.

Now to the 21st century. The Phil Robertson controversy reveals that we have a new breed of Pharisee. Sure, the old Pharisee still exists. Religious people who look down on others without recognizing their own sin. But, I think we now have a new type of Pharisee, sort of a reverse Pharisee. The new Pharisee is not religious in the conventional way, although their belief system is at the root of the problem. The new Pharisee is definitely a hypocrite, though. They preach tolerance, but are very intolerant of all who disagree with them. They preach freedom of expression, but want to restrict the expression of others. They preach the separation of church and state, but they want the state to control what the church says and does in the public arena.

The new Pharisee is the same as the old Pharisee. They are powerful people. They can affect the lives of others by their pronouncements. They stand on the street corner and look like model citizens, but inside, they are full of hate and bigotry toward anyone who would dare to have an opposing viewpoint. I heard someone on TV say, "Mr. Robertson can believe anything he wants to, he should just keep his mouth shut about it". I am sure the old Pharisee's felt the same way about Jesus. I just hope Phil Robertson does not have to pay the same price. (To those who may not know, Jesus paid the price of his own blood.) My guess is, he (Phil) will be just fine, however this current situation turns out. If nothing else, he will just go hunting. Oh, that's right, that is what he does anyway. "Love God, love your neighbor, hunt ducks".

P.S. - In this nativity season, I must confess my own Pharisee-ism. Please forgive me, a sinner. Lord have mercy.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.