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Duck Dynasty Patriarch: Sexual Diseases Are God’s ‘Penalty’ For Homosexuality

Phil Robertson speaking at the Republican Leadership Conference. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/BILL HABER
Phil Robertson speaking at the Republican Leadership Conference. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/BILL HABER

Last December, Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson caused a stir after telling GQ that homosexuality is a sin and that African Americans were more content under Jim Crow laws. Now, Robertson is peddling a new book and joined the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins radio show Tuesday to explain how sexually transmitted diseases are God’s punishment for homosexuality and other forms of sexual immorality.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence,” Robertson asked, “that all of these debilitating — literally that can cause death — diseases follow that kind of conduct?” He was responding to Perkins’ question specifically about the controversy from last year.

“God says, ‘One woman, one man,’ and everyone says, ‘Oh, that’s old hat, that’s that old Bible stuff,’” he said. “But I’m thinking, well let’s see now. A clean guy — a disease-free guy and a disease-free woman — they marry and they keep their sex between the two of them. They’re not going to get chlamydia, and gonorrhea, and syphilis, and AIDS. It’s safe.”

Robertson reasons, “Either it’s the wildest coincidence ever that horrible diseases follow immoral conduct, or, it’s God saying, ‘There’s a penalty for that kind of conduct.’ I’m leaning towards there’s a penalty for it.”

Listen to the clip (via Good As You):

In an interview with ABC News last week to promote his book, Robertson claimed, “I’m as much of a homophobe as Jesus was. People who are participating in homosexual behavior — they need to know that I love them.”

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After Robertson’s GQ interview was first picked up in the press, A&E; suspended him from filming new episodes of Duck Dynasty. Conservatives expressed outrage that his free speech was somehow being encumbered, and less than two weeks later, A&E; caved and resumed filming of the duck-hunting family’s semi-scripted reality show as if the controversy had never happened.