CHRISTIAN GROUP DEFENDS A+E’S DUCK DYNASTY STAND

A group calling itself Faithful America has mounted a petition campaign to support A+E channel’s decision to suspend Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson for his racist and anti-gay comments in GQ magazine. The petition has reportedly been signed by more than 18,000 people. As reported by Variety, the petition says in part, “Most Christians are appalled by racism and anti-gay bigotry, and we don’t [want] our faith portrayed that way on television.” However, on Sunday Robertson refused to back down. The London Daily Mail quoted him as telling his bible study group, “I will not give or back off my path. … All I did was quote from the scriptures.” He did acknowledge that “sexual sins are numerous and many. I have a few myself.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles Time media columnist Joe Flint commented over the weekend, “Odds are that if A+E had let this play out a little and given Robertson room to make some sort of mea culpa, this would have died down. A&E could also have made clear that Robertson’s remarks to GQ would be addressed on the show itself. Now A+E has to decide who to bow to first — pressure groups or the Robertsons. Either way it looks bad.