When They Came for Phil Robertson, I Was Not a Duck Commander,
So . . .
By Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq.
First they came for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting
Association, but I wasn’t a retreat center, so, I did nothing.
When, they came for Tim Tebow, I wasn’t a Heisman-winning
quarterback, so I did nothing.
When they came for Craig
James, I wasn’t a
retired running back and sportscaster fired by a huge media conglomerate
because I believed that marriage is between one man and one woman, so I did
nothing.
When they came for Elane Huguenin, I was not a wedding photographer who
had a moral objection to lending her art to photograph a same-sex commitment
ceremony, so I did nothing.
When they came for Staff Sgt. Monk, I was not a 19-year veteran of the US
Air Force who was fired by his lesbian commanding officer for refusing to
endorse same-sex marriage, so I did nothing.
When they came for Pastor Scott Rainey, I wasn’t a pastor who prayed, “In
Jesus name” at a Memorial Day service, so I did nothing.
When they came for Jonathan Morgan, I wasn’t a third-grader who gave my
friends pencils with the phrase, “Jesus is the reason for the season” written
on it, so I did nothing.
When they came for Dr. Frank Turek, I wasn’t an employee of Cisco who
kept my opinions to myself at work, but was fired after writing a book on my
personal time about my personal belief in marriage between one man and one
woman, so I did nothing.
When they came for Audrey Jarvis, I wasn’t punished as a college student
for wearing a cross necklace at a student organization fair, so I did nothing.
When they came for Erin Shead, I wasn’t a 10-year old girl from
Memphis that was told she could not draw a picture of God as her hero, so I did
nothing.
Look, I could go on and on and every
single day point you to half a dozen instances in which people of faith in this
country are attempting to quietly live, learn, and do business according to
their faith, but, in some form or fashion, are being unjustly denied that right
– that God-given, government affirmed right – to do so.
There are so many cases of open
hostility toward otherwise protected (by God and country) religious liberty, in
fact, that it is simply undeniable
[please read]
So, if Phil Robertson is not worth
quacking about, who is? And,
if there is a worthy time, place, and person for whom we are permitted
to make a firm and gracious defense, will we have the freedom at that time to do
so? Will we have the guts?
Rather than consider Phil a decoy, let
us use this moment to make a gracious defense of religious liberty that,
through us, more may be happy, happy, happy.
Remember when they came for the Jews?
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