We have all seen the ads for the show "Duck Dynasty" on A&E. A sweet ZZ Top "Sharp Dressed Man" riff plays as the bearded duck men hop out of a Rolls Royce dawning the finest Mossy Oak camouflage. The Robertson clan began with Phil Robertson, an ex-football player at Louisiana Tech--he actually started ahead of Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw for two seasons. He found his 'calling' (pun intended) not playing football, but making duck calls out of his West Monroe, Louisiana home and formed the company that still exists today called Duck Commander. His son Willie, expanded the company into Buck Commander as well, making deer calls and equipment alongside some other names you may have heard, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Adam LaRoche. The family now has the show "Duck Dynasty" to let us take a peek into the humble Christian family and their life now that money and a booming business is in the picture.
In more recent years, the Roberston's have been known to be outspoken with their faith and beliefs, which I applaud. The Christian faith is one that is often tossed away as hateful or distasteful and they have been strong leaders for the faith and stood up in trivial matters. Phil has been in the news most for his "anti-homosexual" statements, but one point of his is often left out of this criticism. I find the following quote so beautiful and perfect for the culture we live in now.
"Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
This was actually taken from another man, Rick Warren, an evangelical Christian minister that does radio shows and founded one of the largest churches in the nation.
In a culture that is ravaged by hatred, and violence because of nonsense, this quote is fitting. Let's look at the first part through the eyes of disagreeing groups of people in the social sphere today. Clinton supporters and Trump supporters need to learn this. How crazy is it that we have violence at political rallies because of simple differing opinions? There has been countless injuries and riots all because some support the "wrong" candidate. We can no longer call ourselves a democracy if we are beaten for picking a side. We can understand the opposing opinions without killing each other. This goes for any controversial topic: homosexual rights, Black Lives Matter, rights of police officers, Christianity vs. other religions. The same people that say "we are all human, so you shouldn't discriminate" are also the first to cast hatred oftentimes. We are so far from treating each other as human that we are regressing back to animalistic ideals. 'He thinks differently so let me end his life'.
I have always been conflicted in my thoughts. "How can I possibly voice what I have to say without sounding like I hate everyone?"
This quote has helped me find solace in a world that is weighing on my mind and breaking my heart. Day after day, another person dies because of opinions, and it has put me on edge to express mine. It helps immensely to know that I can disagree and not be hateful. I can also love someone with different ideals, and both of these are how we should all think. To express my opinions, I am a Christian but will not hate you for other religions or atheism unless you force them upon me. The same goes with gun rights, homosexuality or anything else where my opinion could be seen as controversial or hate filled. I will do what I believe, and you can do what you believe. I will give you all of my respect and compassion until you attack me for what I believe. Then I will stand up and fight. If we all had this mindset, the last condition would never see the light of day.
