Kirk Cameron's Anti-Gay Comments
Former actor and current evangelical Christian activist Kirk Cameron was a guest on Piers Morgan’s talk show recently. When asked his views on homosexuality, Cameron had this to say: “I think that it’s unnatural. I think that it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.” Unfortunately, Cameron’s comments upset a lot of people and a call to action in the form of boycotting anything he endorses was put forth by a few LGBT organizations. Personally, I don’t agree with his opinion or his beliefs. That being said, I do think he has the right to state his opinions and beliefs. We have become a nation afraid to speak our minds. We are racists if we have opinions about a race that is not our own. Often, those opinions are based on personal experience. We may make the mistake of generalizing, but let us not forget that many stereotypes started out as personal observations that, unfortunately, became “fact”. I don’t have to listen to Cameron’s words. I can turn the channel on my TV or discard the magazine or newspaper that has printed his comments. He doesn’t have to agree with me and I don’t have to agree with him. Neither of us needs to educate the other. Again, I can choose to walk away from what he has to say. Blasting him for his opinions and/or beliefs seems wrong to me as I would like to believe his group of sympathizers blasting me for mine would also be wrong. I also believe he should have the right to express his beliefs to his family as well. As his children grow and mature, they may choose to follow in his belief system just as they may choose to disagree with it. Does this make Cameron a bad Christian? I don’t think so. Am I a bad Christian because I believe the LGBT community deserves the same rights I’ve never had to fight for? Again, I don’t think so. What matters more to me than his words are the actions he takes based on those words. If he were to “preach” to the masses that homosexuality is wrong, amoral, unethical, or any number of adjectives, then there would be a problem. If he were to belittle a person for being gay, I would take issue with that. I believe we are all entitled to believe what we want. We are even entitled to voice our beliefs to others. When it comes to the actions we take, however, I believe in holding people accountable for what they teach to others. No one is going to teach me to hate unless I give them permission to. And since I don’t particularly like to be bossed around, well…