Before getting into this, can someone please tell me why Phil Robertson was treated like some kind of authority on how best to respond to ISIS activity in Iraq and Syria? Was it just a coincidence that his appearance on Hannity (which seemed to initially be about promoting his new book) coincided with the most recent beheading? Robertson is not an expert on Islam, Islamic political thought, or the history of the area (all factors that must be kept in mind when addressing ISIS), so I dont know why this interview even exists in the first place. All of that aside, this video was extremely troubling to me for a number of reasons. Robertson leads by rattling off a litany of Bible verses, none of which are explained in their own contexts, and then jumps to the very extreme conclusion that the only response to ISIS is to convert them (which Robertson doubts is possible) or kill them. Robertson calls ISIS a street gang on steroids, which means that he doesnt even understand the gravity of the situation at hand. These arent gangsters or thugs, theyre an extremely organized and well-constructed organization which has declared itself an independent State. Contrary to what Robertson may believe, ISIS is not a criminal organization, but an ideologically driven socio-religious political party. When it comes down to it, Robertson, while he may dress up his speech with lots of Bible verses and quotes, is neglecting the weightier matters of the Law, namely Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness. There is no justice, mercy, or faithfulness with a mindset that says convert or die, which is ironically the mindset of ISIS. There does need to be something done about ISIS, that goes without saying. But quick and pithy statements like Robertsons which are heavy on the violence-for-violence sound very little like something a professed follower of Jesus would say.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 19:55:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015