On his Thursday show, CNN's Piers Morgan confessed that Christians who believe homosexuality is sinful are "bigoted," and argued that parts of the Bible are "utterly ridiculous" and "offensive." The topic at hand was Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson's words about homosexuality.
"I can still understand people say, well, you know, it's my religious belief that homosexuality is a sin. I think it's a load of absolute fooey in the modern age, to be so bigoted, but if that's what people want to do, that's fine," the CNN host admitted. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Morgan sparred with Christian radio host Dr. Michael Brown over Biblical teaching on sexuality. "I'm a Christian. I'm a Catholic. And I can look at the Bible and say parts of it are obviously utterly ridiculous," Morgan insisted. "There are lots of offensive things in the Bible."
Sporting tired liberal arguments, Morgan argued that Jesus never condemned homosexuality: "But let me ask you this sir, as a Christian man, can you point to a single public utterance by Jesus Christ, the Christ in Christianity, about gay people or about a gay lifestyle?"
Below is a transcript of the segment, which aired on Piers Morgan Live on December 19 at 9:05 p.m. EST:
PIERS MORGAN: Let me bring in Dr. Michael Brown. What is your view of this, sir?
MICHAEL BROWN, nationally syndicated radio host, "The Line of Fire": First, he did express things in a rather crude way but what you got very upset about quoting from his message in Pennsylvania, that was mainly the words of Paul in Romans, the first chapter. It's not bigoted to say that God designed a man to be with a woman. It's not bigoted to say that sexual acts outside of male-female marriage are prohibited in Scripture. We can debate that. It's not bigoted to say it. To me, what's bigoted is that he gets fired. Look, you have reality TV shows celebrating polygamy, celebrating polyamory, celebrating teen sex, gay kids losing their virginity as teenagers on Glee, that's fine. That's not a problem. That's to be celebrated. When he says, you know, I'm a Bible thumper, I hold to Biblical values, I believe a man was made by God to be with a woman, and I hold to these things, how is that bigoted? How is that basis for being fired from his show?
MORGAN: Let me ask you this, sir, I hear this a lot from so called Christian – well, wait a minute, I hear this a lot from so called Christians. I'm a Christian. I'm a Catholic. And I can look at the Bible and say parts of it are obviously utterly ridiculous. There is a part of the Bible that says, if you as a woman are not a virgin on your wedding night, you should be stoned to death. Clearly, that is not what Mr. Robertson is espousing today because he would know that is ridiculous. There are lots of offensive things in the Bible. But let me ask you this sir, as a Christian man, can you point to a single public utterance by Jesus Christ, the Christ in Christianity, about gay people or about a gay lifestyle? Can you name one single thing derogatory or –
BROWN: I'll name three for you Piers. Number one, in Matthew 5, Jesus said He didn't come to abolish the Torah but to fulfill. He takes the sexual morals of the Torah to a higher level. Number two, in Matthew 15, he says all sexual acts committed outside of marriage defile the human being and in Matthew 19, he says marriage as God intended it is the union of one man and one woman for life. Look, Jesus did not address wife beating or heroine shooting, but we don't use that argument for silence. But in point in fact, he as a first century Jew, of course, he reinforced these things. And Piers, I'd encourage you to restudy what Scripture says. We should love our neighbors as ourself but that doesn't mean that we approve everything of our neighbor.
MARC LAMONT HILL: Piers, yeah, but, there are several problems of that interpretation. One –
MORGAN: Marc Lamont Hill first.
HILL: One, the New Testament absolutely does offer the words in the voice of Jesus and he very explicitly does not talk about being gay. And even the Scripture you cited about marriage is very different in talking about being gay. And even if you're say that he approved –
BROWN: Marriage is one man and a woman though, sir.
HILL: No, no, hold on, hold on. Let me finish, sir. I heard everything you said. I just want to respond to it. When you say -- if you're saying that he is confirming the Old Testament, well, the Old Testament is far from clear around gay marriage or around gay acts.
BROWN: Are you sure about that?
HILL: If you let me finish, I'll tell you how I'm sure about it. The book of Leviticus, according to most Biblical scholars is not about being gay. If you look about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah for example, it's really about being inhospitable to neighbors, it's about prostitution. It's about many other things. It's not –
BROWN: Leviticus 18 – Hebrew scholarship is my background. I have a Ph.D. in Semitic languages. Leviticus 18 is quite explicit. For a man to lie with a man is contrary to what God intended. The rectum is part of the disposal system. It's not meant for sexuality. God designed a man to be with woman. That's pretty obvious. That's not hateful to say it. That's obvious. And really, the Hebrew Scriptures are clear on this, sir.
HILL: There are few –
(Crosstalk)
MORGAN: Let me – wait a minute, let me just say this. It wasn't just what he said about gays. Deeply offensive though, I find what he said and many other people do, I can still understand people say, well, you know, it's my religious belief that homosexuality is a sin. I think it's a load of absolute fooey in the modern age, to be so bigoted, but if that's what people want to do, that's fine.
