Phil Robertson is living the American dream. He has a hit television show that nets his family $200,000 per episode. He makes millions more from licensed merchandising. He does what he likes to do. He says what he wants to say with little impediment or consequence. He has millions of people who adore him, back him, dress like him, and pay him for what he has to sell.

Do we think that Phil Robertson cares one bit about your opinion of his thoughts on homosexuality? Or anything else for that matter?

Robertson caused a public outcry over his GQ interview last year where he denounced homosexuality.

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Some theologians disagree with Phil’s rendering of that Corinthians verse. They say that the translation of that in the King James Bible is in error. The GQ article says that Phil paraphrased 1 Corinthians 6:9,10. Here it is from the New KJV:

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

At issue is the translation of the words for “homosexuals” and “sodomites”. Some scholars say these were actually words related specifically to underage male prostitution common in pagan temple worship. They say this is no more related to a consenting relationship between to same-sex individuals than marital sex is related to picking up a hooker.

Parsing out Bible verses can be a full-time occupation. In the end, people choose what they want to believe, whether it is that gays are wrong, the Earth is 6,000 years old, or that Jesus came back in 1914.

The fact is, Robertson said something that millions of Americans agree with, whether they say it as loudly in public as Robertson did or not. And when Robertson was suspended from his own show, they rallied to get him back only nine days after the suspension.

This world could use a little less Obama and a little more Phil Robertson. Merica.

— Cloyd Rivers Pics (@CloydRiversPics) July 24, 2014

Phil Robertson has nothing to worry about. When he’s adored, he does fine. When he’s dogged in the media, he still does fine because churches call him to share his persecution story with them. Even if Duck Dynasty dried up tomorrow, Phil still has his duck call business, his savings, and what will still come from his merchandising for a while.

And he has his family, his beliefs, and his community of like-minded believers. That’s more than some people. All that and the money, too. Why should Phil care that you hate him?

"If you can find a nice pretty country girl that can cook and carries her Bible, now there's a woman."-Phil Robertson pic.twitter.com/gzSLsORsqz

— Ben Davenport (@bendavenport24) July 30, 2014

Image via YouTube