Phil Robertson, the Duck Dynasty patriarch who was suspended from the reality show after making anti-gay comments in an article published by GQ, made remarks about "gross sexual immorality" during a religious speech in 2010.
In a video of a speech (below) that was said to be filmed at the Berean Bible Church in Pennsylvania prior to the debut of Duck Dynasty in 2012, Robertson spoke about many topics, including the secularization of America, duck hunting and the lost authority of the Constitution and the Bible.
"It's real simple, Pennsylvania. Once you get God out of your mind and you begin to say, 'he's not there, he doesn't see, he's not there,' and you act so wise you actually become a fool -- you know what you do?" rhetorically asked Robertson (16:40 in below video). "You suppress the truth about God by your wickedness."
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"And you know what happens? His wrath is poured upon you. Don't believe it? First they say there is no God, get him out of your mind," Robertson said. "Then they bow down to birds, animals and reptiles and each other and the first thing you see coming out of them is gross sexual immorality. They will dishonor their bodies with one another, degrade each other. Is that going on in the United States of America? Look around. God's not there."
The comments in the video have been surfaced after A&E Network suspended Robertson indefinitely for remarks to GQ magazine that included homophobic language. ("Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there," he told GQ. "Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.")
A little later in the video clip (18:10), Robertson appears to paraphrase the Bible passage Romans 1:21-30, which mentions men and women giving up worship for God with worship for each other and includes mention of same-sex "shameful" acts.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the Robertson family expressed disappointment in the decision to suspend Phil Robertson from the show.
"While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible," the statement read in part. "Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Phil would never incite or encourage hate."
