Duck Dynasty Patriarch: ‘I’m As Much Of A Homophobe As Jesus Was’

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson before the rain delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, April 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Mike Stone)
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Phil Robertson, the patriarch of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” reality TV show, appeared on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday to promote his new book, which is partially a response to the flack he received for offensive comments last year.

Robertson was criticized after he denounced homosexuality as a sin in a GQ article that was published in December. In his interview with the ABC program, Robertson explained his comments.

“The only place I know of that I could have gone to answer that question would be a Bible,” Robertson said. “The dictionary wouldn’t have explained it. An encyclopedia wouldn’t have explained it, whether it was a sin or not. So I went to the only source I had to answer his question.”

Robertson balked when GMA’s Ryan Owens asked him whether he considered himself a homophobe.

“I’m as much of a homophobe as Jesus was,” Robertson said. “People who are participating in homosexual behavior, they need to know that I love them.”

Robertson also addressed the criticism he fielded for saying he’d never seen a black person mistreated in pre-civil rights Louisiana.

“There is one race,” Robertson said during his GMA appearance. “One race. On this planet. It’s called the human race. We’re all the same. To me there is absolutely nothing that has color to do with it.”

Watch the video below, courtesy of ABC News:

h/t Mediaite

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