Piers Morgan: Do you think homosexuality is a sin?
Kirk Cameron: I think that it's unnatural. I think that it's detrimental and ultimately destructive to many of the foundations of civilization.
Morgan: So what do you do if one of you six kids says "Dad, bad news. I'm gay."?
Cameron: I'd sit down and have a heart-to-heart with them, just like you would do with your kids.
Morgan: If one of my sons said that, I would say "That's great son. So long as you're happy. What would you say?
Cameron: Well, I wouldn't say "That's great son, as long as you're happy." I'm going to say "You know, there's all sorts of issues that we need to wrestle through in our life, and just because you feel one way doesn't mean we should act on everything that we feel."
Transcription begins at the 1:00 minute mark.
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The above March 2012 interview by Piers Morgon with mediocre actor turned hardcore fundamentalist, Kirk Cameron, gives us good insight into not only Cameron's bigotry but also into how he raises his own children. Although he would have you believe in this interview that he would have a "heart-to-heart" talk with his hypothetical gay child, what he is really saying is that he would lay down the biblical law in a very one-sided discussion, no matter what detrimental impact it might have on his child's psyche.
Solid proof of Cameron's harsh authoritarian parenting style came to light yesterday when Cameron linked an article on his blog written by fellow fundamentalist and parent extraordinaire Jay Younts which was posted to Shepherd Press. Cameron introduces the article with "A great article from Jay Younts at Shepherd Press."
Here's a snip of that "great article" he found so motivational.
God has not called parents to explain but to train. Explanations often lead to frustration and anger for both parents and children. Children are not in need of lengthy, compelling explanations. What they are in need of is the understanding that God must be obeyed. Ephesians 6:4 addresses this issue: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Explanations tend to focus on getting someone to agree with you. The logic for explanations runs something like this: If I can just get my children to understand the reason for my direction, then they will be more likely to follow my instruction. While this may sound like solid reasoning, it is not. Explanations are more consistent with gaining approval and winning arguments. Neither of these are appropriate goals for biblical parenting and can lead to anger in your children as Ephesians warns against.
With young children and toddlers, lengthy explanations cloud the real issue. Obedience is a response to God’s authority. Biblical obedience is not a matter of winning a debate. Young children must be trained to obey right away, to do exactly as they are told, and to obey with a good attitude.
It is at this point that I usually pull out all the stops on my snark Wurlitzer and have a go at fundamentalist insanity. In this case though, I honestly don't have the heart. There are real children involved here. They exist in an imposed authoritarian nightmare where questioning a confusing world is met not with considered answers, but with a very narrow predetermined view that must be mimicked if the child is to be spared a verbal rod, or even spoiled by a literal one.
This unquestioning indoctrination and insistence of robbing your child of the necessary critical thinking skills required in this very real and complex world often fosters a vicious loop. Either they grow up and stand proudly against all the principles of an enlightened society just like their parents, or, as is too often the case, they are summarily rejected by their parents if they somehow manage to shake the blindness and embrace the diversity of life existing outside a burst bubble. Either way, I find it tragic.
For this reason, I see Kirk Cameron and his ilk as a real threat to our youth. Not some phony made-up threat like "the gays want to indoctrinate your children" but rather a real and tangible threat to healthy development. There are kids being indoctrinated all right, by the very people who make these outrageous claims. It is the ultimate deflection of the religious right.
I am not saying that parents shouldn't be free to raise their children within the preset doctrine of their own choosing. But to espouse that inquisitive children should be met with nothing more than very adult concepts of biblical divinity does nothing productive toward their development. In fact, it stifles it. If fundamentalists want a world where the words of the bible guide their children towards salvation, they would do well by paying more attention to the words of their Savior and less attention to directives provided by Leviticus or even that simple passage Younts quotes from Ephesians 6:4. After all Ephesians 6:5 has this to say too:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ.
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