Kirk Cameron Defends Comments on Homosexuality: 'I Hate No One'
On the "TODAY" show Tuesday morning, actor and devout Christian Kirk Cameron defended his recent comments on homosexuality, saying he was not a bully, as some critics have claimed. The evangelist insisted that he loves all people.
When asked by NBC host Ann Curry if he is guilty of hate speech for calling homosexuality "destructive," Cameron said, "Absolutely not. Of course not. I love all people. I hate no one."
The long-time actor was on the show to promote his upcoming documentary "Monumental." But the first question he was asked was regarding the debate he sparked over comments he made during a March 2 interview on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight."
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In the earlier interview, Morgan asked Cameron about his views on homosexuality. Cameron said he believes homosexuality is "unnatural ... I think that it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization."
Cameron soon received a stern rebuking from the LGBT community for his comments, including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), who called his views "outrageous."
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He argued on Tuesday that his comments did not condone bullying of any group of people, but rather reflected his Christian beliefs, which he has been consistent with for 15 years.
"Nobody should mistreat anybody," Cameron stressed.
"We all have our convictions formed by different things and mine are informed by my faith. They're formed by the Word of God, and I found that to be an anchor for me, a compass and a guide for me. When people start bullying one another and calling each other names for those different convictions, then I think you get into problems," he added.
"When you take a subject and reduce it to a four-second sound bite and a checkmark on a ballot, I think that's inappropriate and insensitive," Cameron told Curry, adding that such topics as homosexuality should be addressed in a private, personal discussion, not on national television.
Cameron also said he was surprised by the public outrage regarding his comments, as they are in line with his Christian beliefs.
"I was surprised, frankly, that people were surprised by the things that I've said," he explained to Curry.
"I have been consistent for 15 years as a Christian. I'm a Bible-believing Christian. What I would have thought was more newsworthy is if I had said something that contradicted the Word of God, if I had contradicted my faith," he noted.
Cameron also appeared on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday morning, telling host Steve Doocy that he felt Piers Morgan's approach to the interview was "disingenuous."
"What disheartens me ... is that when you're sitting across the table from someone who knows what your perspective is on issues – and I've been very consistent, I don't think anything I said surprised anybody as a Bible-believing Christian – but to then take some answers, reduce an important and personal and sensitive issue to a four-second soundbite and toss it into a community to start a political firestorm and really upset people that you're saying you're looking to protect, I think it's disingenuous," Cameron told Doocy.
Amid this firestorm regarding Cameron's comments, the real intention of his recent media appearances is to discuss and promote his new documentary, "Monumental," which will play in select theaters across the nation for one night, on March 27.
The film documents Cameron as he traces the path of the forefathers in the founding of America in order to find the country's "national treasure," or the secret to America's greatness.
