Kirk Cameron appeared on Piers Morgan last night to promote his “documentary” Monumental. But the focus was on his misguided beliefs, including the notion that homosexuality is immoral:
MORGAN: What is your view of gay marriage?
CAMERON: I feel like I just got imported into the Christine O’Donnell interview you did back in August.
MORGAN: She wouldn’t talk about stuff in her own book.
CAMERON: I know, I know.
MORGAN: I’m just saying these issues are interesting to me about what you would tell your kids, who you’re trying to protect, for example.
CAMERON: Yes.
MORGAN: Would you tell them that gay marriage is a sin?
CAMERON: I would tell my children, as — I tell them what I believe myself. And dealing with these social issues, whether it’s abortion or gay marriage —
MORGAN: What do you believe?
CAMERON: I believe that marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt. And it was defined in the Garden between Adam and Eve, one man, one woman, for life, till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. I don’t think anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don’t.
MORGAN: Do you think homosexuality is a sin?
CAMERON: I think that it’s — it’s unnatural. I think that it’s — it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.
MORGAN: What do you do if one of your 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 with your kids.
MORGAN: If one of my sons said that, I’d say that’s great, son. As 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. Just because you feel one way doesn’t mean we should act on everything that we feel.
MORGAN: And yet some people would say that telling kids that being gay is a sin or getting married is a sin or whatever, that in itself is incredibly destructive and damaging in a country where seven states now have legalized it.
CAMERON: Yes, but you have to also understand that you yourself are using a standard of morality to say that telling people such and such of a behavior is sinful. You’re using a standard of morality to make that statement and say that that is terribly destructive. So everyone is going to have a standard against which they —
MORGAN: No, no, no, listen, listen. I’m not an American. I’m making the point that seven states in America have now legalized gay marriage.
CAMERON: Well, Piers, you’re speaking to a man who’s a Christian and I believe that all of us are sinful. I could stand at the top of the list and say that I need a savior and I need an overhaul of the heart more than anyone.
And so that’s what I teach my kids. I teach them the values that I hold dear. I treasure the God that loves me and forgives me of my sin. I would teach that to my children, as well as having a wonderful relationship with them that my wife and I work on every single day.
So your value system, my value system, we’re all going to pick a standard against which we judge behavior morally. All of our laws ultimately, at their core, are going to be based on a moral evaluation.
Later in the interview, Cameron said he opposed abortion even in the (awful) case that his own daughter got raped.
This is the great thing about Cameron speaking on mainstream television: He’s no longer in his Christian bubble. Piers Morgan sounds (or acts) genuinely surprised that Cameron is so out of touch with reality. There’s no debate taking place. Morgan is basically responding the entire time with, “You seriously believe this shit?”
Meanwhile, reporters and gay-rights groups are acting like Cameron said something surprising. Like he didn’t make a video years ago in which a banana was offered as evidence against evolution. Like he didn’t go on Nightline and introduce the world to the Crocoduck.
It’s not news. He’s been this way for a while. But, hey, if more people are exposed to how much of a bigot he and other Christians who think the same way are, I’m glad he gets invited on shows like these. Here’s hoping Bill Maher invites him to be on the Real Time panel next.
For what it’s worth, there’s a petition at Change.org to “Tell Kirk Cameron It’s Time to Finally Grow Up.” Won’t do anything, but there you go.