If you're a devout Christian, who ya gonna call when you're feeling besieged by the slings and arrows of godless liberalism? As we see in this morning's sympathetic validation of a persecuted Christian fire chief, the answer is - drum roll please - Fox News!
Today, state supported Christianity fan Ainsley Earhardt hosted Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran who claims that he was fired because of his Christianity. However, according to the Atlanta Constitution, Cochran was fired not for his faith but because he distributed copies of a book he has written, in which he equates homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia, to his fellow employees. As such, Mayor Kasim Reed believed that the presence of this book, in the workplace, was a violation of city policy could open up the city to discrimination complaints.
But such details weren't important to good Christian and new Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt who, in her patented Fox & Friends "Fight for Faith" segment, informed us that Cochran's firing was an example of "faith under fire." Reinforcing the patented Fox News persecuted Christian meme, she reported that Cochran believes that he was "fired for his Christian beliefs in a self-help book." She noted that Cochran is suing Atlanta because "he believes that he is being discriminated against." The banner underscored the agitprop: "Fired for Faith? Chief Says He Lost Job for Religious Book."
After Earhardt introduced Cochran and his lawyer, she asked Cochran why he lost his job. He said that he was fired because for "expressing" his "faith in a book written for Christians." To Earhardt's question of what the controversy was about, Cochran responded that it was about "centuries old biblical beliefs" pertaining to "Christian men" overcoming "what happened in the Garden of Eden" through the redemption of Jesus Christ. He asserted that "speaking about biblical marriage caused the controversy." (Uh, not really...)
Earhardt did read the city administration's statement that Cochran's termination occurred because he didn't follow the rules. She asked Cochran what this means. Cochran's lawyer, David Cortman from the homophobic Alliance Defending Freedom, made the case that Cochran was merely exercising his right to religious free speech "outside of work time." Cochran brought the book to his place of employment, but Earhardt didn't mention that. She did, however, ask if he had to ask permission to express his beliefs which, of course, isn't the issue but it did provide a nice segue for Cochran to talk about the constitutional right to "express your thoughts."
Earhardt provided more opportunity for Cochran to plead his case when, after she mentioned that some say his book discriminated against gays, she asked if he felt that he was being discriminated against. In a spit out the coffee moment of irony, Cochran said "this speaks to tolerance" and that "tolerance is a two-way street." (So homophobia in the workplace should be tolerated?) More irony in the comment that "beliefs of all Americans" should be "respected." Earhardt nodded as Cortman spoke about religious liberty. She ended the segment with "God bless you both."
Earhardt didn't mention specific quotes from the book such as “Uncleanness – whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion." Nothing was said about Cochran's claim that gay sex "defiles" the human body. Nobody mentioned that Cochran was offered sensitivity training and was fired only when he refused that option and refused to cooperate with an investigation into his behavior.
But Fox News says it's all about tolerance so it's all good...
That’s what I was thinking. All it takes is public safety officials who literally believe the wages of sin are death to refuse service to a burning house known to be occupied by gays.
As to the guy’s claims of “tolerance,” I seriously doubt he’d be very tolerant of (white) people yelling the “n-word” at him. And I’d be willing to bet he wouldn’t appreciate a Klan rally that went past his home and would sue the city if they issued a permit for such a rally.
Yeah……..Adam Sandler will stand a better chance of picking up the Oscar for Best Actor. And sooner.
On the other hand, this wanker was abusing his position to distribute his book to employees who weren’t asking for it.
It also makes me wonder, as an employee of the State, would his “faith” prevent him from helping someone get out of a burning building because they were LGBT?