Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has more to say about the things he said earlier this month that touched off controversy.
“Over the past few days my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe,” Butker said Friday at Regina Caeli Academy’s Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville, via the Associated Press. “At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion.”
Butker said he values his religion more than football. His full remarks can be heard here.
“It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all,” Butker said, via the AP.
His remarks became fodder for the outrage and counter-outrage machine that fuels modern media. That said, the substance of his remarks did contain some messages that objectively could be regarded as problematic — beyond his suggestion that women should aspired to be wives, mothers, and homemakers.
Most notably, Butker inaccurately characterized recent federal legislation as “Congress just pass[ing] a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.”
The bill in question contains no criminal sanctions. At a time of rising global antisemitism, Butker’s words clearly implied that Jewish people were responsible for the death of Jesus. Pope Benedict, however, declared in 2011 that there is no basis in scripture for this claim.
Butker, in the commencement address at Benedictine College, also denounced “abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia” and “dangerous gender ideologies.”
Again, he can think whatever he wants. He can say whatever he thinks. Those who disagree can speak their mind, too. That’s the hallmark of a free society and the primary purpose of the First Amendment.
Regardless of his opinions, any factually inaccurate statements can and should be corrected. Especially those statements that mischaracterize the teachings of the Catholic church, as articulated by the Pope. Agree or disagree with Butker’s views on the cultural issues that are used by many to divide, his suggestion that Jews killed Jesus was refuted by the leader of the faith that Butker practices.
That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.