FOX News Anchor: Cancel Culture is “Gonna Come After Bible Characters Next”

Chicago officials have put together a committee to review many of its long-standing monuments to see if any of them need to come down in light of the subjects’ past beliefs. Some of those people may have promoted white supremacy, demeaned American Indians, or were connected to acts of genocide. Even Abraham Lincoln is under scrutiny.

There’s nothing wrong with rethinking the legacy of historical figures and the committee hasn’t made any final decisions.

But even raising the subject led FOX News host Bill Hemmer to find a way, earlier today, to make this all about Christian Persecution.

After reporter Carley Shimkus cited Cardinal Timothy Dolan saying memory and tradition were “very important” to people of faith, she argued that more statues and “more opinions” were needed, not fewer, completely ignoring the bigger question of why we should be honoring the legacies of racists, sexists, and bigots.

But Hemmer was the one who jumped in with the dumber opinion:

"If they start canceling these American presidents, they're gonna come after Bible characters next. Mark my words" — Fox News "news side" host Bill Hemmer pic.twitter.com/qTPV0NERv8 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2021

… if they start canceling these American presidents, they’re gonna come after Bible characters next… Mark my words, right?

At least he called them “characters”…?

No one’s canceling American presidents! Lincoln will exist and students will learn about him whether or not he has a statue! The question is whether every person honored that way deserves the praise given what we now know about their legacies.

It’s not even clear which statues of biblical figures would be on the chopping block — or where in Chicago they are — but I suppose statues of God would be the first to go given all the people He murdered. (There’s your “cancel culture” right there.)

Jesus would have to go too. There’s no way conservatives would ever honor a migrant refugee Socialist.

Abraham cancelled Isaac; and Isaac cancelled Jacob; and Jacob cancelled Judas and his brethren; And Judas cancelled Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares cancelled Esrom; and Esrom cancelled Aram; And Aram cancelled Aminadab; and Aminadab cancelled Naasson; and Naasson cancelled — Keith Harris (@useful_noise) February 19, 2021

Then again, it’s not a bad idea to reevaluate these Bible characters either! They deserve more scrutiny rather than the sanitized versions of their stories that kids usually hear in Sunday School. Maybe Hemmer’s onto something after all.