Obviously, Phil Robertson had a past, just like the rest of us. The apostle Paul spoke truth when he stated that "there is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10) and also a few verses later when he stated "for all have sinned (past tense) and fall short (present tense) of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). From what little I know, and I don't know much, it seems that Phil recognized that and had repented of his past sins, turned his life around, and did his best to follow the Lord the rest of his life while encouraging others to do the same. I'm reasonably sure he relied on the Lord's promise: "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7-9).

Just as obviously, it seems that ez4020 (aka Eric) does not believe in the dual concepts of repentance and forgiveness. I wonder how he handles the mistakes of his past? Maybe he hasn't made any?

There was also another poster (don't remember the name) who proposed that Phil "followed his heart." I would say that Phil did not follow his heart. He followed the Lord. Dr. James Dobson once wrote a book entitled "Can I Trust My Feelings?" In that book he pointed out that our "feelings" (aka "heart") often misleads us. Before he became the apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus thought he was doing what the Lord wanted him to do (cf. Acts 23:1). He was "following his heart." Unfortunately, he was sadly mistaken. Fortunately, he learned better.