"Homegrown hatred"; "A place that serves poison & preaches it"; " ...Introduces New Hate Sauce"; "Does Chick-Fil-A have to list the amount of calories in the hate they put in their food?"
Will the real haters please stand up?
Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy has been accused of hateful speech and actions. Yet, the statements above did not come from him, but were directed from others toward him. Those statements are some of the milder ones being tossed about, but they still seem pretty hateful to me, so I'm not sure why the pot is calling the kettle black. In other words, why is it hateful for Dan Cathy to speak his mind, but not hateful for taunts to be directed toward him and his company?
Whatever happened to civil discourse? What ever happened to agreeing to disagree without resorting to labeling and name calling?
From what I have learned about Dan Cathy, he has been generous and loving to many people throughout his life, including numerous foster children. Does that make him perfect? No. Does he even have to be perfect? No.
Today when I visited a Chick-Fil-A restaurant (twice) I was greeted warmly and served promptly and professionally--as was every other customer. So, where was the hate? I can tell you that it wasn't at Chick-Fil-A--which by the way was packed out all day. I'll tell you where I found hate-- all over the internet, directed at Dan Cathy and his team.
When I visited the Holy Land earlier this year, I was surprised to find communities in which Jews, Muslims and Christians live together peacefully. They have found a way to passionately disagree about their fundamental beliefs while peacefully coexisting and trusting that God will sort it all out.
If members of the major Abrahamic religions can respectfully agree to disagree on serious fundamental differences in faith, can we sit down over a chicken sandwich and peacefully respect our differences without resorting to attacks?
Some individuals think that conducting staged public displays of affection at Chick-Fil-A restaurants later this week will somehow convince people to kiss their sincerely held religious beliefs goodbye. But, since religious beliefs are at the center of this firestorm, instead of puckering up, perhaps those persons who disagree with Cathy's views should be using their lips to form a prayer asking God to clearly reveal God's plan for marriage to all of us so that none of us is left to lean only our own understanding. For, there is a way that seems right to man....
Dan Cathy publicly declared what has been well-known for years, that he is a Christian whose faith permeates everything he does. Since he really said nothing new, what's really behind the firestorm that has erupted over his comments? Some would say it is a thinly-veiled attempt to intimidate those voices that don't dutifully line up with the politically correct climate that too often crosses into censorship.
We must be careful who we allow to function as the self-appointed hate police with the authority to decide who and what is to be declared hateful. We also need to be much more responsible in checking out the background and context for various statements being tossed about regarding Dan Cathy's associations with various groups.
I'm still trying to figure out what is so hateful and shameful about supporting heterosexual men and women who want to marry and raise families. Cathy simply stated his views on marriage, cited the source of his views-- the Bible-- and put his money where his mouth is. Those who disagree with him are free to do the same--state their views on marriage, cite the source or authority from which they derive their views, and financially support any individual or organization that furthers their cause. That's the beauty of living in a democracy.
In researching the varying opinions on this issue, I came across a comment from an individual who said, "I'm gay. I don't care. If I ceased buying products from companies that did things I didn't like, then I'd be Amish. I don't make political choices when I eat out (though, for the record, I actually don't like CFA's food or any fast food for that matter). I go out to eat to fill my belly."
Eat more chik'n or eat less chik'n. The choice is yours. But projecting one's own hatred and intolerance onto others is just "fowl" play and has no place in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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