Baptist President of Chick-fil-A vs. Gay Marriage

[IisJustMe]

Anyone with half a brain read into his statement what was clearly intended by it. I agree that the LGBT community and many of their supporters has mishandled this situation, but please don't be so disingenuous as to claim that his statement was not clearly about same-sex marriage. I know you are smarter than that.

I read it as favoring the biblical definition of marriage. Thirty years ago, no one would have raised an eyebrow, because there was no other definition. Now we choose to let one percent of the population try to dictate to us how we should feel about the institution only God established and can bless. Worse, we see Christians willing to endorse the "alternate definition."

 

[David Pratt]

abc news - by Amy Bingham - 7.27.12

Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos became the biggest financial backer of gay marriage in the country today when he and his wife MacKenzie pledged $2.5 million to support Washington state’s same-sex marriage referendum.


At the national level, Target is broadcasting its support for equal marriage rights with a wedding registry ad featuring two smiling men dressed in suits and bow ties holding hands and touching foreheads.


“Be Yourself, Together,” is printed in bold red lettering across the center of the advertisement, which encourages couples to build a registry that is “as unique as the two of you.”


And in June the megastore stocked its shelves with greeting cards for same-sex couples. The cards have messages like “Two very special women, one very special love,” as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

Click to Read Full Article: Target and Amazon Are the Opposites of Chick-fil-A on Gay Marriage

 

[desmalia]

Here's a good article from a gay American man on the issue:

Blog: Bully is as Bully Does

 

[greatdivide46]

That's it!! I'm boycotting Target.

 

[dies-l]

That's it!! I'm boycotting Target.

Serious question: Is this your actual plan or is this a jab at the boycott everything movement that is so en vogue in liberal and conservative circles lately?

 

[greatdivide46]

Serious question: Is this your actual plan or is this a jab at the boycott everything movement that is so en vogue in liberal and conservative circles lately?

It's a jab

 

[cow451]

I heard a local business owner quoted (after seeing long lines @ Chick-fill-up) as saying, "Please, persecute me, too!"

 

[dies-l]

It's a jab

That's good. Sometimes it's hard to tell sarcasm from actual opinion online.

 

[Hupomone10]

please don't be so disingenuous as to claim that his statement was not clearly about same-sex marriage. I know you are smarter than that.

Read his whole statement and you'll see that it was more than just same-sex marriage. Here's an article that goes back to the beginning of the controversy:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A decision by a local Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A restaurant to donate food to a pro-biblical marriage seminar has sparked controversy in the homosexual community and caused a university to pull the franchise's food, but it also has led to an outpouring of support from Chick-fil-A's customers as the company has refused to back down.

At issue is the donation of food to a marriage enrichment seminar sponsored by the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Although the "Art of Marriage" seminar itself has little if anything to do with politics and "gay marriage" -- ads say the video-guided seminar will "help couples apply what the Bible teaches about marriage" -- the fact that the Pennsylvania Family Institute has taken positions opposing "gay marriage" has led some in the homosexual community to say they'll take their business elsewhere. The video curriculum wasn't created by the Pennsylvania Family Institute but by FamilyLife, an Arkansas-based pro-family group.

Chick-fil-A's ties to biblical values are no secret. The restaurants are closed on Sundays, and Chick-fil-A's own website says its corporate purpose is, in part, "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us." Chick-fil-A's founder, Truett Cathy, is a lifelong Southern Baptist and longtime member of the Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Jonesboro. The restaurant is popular among Christian families. "
Source

My family and I stood in line for 2 hrs and 35 minutes last night because we wanted to be a part of this historic stand for free speech and free religion and against the bullying techniques of some, such as the Boston mayor, who attempt to drive businesses out of business or out of their location. It was an inspirational experience to stand along side hundreds of Americans - young adults, elderly, black and white, people with babies, and children, people who normally don't like standing in line 30 minutes waiting on a seat - and see the commitment in their hearts to stand up for freedom of speech and religion and one's right to go against the current tide for immoral behavior. It was inspiring and refreshing.

But since we wish to make it all about gay marriage...
Question: Muslims are also against gay marriage, radically against. Would a muslim owned business also be the subject of such attack? Are they the subject of such media attack now?

 

[IisJustMe]

Anyone with half a brain read into his statement what was clearly intended by it. I agree that the LGBT community and many of their supporters has mishandled this situation, but please don't be so disingenuous as to claim that his statement was not clearly about same-sex marriage. I know you are smarter than that.

Again, not once did he mention same-sex marriage or LGBT agendas. He merely stated that he and his company support the traditional family and the values so encompassed. He included singles as a "family unit" and he mentioned that the leadership of the company are still in their first marriage. He stated that the company strives to do everything it can to "strengthen families." If you look at the website, that means providing an EAP that specializes in counseling for troubled families, that encourages minimum work weeks even for managers so that they spend time with their spouses and children, and granting liberal vacation time so that even part-time employees can spend time recreating and being intimate with their families.

If you and the LGBT groups want to read that as being anti-gay marriage, so be it. But you must realize that when we speak of "family values" the least of these is campaigning against gay marriage. Chick-Fil-A is an incredible place for family members to work, because it promotes the idea of "family first" as do the organizations for which I contract and consult. The last thing I think about in relation to those efforts is "anti-gay marriage" and it is only those who are hypervigilent about jumping on any remotely anti-gay statement -- to the point they invent the anti-gay nature of statements like Cathy's -- that would see this as being anti-gay. They refuse to take Cathy's statement for what it is, a pro-family, pro-family lifestyle belief system taken from the Bible and incorporated into the company that requires a stretch of the imagination (a short stretch, I admit, but a stretch nonetheless) to equate it to an anti-gay statement.

 

[dies-l]

Question: Muslims are also against gay marriage, radically against. Would a muslim owned business also be the subject of such attack? Are they the subject of such media attack now?
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I am not going to respond to everything else that you and Iisjustme have said, as we are all smart of enough to know that it is disingenuous to claim that Mr. Cathy was not expressing an opinion on the same-sex marriage debate.

As for your question above, I agree with you that the hostility towards Mr. Cathy is misplaced. He expressed an opinion, and one that any intelligent and honest person already knew he held. It's not like some liberal who loves his fried chicken sandwiches had any reason to be shocked to find out that the management of CFA disagrees with them on some important issues. And, one thing that liberals have strayed from (and one reason I distance myself from them more than I used to) is the idea that basic civil liberties are of utmost importance.

In the case of same sex marriage, you have an arguable case that there is a civil liberty issue at play. But, when a person expresses an opinion and is told by those in power, "you are not welcome in our town because of what you believe", you have a clear cut civil rights issue. And, sadly, the liberals on this website are divided on that point. And, that is where I have a problem. Whether I agree with him or not, Mr. Cathy is entitled to express his opinion without having his business interests threatened by government because it is an unpopular.

A Muslim who expresses the same view should have the same right to do so. But, you are right, the outrage would not be nearly as intense (if it was at all) from the left. Ironically, the outrage would come from the right instead. But, I can't speak for either side, because I disagree with most people on both sides: I am fine with civil same-sex marriage -- I don't oppose it -- I tend not to get too involved in the pro-SSM movement either. I am much more concerned with the more established civil rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and from undue invasions of privacy.

 

[Hupomone10]

I was there at a Chick Fil-A for National Chick Fil-A day. Although homosexuals tell me all I need to know about themselves and their values by planning an in-your-face thing such as a "kiss-in" at a restaurant known for its support for traditional family values, I plan to go tomorrow.

I took some video of the one the other day, and in the name of fair and balanced reporting I plan to go tomorrow at the same time and video the crowd to see if it draws the support Chick Fil-A day did.

Their 'kiss-in' sort of reminds me of the days when kkk members burned a cross in the yard of a black person. Same tactics.

 

[Hupomone10]

I am not going to respond to everything else that you and Iisjustme have said, as we are all smart of enough to know that it is disingenuous to claim that Mr. Cathy was not expressing an opinion on the same-sex marriage debate.

As for your question above, I agree with you that the hostility towards Mr. Cathy is misplaced. He expressed an opinion, and one that any intelligent and honest person already knew he held. It's not like some liberal who loves his fried chicken sandwiches had any reason to be shocked to find out that the management of CFA disagrees with them on some important issues. And, one thing that liberals have strayed from (and one reason I distance myself from them more than I used to) is the idea that basic civil liberties are of utmost importance.

In the case of same sex marriage, you have an arguable case that there is a civil liberty issue at play. But, when a person expresses an opinion and is told by those in power, "you are not welcome in our town because of what you believe", you have a clear cut civil rights issue. And, sadly, the liberals on this website are divided on that point. And, that is where I have a problem. Whether I agree with him or not, Mr. Cathy is entitled to express his opinion without having his business interests threatened by government because it is an unpopular.

A Muslim who expresses the same view should have the same right to do so. But, you are right, the outrage would not be nearly as intense (if it was at all) from the left. Ironically, the outrage would come from the right instead. But, I can't speak for either side, because I disagree with most people on both sides: I am fine with civil same-sex marriage -- I don't oppose it -- I tend not to get too involved in the pro-SSM movement either. I am much more concerned with the more established civil rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and from undue invasions of privacy.

I'm confused and admit I'm a late comer to this discussion. Dies-I, as a good Southern Baptist brother you are not an advocate of homosexual rights in marriage are you? I trust that I'm just misunderstanding what some of the others are implying.

Oops... didn't read the last paragraph before posting...

I am fine with civil same-sex marriage -- I don't oppose it

When you stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, do you believe you will be able to defend that stand?

 

[desmalia]

But since we wish to make it all about gay marriage...
Question: Muslims are also against gay marriage, radically against. Would a muslim owned business also be the subject of such attack? Are they the subject of such media attack now?

Here's an example of that kind of common liberal hypocrisy.
Does Rahm Emanuel Not Know That Louis Farrakhan Agrees With Chick-Fil-A? : Freedom Outpost

 

[dies-l]

I'm confused and admit I'm a late comer to this discussion. Dies-I, as a good Southern Baptist brother you are not an advocate of homosexual rights in marriage are you? I trust that I'm just misunderstanding what some of the others are implying.

Oops... didn't read the last paragraph before posting...
When you stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, do you believe you will be able to defend that stand?

Yes, I do. If you read the whole context, you will see that it is frankly an issue that is not important to me one way or the other. Nothing in Scripture convinces me that it is all that important to Jesus either. I believe that Christ is far more concerned about what we do for the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the vulnerable than he is about whether we took a strong stance against same-sex marriage (or any other political issue for that matter). And, I believe that on that day, it will be sufficient to say "I trusted in your sacrifice for me, and though I could never live up to all that the law demands, I did my best to reflect your loving compassion in all that I did."

 

[IisJustMe]

I am not going to respond to everything else that you and Iisjustme have said, as we are all smart of enough to know that it is disingenuous to claim that Mr. Cathy was not expressing an opinion on the same-sex marriage debate.

Please don't credit your willingness to jump to an invalid conclusion to me, thank you.

 

[dies-l]

Please don't credit your willingness to jump to an invalid conclusion to me, thank you.

It's not an invalid conclusion. It seems pretty obvious to me. If you can honestly say that you disagree, then I suppose we will have to agree to disagree, but I doubt that you can do so with a modest amount of intellectual integrity.

 

[David Pratt]

abc news - by Amy Bingham - 8.2.12

Chick-fil-A posted "record-setting" sales on Wednesday as thousands of people swarmed the chicken chain for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day after the chain's chief made anti-gay comments.

"While we don't release exact sales numbers, we can confirm reports that it was a record-setting day," Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A's executive vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

Lillian Huber, the Augusta Chick-fil-A's marketing director, told ABC News that employees began directing customers to another location around 8 p.m. so the store would have enough food left to open the next morning.

Click to Read Full Article: Chick-fil-A Has 'Record-Setting' Sales on Appreciation Day

 

[David Pratt]

abc news - by Amy Bingham - 8.2.12

After hundreds of thousands of people ate dinner at his restaurants on Wednesday for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, one Georgia family, a same-sex couple and their two daughters, has invited Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy to have dinner at their house.


But the dinner invitation from Marci Alt and wife Marlysa, who live near Chick-fil-A’s Atlanta headquarters, is no paltry piece of paper, it is backed by an online petition sponsored by Change.org, an online organizing platforms for activists, and GLAAD, a gay rights advocacy group.


GLAAD President Herndon Graddick said the protest stems not from Cathy’s comments, but from the millions of dollars his company has poured into “anti-gay hate groups.”


“Without question, Dan Cathy has every right to voice his opinions and beliefs,” Graddick said in a statement. “But he should meet and get to know the people that he’s speaking out against — the people who are harmed by his company’s multi-million dollar donations to anti-gay hate groups working to hurt everyday LGBT Americans and break apart loving families.”

Read Full Article: Same-Sex Couple Invites Chick-fil-A CEO To Dinner

 

[David Pratt]

To Dies-I

[I am fine with civil same-sex marriage -- I don't oppose it -- I tend not to get too involved in the pro-SSM movement either.]

[I am much more concerned with the more established civil rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and from undue invasions of privacy.]

[Nothing in Scripture convinces me that it is all that important to Jesus either. ]

[I believe that Christ is far more concerned about what we do for the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the vulnerable than he is about whether we took a strong stance against same-sex marriage (or any other political issue for that matter).]


1. Based on all the scriptures, “Are you certain that our Lord Christ was indifferent to sodomy?”.

2. Do you feel The Old & New testaments was written by men filled with the Holy Ghost?

3. Do you believe the laws of men should be the primary focus in governing land, instead of the bible?

4. Yes or No question: If a sodomite were to ask you, “Does the bible approve of them marrying another sodomite?” what would be your answer?