I don’t know if you caught the hubbub about Chick-Fil-A
Sandwiches but I found it quite interesting and a sign of the times.
We don’t usually see this fast food brand up here in the
North but it is quite the place to eat in the South. The president of Chick-Fil-A
(Dan Cathy) said that his organization backs the “biblical definition of a
family” and added that “…we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we
shake our fists at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a
marriage”.
OK, it’s a free country and we have free speech so what the
hey; let him speak. Being a mostly Southern restaurant, it should not be a
surprise that the owner is a Southern Baptist and holds the views that he does.
But the Jim Henson Company, the company that supplies
“Muppet” toys to the restaurant chain, said it is pulling its toys and ending
its relationship with Chick-Fil-A because it objects to the company’s anti-gay
stance. OK, they have a right to do that.
Now comes the hubbub.
The mayors of Chicago , Boston and San
Francisco said that Chick-Fil-A is not welcome in
their cities saying their values do not belong in their cities.
Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum have called for a
Chick-Fil-A appreciation day urging all that agree with their anti-gay stance
or should we say anti-gay marriage stance, to support the restaurant. Other
politicians will undoubtedly join in the fun…
I find this situation interesting on a number of levels.
The injection of fundamentalist religion into our political
structure is troubling and where Republicans advocate for less government
intrusion into our lives, they have no problem telling us who to marry (gay
marriage) and what we can do with our bodies (contraception & abortion) and
what researchers can and cannot research (stem cells).
The gay community and supporters of diversity and toleration
of diversity have become more vocal and willing to take action when they encounter
what they feel are acts of discrimination against diversity.
There is also an economic component to this issue as either
side tries to boycott or support places of business that lean one way or
another.
The Chick-Fil-A situation is just the tip of the iceberg and
there will be more such situations coming but overall, I think Christian
conservative radicals are losing control over American minds and hearts, even
in the South.
Americans are growing more and more tolerant and willing to
accept the diversity among them. Even religious people are realizing that they
cannot force their views on people and some Christian religions openly support
diversity using the argument that if Jesus was here, he would absolutely
support diversity.
We are definitely living in interesting times…
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