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I have tried my best to stay out of the Chil-fil-A hoopla. I think the whole mess is ridiculous. I was reminded how ridiculous it was when I saw this floating around on Facebook:
I was just about over it when I read a recent interview with actress Sophia Bush online. Here's a little taste of what ignited my fire:
"I'm sorry, it's 2012, if you really think it's OK to deny anybody their basic human right of loving who they choose to love, you can go f--k yourself, honestly. And you can print that, because I'm done. I am so over it! Be a kind person...We are all supposed to be equal here."
Annnnd the fury is back! First of all, this statement is so ignorant that I'm embarrassed for her. Sadly, someone will read this and nod their head in agreement. They might even clap or say something equally as ignorant like "Preach on, sister!" But here's the thing, no one is trying to deny anyone the ability to love who they wish. You can't really legislate love. Certainly Mr. Cathy is not attempting to deny anyone the emotion of love. Additionally, he was not unkind in his response to the question. He did not bash anyone or any group of people. In fact, his entire business is built upon the tradition of treating every person with honor, dignity, and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. Ms. Bush did get one thing right, though: We are all SUPPOSED to be equal here, but let's get real, we're NOT! Women still experience sexual discrimination all the time!
Then she really got me going...
"When you use God as an excuse to hate people and you use God as an excuse to cut people down, first of all, I think it's insulting to God. And second of all, you're missing the point."
No, Sophia, YOU'RE missing the point. Dan Cathy isn't expressing hatred toward anyone and he didn't use God as an excuse for his opinion. As has been stated repeatedly, he expressed HIS OWN OPINION, which happens to be shared by millions of Christians. Sadly, it is also shared by thousands of other small-minded, loud people who CLAIM to be Christians as well. So you've obviously confused Dan Cathy with the preacher of Westboro Baptist Church.
Here's the thing, as a company, Chick-fil-a takes NO POSITION on gay marriage. That's right folks, NONE! Mr. Cathy can do whatever he wants with the proceeds of HIS company because it's HIS BUSINESS! In June of this year, General Mills-- whose products include Cheerios, Pillsbury and Green Giant vegetables -- announced that it is opposing a Minnesota constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Do you see Christian groups lining the streets and jamming the internet with petitions against General Mills products? No! Has anyone stopped feeding their kids Cheerios because of this? I don't think so! Also in June, Nabisco's Oreo brand posted on Facebook a picture of an Oreo cookie with six colorful layers representing the gay pride rainbow. The caption: "Proudly support love!" Does this mean that Oreos are no longer milk's favorite cookie? No. Would you have even known about this if I hadn't written this blog post? Probably not! Because no one made an issue of it. It is their right to support who/what they want, just like it is my right not to buy their products. This does not require a major protest. If conservative Christians reacted to these things the way liberal groups react to Christian statements, then we (Christians, that is) would all be driving around with "Death to Doughboy" bumper stickers.
As Christians, we are taught to love everyone. We are also taught not to judge because it is not our job (John 8:7, James 4:11-12). I was always taught that, in the eyes of the Lord, no sin is greater than another. Therefore, the person who covets their neighbor's house is no better or worse than the person who disrespects their parents. And who hasn't been guilty of one or both of these before?
Here's my point:
There was a time when it was dangerous to be black in this country, and now, I fear, we are entering a time when it is dangerous to be a Christian and share your beliefs. My preacher recently posted a status update regarding this debacle. He stated, "the Founding Fathers... believed that diversity of thought, denominations, and religion was a good establishing principle for our new nation. I believe it has served us well as a country. We are treading on dangerous ground when it is no longer acceptable to express a religious opinion whether Christian, Mormon, Muslim, or atheist." He's exactly right! We have become a society that is so hypersensitive that if anyone expresses any opinion about how one should live or love, then they are infringing on someone else's civil rights! Get Over It!
This is my proposed solution:
Christians, if you truly are a Christian, then you should examine yourself before you condemn anyone else. Look at your own heart before judging what is in someone else's. We are all sinners in the eyes of God. Pointing fingers at someone else because they have sinned "more" than you or "worse" than you doesn't detract from your own short-comings. Remember, we were all created in God's image.
And to everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike, take some advice from the book of James:
"...always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger." (James 1:19)
And remember:
"A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life." (James 3:5-6)
