Dear Christian, if you thought you were safe because you were in a country founded by Christians, premised on God, and framed in Christian values, you were mistaken. And for those of you who are quite sure that we're over-reacting, at some point you must open your eyes. I've heard from some who say, "I'm opposed to your viewpoints, but I will fight for your right to hold them and your freedom to express them." Well, we'll see.
The headline: "Chick-Fil-A to be Blocked from Boston City, Vows Mayor.
Perhaps you've heard. Chick-Fil-A is a restaurant run by a family who are Christians. They are closed on Sunday. They try to charge fair prices for decent food. They not only call themselves Christians; they try to live it. So when they were asked, "What is your stance on same-sex marriage?" (and why the management of a restaurant chain is required to express their view on whether or not the concept of marriage needs to change is beyond me), they stuck with the biblical perspective. "Marriage is between a man and a woman."
In the spirit of American tolerance and our Constitutional right to exercise our freedom of religion, "Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has made a solid vow: to block Chick-Fil-A, a fast food restaurant known for its chicken sandwich, from the city." He won't block any other food chain; just this one. Why? "Chick-fil-A doesn't belong in Boston. You can't have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population." It is "discrimination" to believe that for as long as there have been humans in all societies and in all religions marriage has meant the union of a man and a woman. It is not discrimination if you pick out one restaurant and ban it because you disagree with its management on a topic unrelated to the business.
Don't worry, Christians. You live in a free country where your right to practice your religion cannot be infringed. Unless you cross the lines of the popular move at the moment. Unless you disagree with the viewpoint of some. Unless you wish to express an opinion that has no bearing on the business you run but runs counter to the authorities in your particular town. Christians, remember to count the cost. And count on it; there will be cost.
I'll be interested to see the protests lodged by the tolerant, non-Christian folk who believe that those who run Chick-Fil-A should be allowed to believe and express whatever their religious convictions require on a subject that has no bearing whatsoever on the business they run. I'll be interested to see, but I won't be holding my breath. That would just be stupid.
Update
Boston threatened to block Chick-Fil-A. Chicago is succeeding. "'Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values,' the mayor said." No, Boston and Chicago values appear to be "We will not tolerate CEOs who have a point of view that differs from ours. That is our value." Is that a shared value of Bostonians and Chicagoans?
6 comments:
And to push it even further, I seriously doubt that Chik-fil-A is refusing to server homosexuals, only that they believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I don't see how their belief gives the mayor any legal ability to deny them the ability to operate there.
That's really what struck me as astounding. They didn't ask Chick-Fil-A, "Are you not hiring homosexuals?" or "Do you not serve gays?" That might be more understandable. They asked about the corporate leadership's view on the subject of same-sex marriage. No bearing at all on the business, its employees, or its customers. None.
I've always said that tolerance is the Trojan Horse that brings acceptance through the gates. Once in, nothing less is tolerated. This is a case of more word confusion. When we hear the word "tolerance" these days we'd do well to translate that word into acceptance. It's funny though when you think about it. Here you have an organization that is demonstrating tolerance in its true definition, that is being discriminated against, in the name of diversity, by those who cannot tolerate a differing viewpoint, because that viewpoint doesn't accept what they think all should accept. And to add more absurdity to this, what do you think the Mayor of Boston would say about a new Mosque in Boston? And exactly how do Muslims demonstrate tolerance... or acceptance for that matter, of homosexuality?
Technically, America was not founded upon Christian values, it was based upon religious freedoms. Read Article XI of the constitution. Also, the founding fathers were Deist...
Technically, America was founded with the idea of "rights" endowed by "the Creator". Further, the American form of democracy can only survive in a nation of moral people. Read the founding fathers and you'll find a host of Christian values. (The fact that deists or Buddhists or even atheists might share some of these values doesn't make them not Christian values. And some of the founding fathers were deists.)
Dan, it would appear that "tolerance" is another one of those "neon words". ;)
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