I’m frustrated.
For a long time I have tried to sort out my feelings about the following subjects, and have yet to find real clarity.
I want to begin by saying that never do I condone any kind of violence or hateful interaction between people based on beliefs. Especially within the Christian faith where the Bible calls us to act in love above all else, hostility or violence towards any group of people is simply hypocritical and the opposite of how God calls us to treat those He
loves.
Lately, I have heard many cases of Christians being singled out for their beliefs, and the media twisting the words and thoughts of readers or viewers. Yes, let’s ask the devout Christian his opinion on gay marriage and then be surprised by his answer. But this method has become the nuclear bomb of the business world, and a way to eliminate competition by destroying a fan base.
The first one that comes to mind as I write this was the whole Duck Dynasty incident. Any human with a brain could assume that the family who begins each show with a prayer most likely doesn’t believe that homosexuality is what God intended for his children. But, the question was still asked and met with hostility, and another form of bigotry. Phil never said he hated gays. Phil never said he thought they should be treated with cruelty, in fact he stated that they should be treated with love and respect. Phil stated his opinion and his personal belief, and his show was pulled off the air. Those who support the homosexual lifestyle have the right to THEIR opinion, but Phil who believes in a Christian lifestyle DOES NOT have the right to his opinion.
A similar event comes to mind and although it happened before the duck dynasty incident, however, I really only became privey to it now.
Chick-fil-A
Now, I just got a part time job there. My first official day is today, but I had orientation the other day, and I was blown away by this amazing company. Their business model is fantastic, not to mention their company is based on treating EVERY with dignity, honor, and respect. Well, I decided to do more research about the company and of course I was met with controversy.
Once again, let’s ask the devout Christian what his beliefs on homosexuality are and be surprised by the answer.
Now I am in no way surprised by this. Chick-Fil-A is a major competitor in the fast food world. They have recently surpassed KfC and McDonald’s for chicken products and kids meals. Why wouldn’t someone attempt to throw and atom bomb onto a company who was moving forward in such a way. They needed to knock out the competition.
The Internet is full of people opposing chick-Fil-a because they “hate gays”. That makes sense. Because one man stated that he didn’t condone the life style, that clearly means that each and every person who works for chick-Fil-a hates them too.
Once again, we’re dealing with a situation where everyone has a right to THEIR beliefs, but Truitt Cathy does NOT have the right to his.
One major issue people have with the company is their funding of organisations supporting the traditional family dynamic…okay so don’t eat their if you don’t want to have your money supporting those organisations. But why does it have to become a big ordeal laced with hate and bigotry on the other side?
No one speaks about the great things chick-Fil-a has done. The many organizations they support that have nothing to do with with lifestyle choices or the LGBT community.
Finally, the recent HobbyLobby fiasco. Firstly, when you want to see a change in something, you fight for it. We are taught to fight for what we believe in. Is that not what the LGBT community has been doing? So your dealing with a company who again was founded my Christians on Christian principles. They want to change that which forces them to insure certain birth controls because they are pro-life. They want to change…want.
As a 24 year old married woman, I say that I am pro-life. I don’t think abortion is the answer to laziness (aside from cases of rape, or physical detriment due to a pregnancy) Use a condom. It’s actual not that difficult to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Just because you decided to allow passion to overtake you, doesn’t mean that you should be able to just end a life. Have some self control.
All this to say, I can understand the route a woman’s mind can take that would lead them to consider abortion. Since being married I have already thought I could have possibly been pregnant and I freaked out. I am in no way ready nor am I in a financial place to raise a child. I felt helpless and scared. As I pondered all that could go wrong and considered every option, abortion came to mind. But I realised that I could have NEVER forgiven myself for killing a baby out of inconvenience to MY life plan. We can throw around all the bull about how “women have a right to their own bodies” blah blah blah. Sure we do. Women are not meant to be tools that are just used and controlled. However, how dare a woman make any choices about a baby no matter how small that is not solely hers? How dare she decide to end a pregnancy without the father being in agreement? Condoms people. They’re like 6$ at target.
And so Hobby Lobby wants to change that a company can choose to not insure forms of birth control. The form in question being plan B, a drug which when taken ends a pregnancy that has already begun. This had nothing to do with the general birth control pill which they support. You can purchase this pill at CVS for 30$, so if you really got stuck do you need insurance to pay for your mistake? So Hobby Lobby attempts to make a change they believe in, and they are beaten down by feminists and again an A bomb is dropped onto their business. These women believe that all women have a RIGHT to their beliefs, except those who OPPOSE them.
Why can’t we allow people to have their right to their own personal beliefs. Allow the right to support those they want to support without playing puppet master to try and smout a “threat”. As I said above, the way we treat others should never change. We should always treat those around is with dignity and respect, and most importantly love and kindness. However, it’s time to just let it be.
I have yet to fully make sense of my faith, or feelings on the matters stated. Many of my close friends are gay and I wouldn’t stand for their being met by any kind of physical or verbal hostility. However, if we’re treating others how we want to be treated, then that same hostility should be avoided in return.