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The Post in Which I Talk About Chick-fil-a

Chick-fil-a fans happy with the company's pro-marriage/anti-gay marriage stance are all posting all over Facebook. I'm seeing cute little memes and links to articles and status updates about eating at Chick-fil-a some more tasteful (no pun intended) than others. I started to post and say that I would eat at Chick-fil-a even if it were run by gay people. Because they have good food. And it's a restaurant. Where you eat food. (And also they gave me a bunch of free food!) I don't really care what's happening behind the scenes as long as everyone is washing their hands afterwards. = P

How much do our beliefs and values affect where we spend our money? My family has been boycotting Kraft, Pepsi, and Nestle products because they use kidney cells from aborted human embryos to test flavorings that go into the foods they manufacture. We are pro-life based as the Biblical belief that life begins at conception and that all life is highly valued by God. So that belief has penetrated deeply into our everyday life; it has affected the way we shop.

Should I be more adamant about supporting companies that adhere to the same beliefs that I do? Perhaps. But I've really been more drawn to doing things myself. I don't buy Kraft macaroni and cheese anymore so I found a good recipe and make a better version from scratch. I stopped drinking Crystal Light then I actually 
read the ingredient list and found that two of its ingredients, aspartame and acesulfame potassium, are linked to a higher cancer risk. I've been drinking more water which as it happens is the healthiest drink for adults. It just seemed more logical to me to get closer to nature, closer to the source, to being whole, than to try to find a substitute for the brands I chose not to buy.

But back to the Chick-fil-a ordeal. So you're a supporter, huh? Does being pro- traditional marriage mean that you are anti-gay? Gay people are boycotting companies such as Chick-fil-a with what they are calling an anti-gay stance. Do you boycott companies who support gay marriage with the same passion in which you have stepped up to defend Chick-fil-a? Do you even know which companies are "pro-gay"?

Let me help you out. Do you have any GAP clothes in your closet? How's your favorite pair of Levi's fitting these days? Did you go running in your Nike's this morning? Had an Oreo lately? Have you Googled anything today? Checked your gmail account? Been to Target or Whole Foods? Starbucks? Do you have a Microsoft product installed on the computer you're on right now?

What are we really achieving "supporting" Chick-fil-a by sharing the logo over and over online while we still pour billions of dollars into all these other companies who then use that money to support ideas we don't agree with? Is that hypocritical? Are company boycotts pointless? I'm betting none of you could withdraw from the world enough to not somehow inadvertently support something that you disagree with. I don't think any of us have a very good answer for the problem but I think it makes a lot more sense to do what I did when I decided to stop buying Kraft, Pepsi, and Nestle stuff--refocus your efforts where they really count. Make things better for yourself not by tearing down others but perhaps by doing something good for your marriage. Get off your soap box and wrap your arms around your spouse. Make your husband a hand-breaded chicken sandwich on buns your baked yourself. ; ) Whatever works for you.

Now excuse me while I go focus on some truly important things---my home and family.

Comments

  1. DeJuly 25, 2012 at 2:28 PM

    :) Well said! :)
    While I may not agree with their lifestyle, I refuse to alienate and black-list the people because of their lifestyle. We, as Christians, are called to love our neighbors. We would have better luck witnessing to these people if we truly loved these people. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TraciJuly 25, 2012 at 3:20 PM

      Not just "these people" but all people...our living representation of love could not only be a witness to gay people or Muslim people or atheists but also to the young Christian mother standing behind us at the grocery store. I think we should live our lives in a way that reflects how we believe God wants us personally to live not how we think everyone else should live. Hopefully by doing that other people will see that special thing living inside of us and want to be a part of that, too. Being a part of hate just does not make sense to me.

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