Friday, August 3, 2012

The Chick-fil-a Thing...Answers, Please?

Two posts in one day on a Friday...totally not typical for me.  However, Luke is out at the movies tonight, and I've got nothing better to do than to write this post about something that has been weighing on my mind all day.

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I have a really hard time with the news, media, politics, etc, because I feel like everyone is so biased, how in the world are we supposed to figure out what's really going on?  The Chick-fil-a debate is no exception.

Honestly, I wasn't really buying into the whole debate too much.  I love chicken, and I love that Chick-fil-a is an openly Christian company.  It's the reason I've always supported them.  Their stance on gay marriage and support of the traditional family really wasn't a surprise to me.  I was happy to support the company, and eat there whenever I could.

Then this morning, someone posted something about it on Facebook that really offended me.  The issue became personal for me then, and I started researching the situation more, and found the root of the real problem.  

The more I dug, the more I found that Chick-fil-a donated millions of dollars to "anti-gay lobbyists," and "hate groups."  Red flags went up, because I am certainly not a supporter of hate!

I started paying closer attention on Facebook (probably my first mistake) to the debates going on, and found some really sensational claims.  I won't go into them because I don't want to further perpetuate outrageous rumors, because this is what I believe they were.   

I spent all day trying to find more information on these "hate groups."  I found this article that was helpful.  Apparently, Chick-fil-a gives millions to an organization called WinShape, which is basically a Christian summer camp.  The article said that the vast majority of Chick-fil-a's donated money goes to running the camps, and to foster homes.  Where it gets a little sketchy is in the groups that WinShape supports.  Some examples are Focus on the Family and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Now maybe this is my Christian, conservative bias showing, but I would hardly call those "anti-gay hate groups."  They are simply Christian groups who happen to disagree with homosexuality.  

There were a few groups mentioned that seem a bit questionable, but only a couple thousand dollars were given to those groups in a year, compared to the $5 million for the camps, and over $3 million for foster homes.  

The biggest thing I took away from all my research is that I do not believe that Chick-fil-a is spending millions of dollars a year on anti-gay lobbyists and hate groups.  I believe the truth is getting stretched so far that it is completely unrecognizable now.  

Like I said, it is so difficult to believe what I read, because everything is so biased.  I guess I am interested to hear your thoughts, whether or not you agree with me, about these so-called "hate groups."  Because while I do not support homosexuality, much more than that, I do not support hate.

 As it stands now, I still think Chick-fil-a is an excellent company, and I will continue to support them.  I am excited that Dan Cathy had the courage to stand up for what he believes!  And I do believe he had every right to!  

Disclaimer: This post really has nothing to do with my thoughts about gay rights or gay marriage, so I hope it doesn't turn into a debate about that.  All I'm saying is that I believe the Bible is clear that it is a sin, and that's what I believe.  My main point with this post was to point out that we can't always believe everything we hear!

7 comments:

  1. As a huuuuge liberal and avid supporter of you miss Jessica I am so happy you researched for yourself. Honestly I dont care which side people are on as long as they know why. I think that is true for everything. Reserach is so important. Its important to be able to back up your claims. Good for you!

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  2. Good stuff Jess, it's so tough to keep up with any story in the news when everyone of my friends are sharing their slightly slanted biased opinion. That's why I'm staying out of this one completely :p I love chick-fil-a for the same reasons you do!

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  3. I love the way you expressed yourself here. I am Christian. I do not believe that gay marriage is the way God intended. I also do not believe that God intended for me or anyone else to walk around playing judge and jury. God gives us all the choice to follow Him or not. He gave us the Bible to give us examples of how to live and He sent us Jesus to show it in the flesh. And in the end, He and He alone will decide our ultimate fate and for that I am eternally grateful. And for the record, once the Chick-Fil-A near me opens back up, I'll be back for a yummy spicy chicken sandwich and waffle fries, and i'll wash it down with a shake! :-)

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  4. Good post, Ian and I have been largely upset at the loose use of the word HATE and can't believe how many people (on both sides,) are using it to describe things- it's too strong of a word, I think, too strong.

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  5. I absolutely adore this post and that you did your homework. This whole Chic-fil-a thing has been thrown SO out of proportion it's unreal. I'm on the conservative side - I'm a Christian and homosexuality is a sin, no way around it. That's what I believe. Does that mean I hate gays/lesbians? NO. I just don't believe in the way they live their life. End of story. Do I think the founder of Chic-fil-a hates gays/lesbians? NO. He's a Christian, what do you think he's going to think of homesexuality? He hates the sin of it, not the people themselves.

    High five to you for posting this :)!

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  6. You guys are all awesome! Thanks for the support, even from those of you who disagree with me. I love it!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment! I read and appreciate each and every one. Blessings to you!