I have to admit that I have been itching to write about the hoopla surrounding Chic-fil-a and homosexuality. Based on what I know about the story, my conclusions are rather clear.
Everybody has a right to their opinion. That means Don Cathy, the CEO of Chic-fil-a, a privately held company, has a right to support traditional marriage. He can give money to whoever he wants. Personally, I don’t get why supporting traditional marriage is a bad thing. Does that mean that such a person does not believe that gay marriage should be legitimatized by being made legal? Probably. Does it mean that he hates gays and discriminates against them? Probably not. Does that mean that he believes gays should not be afforded equal civil rights? Again, probably not. I say, let Don Cathy and Chic-fil-a alone. If you don’t like the actions of Don Cathy and want to transfer that to his business, eat somewhere else.
There is no place for discrimination. That is a legal issue. Our government’s purpose is to protect individual freedom. It is faith issue, too. If anyone in the world is against discrimination, it should be Christ followers. Jesus is no respecter of persons, and I am living proof of that. Even further, if anyone is the champion of the marginalized, it should be Christ followers because that was our founder’s M.O. He broke all the rules and crossed all of the barriers to connect with people who had been shunned. Does that mean we have to agree with every personal choice and lifestyle? Of course not. I don’t know why some people are homosexual, but I do know it’s my place to love them and not judge them. If they are great big sinners, then, they fall into the same category as me.
Some local officials over-stepped their bounds. Government power grabs and the prevalent PC mentality have run amuck in the last several years. Don Cathy’s views on marriage are irrelevant to his business, as long as they the company’s business practices are not discriminatory. Local mayors should not be qualifying potential businesses by the position their founder takes on marriage. That is discrimination from the very people who say they are against discrimination. That’s the problem with being excessively PC, it preaches a doctrine of tolerance, unless you disagree with me.
Chic-fil-a is a quality operation. We don’t have a Chic-fil-a near us, but when we travel in the South, we try to stop in from time to time. What I have found there is a delicious menu, offering something that is a little different from the fast food I am used to. I find a clean, inviting restaurant. I find well-trained, kind employees, which is a rarity. Our experience was so good at a Chic-fil-a that we stopped at this spring that I asked to speak to the manager to compliment him on his staff and my total experience. Afterwards, I told my wife it was awesome to see someone living out their Christian values in a company. They weren’t just talking about their faith, they were living it out by running a quality operation with caring employees..
