The media has portrayed this Chik-fil-a debate as a big deal. Some may think it has been overblown, but it really is a big deal. Truth is, Dan Cathy's stance was the straw that broke the camels back.
I had this blog all figured out in my head, but it didnt come out as well as planned so please bear with the ramblings and disorganization. It didnt help that I kept reading a bunch of facebook comments on the matter and I'm not the best at organizing my thoughts. In my defense, I'm ADD. =P
Like I've said before, my husband and I do not agree on this issue at all. And we both passionately disagree. I love my husband, his opinion doesnt make him a bad person. His stance frustrates the crap out of me, but it doesnt help that he sometimes makes comments just to get me fired up. SOmetimes it upsets me so much that itll sometimes put me to tears but He really is a good guy. This is a guy who practically works 2 jobs to support his family and hardly gets any sleep.
He has actually made me a better person. I feel that he has calmed me, or maybe its motherhood- either way he helped. =P Before him, I was quick to act. I would say that I respected other peoples opinions but then I would pretty much argue them to the death- it was my view or no view at all. I would never actually listen to their side. I'm quick to act at times and on the defense with my guard WAY WAY up, but not like i used to be Now I try to hear both sides, no matter how much I disagree- didnt say I was always successful, but I at least try and I am better at biting my tongue these days....
I say this because my husband supports chikfila, his facebook status says so. I'm not going to lie, it irritated me a bit but It didnt let it get to me.It did, however, piss my sister off. She felt that since he has gay family he never shouldve said it. My aunt defended him by saying he's got his right to his own opinion, he shouldnt be able to express it just because you dont like it. It set my sister off! (My sister always has good intentions, but isnt the most tactful)And of course it left me there hanging cuz then I dont know what to say or who's side to take... They all had valid points. Yes, maybe Josh shouldnt have said it because of gay family members and he knew how my sister would react but he is entitled to his own opinion and he shouldnt have to hide it. Way to put me on the spot. Ayy....The more I think about it the more it upsets me.
Theres more to it than freedom of speech vs. gay rights. Theres no black and white to it, its rather gray....Some people support Chik-fil-a because they support freedom of speech. Some support them because they agree with Mr. Cathy's stance. Others feel he can do as he feels with his money . Some support his stance because they are 'Christians". Others like the food, whereas others are boycotting because of discrimination, others just dont care...
I, obviously, support gay rights and have done so since before I had friends and family who are gay. I have also joined the boycotting bandwagon. At first was because I didnt agree with the words Mr. Cathy chose- calling us arrogant but my feelings became stronger after I learned of the MILLIONS of dollars that the Chik-fil-a corporation donates to anti-gay organizations. I support Mr. Cathy's freedom of speech, but I refuse to help fund his anti-gay agenda. Luckily for him I didn't buy Chik-fil-a often. I'm usually too cheap for it and too lazy to drive the extra couple of minutes. ...
I've got friends and some family that do not agree with the gay lifestyle. As much as I think they're wrong for feeling this way, it doesnt make them bad people- they've actually helped me and my husband A LOT. And they dont think any differently of me for my opinion. I do not get upset with people for voicing their opinion over the issue. At least I try not to. I get upset when they try to support their anti-gay opinions with the bible. Ive read some peoples comments on facebook- "Christian's don't like homosexuality, God detests homosexuality. the bible says so...etc, etc". I consider myself a Christian, was raised Catholic as a matter of fact, and I find these comments to be offensive. Those arguments just get me fired up and not in a good way.
If God detested gays, why would he make so many people gay? If it is unnatural, why do we find gay animals in nature? If its unnatural to be gay and therefore immoral, does that means its also immoral to dye your hair- because platinum blonde isnt natural either...
You can use any thing to back up an argument if you pull a snippet and take it out of context. And the Bible was written a LONG time ago, being translated a crap load of times. Its possible that things could have been lost in translation. Its not like it was written right after the events occured, its possible that some of the facts couldve been jumbled like in a game of telephone. It could also just be one side of the story. God didnt write the book, so we dont really know what he thinks. Sure the bible says marriage is between a man and a women, but we dont know if it says that because God said so. Maybe it said that because the men who wrote it felt that way, maybe it says that because it was the politically correct thing to say. Plus there are a lot of things pulled from the bibe that everyone argues are ridiculous now...Nobody knows how God feels on the subject except for God, so stop speaking for him!
One of my favorite responses was this:
Both sides say it’s about love, some for gays and equal rights and some for Jesus, chicken and free speech. For Christians on both sides, it should be about love-love for Christ and love for your neighbor-regardless of their race/gender/sexual orientation/political or religious views! No matter your stance on the issue, God called us to love the world and the world is full of sin, however you want to define it--murder, adultery, jealousy, hate etc. He knew that we were going to encounter those who do and say things we don’t agree with! Love isn’t easy and it’s not just for those who hold our values, but it is the 2nd greatest commandment, the first being love the Lord (Matthew 22:37-39). It’s not our job to convince others that what we believe is right, that’s up to God
I'll leave it at that.
