Saturday, August 4, 2012

Drive-thru politics

I am not going to eat Chik-fil-a now because I never have. Why should I start filling my body with fast fried food because I happen to agree with a man's definition? What on earth are Americans thinking?


Dorothy Sayers warned us: ". . . regulations founded on consent are confused with claims to interpret universal law, and vice versa; with the result that the logical and historical structure of Christian philosophy is transformed in the popular mind to a confused jumble of mythological and pathological absurdity."


I make no bones about my traditional view of marriage. But I don't put it in people's faces, either. Goading and "honesty" tread a very fine line. When my two kids were smaller, I must have told them not to provoke each other so many times that I would occasionally get informed, "Mom, so-and-so  is provoking me." And they knew it was wrong--as kids they knew.


So why on earth are all of us grown ups acting like a bunch of kids who didn't learn the basics of getting along with others in kindergarten?


There is no chance I am going to start in on either side of this gay marriage issue because there is NO POINT. In the long run, it doesn't make a hill of beans difference if the US constitution or legal system declares something legal. If it is good in God's sight, the law-makers are redundant. And if it is not, their saying so doesn't change the deeper reality.


Most of all, I'm ashamed of my sisters and brothers in a Body in which we are supposed to be known for our love. Taking sides instead of making peace. This isn't a hill to die on. We can die or fight on, but the victory and truth have already been assured. Let go of it, I cry to my family, my fellow believers. Let truth and reality slowly dawn a new day.


I am tainted by the reading of so many books on the apartheid era that even showering doesn't make the repugnance of it go away. A powerful government with an inhuman constitution decided that an entire group of people (determined by skin color) were sub-human. The laws passed were appalling. But they were legal. 


That didn't make them right. So, don't you suppose we can leave it with God? He was the One with the idea of marriage in the first place. I imagine He can preserve it without our engendering more animosity than we already have.

--Karen

Whoa, simmer down there, girlfriend. I'm a member of the suburban Christian homeschool community. I, too, have been exposed to the wild indignation of conservatives on this point. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be identified with them. Sometimes, like you, I'm ashamed of their unloving attitudes. And sometimes I'm downright jealous of their ability to live in a black-and-white world. It seems so much less stressful than my own daily struggle.

To clarify the issue, Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, said, when asked his opinion, "We are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.' I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about." 

We never would have heard his opinion if it weren't for the reactions of some high-profile political figures.

Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago: “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values."
 
Boston's mayor, to Chick-fil-A: "I urge you to back out of your plans to locate in Boston."

San Francisco's mayor: "I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer."

That's when "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" happened. And now Mayor Emanuel, choosing not to escalate the debate, says, "enough has been said already."

 Isn't America great? We have the right to make the wisest and stupidest comments. We have the right to spend our money on junk food. We are truly blessed. And let me assure you I'm not being sarcastic.

Now, on to your comparison of gay marriage and apartheid laws. Do you really think we should "leave it with God"? I don't think we should let the government decide the legal definition of marriage, and I don't think Nelson Mandela thought the government should make apartheid laws.

Opinions are easy to state. Stating them lovingly is hard, but it is our responsibility.

When you're in town, let's go to Chick-fil-A! Not as a statement, but for lunch. I've never heard a bad comment about their food. 


--Marcia

1 comment:

  1. Although it is difficult for me at times, I appreciate and need to hear both sides of an issue, so I can clarify my thinking on the subject. Karen, you are correct. We need to show love to others who do not follow our beliefs. In the New Testement, Christ would reprimand those who knew better, such as the pharisees. He was more compassionate to those who knew nothing of God's love and laws.
    Marcia, thanks for clarifying the context in which the CEO's comment was made. I don't always know where to look for the truth in media (any suggestions?) so I end up making a judgement according to family or friend's insights. So, here is my opinion:
    The CEO did not volunteer his views...he was asked. And, I am sure he was confronted so that his beliefs would be laid bare. He did not judge, nor did he say anything about gay rights, marriage, etc. Of course, one eliminates the other, but in this case, he was only stating his beliefs when asked. Reminds me of the verse in I Peter 3:15, "...be ready always to give answer to every man who asks you a reason for the hope that is within you, with meekness and fear." I believe he was doing just that, and I admire him. I wish I was so bold!
    And that's why I would have purchased a meal from a company that stands for family values: so the CEO would not be standing alone. So he, and his employees, would be encouraged in their Christian faith, and rewarded for being bold. Gay rights never came into the picture for me...and neither did their menu. But, I never had the chance to order. The lines, both inside and at the drive-up were out of sight. I left with a smile on my face, and a song in my heart: a remnant still exists...family values prevail. But what about the future? I'm not so sure...

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