The following is a guest post submitted by one mom with an opinion she wanted to share on the recent Chic-Fil-A controversy surrounding a comment from a corporate executive regarding the chain’s thoughts on equality of marriage. The comment went viral and a number of protests and counter-protests were staged over the following weeks to both support and oppose the statement. What are your thoughts about the Chic-Fil-A executive’s comments? Have his statements changed your opinion on the debate or the restaurant in any way? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
As parents it is our job to protect our children. Not only do we have to worry about ensuring their safety on a daily basis, but we also have to protect them from outside influences that may taint their innocence. One such influence that concerns me is the recent incident with Chic-Fil-A.
Here’s what happened, briefly:
The COO of the company announced in an interview that he and his company were run by the principles of God and that he supported the traditional marriage. Without directly stating that he believed that the gay community did not have the rights to get married, the statement went viral and thousands of customers began to divide either in favor of traditional marriage or outraged that a comment would be made so publicly against the gay community.
While I am all for standing up for what you believe in, I don’t agree with the media circus that followed. With a small daughter in the house, how do I begin to protect her from these influences and explain to her the hatred that seems to emanate no matter which side of the story you look at? Furthermore, how do I address the fact that serious human rights violations are occurring?
I’ve always been the type of person to live and let live. I don’t push my moral values on anyone and I don’t expect them to be pushed on me. I’m very accepting of who individuals are and I want my daughter to grow up to be the same way. Racism, discrimination and fear mongering have no place in our society, yet every time we turn on the news, it’s there, taunting us.
Another fact that seriously disturbs me is every time I log into Facebook, all I see are messages – especially in light of recent events – that are crying out with hatred. It’s enough to make me sick and want to turn off my computer. Sometimes I just wish the level of interaction [through social media] we have didn’t exist. People are so insistent upon using the Bible to lure hate messages at each other that they are failing to carry out the one thing that the Bible says over and over again – do not cast judgment, lest you be judged and above all else, love your brothers.
Spewing hate messages and carrying on rallies against certain groups, is not to me, a good Christian message. It is using the Bible for all the wrong purposes. Who cares what a person’s sexual orientation or preference is? Does it really matter in the overall scheme of things?
Since my daughter is still young, I can shelter her from the negativity. I don’t let family members discuss controversial stuff in front of her nor do I. She should be able to maintain her innocence as long as she can. In the meantime, I’ll continuing stressing to her that a person is a person regardless of their skin color, their handicap and their sexual preference. If more parents would do as I am doing, the hate would eventually begin to subside. But as long as we have people using the Bible as a means of spreading hate, I’m afraid hate will only continue to breed and that saddens me; very much so.
