In a stunning about-face, Chick-fil-A announced earlier this week that it will stop all donations to Christian charities that have histories of fighting against same-sex marriage.
The fast food chain has faced years of criticism over its ties to charitable organizations with anti-LGBTQ track records. Activists have staged protests outside Chick-fil-A locations all over the world, demanding that the company stop funding groups that oppose gay rights. In some cases, they've been successful in stymying the company's growth.
Just when it seemed as if Chick-fil-A would never consider changing its ways, the company issued a statement explaining that it will end its relationship with the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes two of the primary offenders identified by activists. From here on out, a spokesman explained, Chick-fil-A will focus its charitable donations on "education, homelessness and hunger."
Christians React
Although the decision certainly earned them positive PR in some circles, one specific constituency was extremely unhappy about the announcement: conservative churchgoers. Many expressed their disappointment online, accusing Chick-fil-A of "bowing to political correctness" and "betraying Christian values."
Others decided to have some fun with the controversy:
A Troubled Past
Chick-fil-A's reputation for homophobia has followed the company ever since CEO Dan Cathy's infamous 2012 comments opposing same-sex marriage. Despite facing a national boycott from LGBTQ rights groups and angry customers, the company stood its ground. In the years since, Chick-fil-A has steadfastly continued supporting Christian charities some of which were accused of endorsing conversion therapy and other controversial practices.
It now appears there's been a change of heart from the fast food giant. What's not clear, though, is whether the new policy is the result of evolving views on gay rights, or just a calculated economic decision as the company seeks to broaden its appeal and expand into new markets.
Is It Enough?
On paper, this seems like a huge win for LGBTQ rights activists. After years of pressure, a major corporation finally threw in the towel and backed down. However, some think the company hasn't gone far enough in severing its problematic ties. "If Chick-fil-A is serious about their pledge to stop holding hands with divisive anti-LGBTQ activists, then further transparency is needed regarding their deep ties to organizations like Focus on the Family, which exist purely to harm LGBTQ people and families," said GLAAD director Drew Anderson.
Then came reports that Chick-fil-A had decided to backtrack on its decision a bit, and wouldn't totally rule out donating to anti-LGBTQ charities in the future.
What's your take on this whole saga? Is it possible for Chick-fil-A to earn back the trust of the LGBTQ community, or has too much damage been done? Will Christians really turn on their favorite fast food restaurant, or is that an empty threat?
41 comments
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Kat
I personally believe they should be able to back anybody they want now I'm happy for their turnaround because everybody has a right to be who they are and I don't believe that any of us should be able to judge so I think it's great that they're donating to Charities all charities and it's not up to us for their customers to decide who they do or don't donate to it's up to them and if you like your food eat there if you don't don't don't not eat there because you don't like who they're donating or not donating to it's their money after all
Thank you Minister Katherine Strid
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Nathaniel Robert Hunt
Likewise its not up to christians who I chose to donate to, or who I let into my church, if they don't like that we welcome gays and preform same sex weddings, they don't have to set foot here.
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Alicia
Kat...What you're not taking into consideration that when they donate to charities, it's from their profits. Those profits are made by money the customers bring in. Let's say a company donated money to a charity that supports hate groups? Would you spend your hard-earned money at that company knowing that you are helping fund hate groups?
This is the same thing. Anti-LGBTQ groups are hate groups. The Salvation Army will "help" people as long as they're Christian. I'd rather see my money go to charities such as St. Jude's, Homeless Vets, American Cancer Society where they don't care if you're black, white, Christian, Jew, gay or straight...they'll help anyone.
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The Doctor
Boycotting is a perfectly acceptable form of non violent protest. A company that wishes to thrive must indeed bend knee to its customers.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
And with that bent knee should come an open mouth, and a sign that states "I'm your boy!"
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Dan Atatakai
The difficulty with almost all of this is that so many people DO NOT UNDERSTAND what the Bible says about the issue of Homosexuality. It is mostly mistaken by people who think it DOES mention it, when it really does not.
First, the story of Sodom & Gomorrah was NOT about homosexuality, but of inhospitality and rape. If one actually reads the story, you will see that the God of Abraham warns the people about those exact issues.
Next would be about Leviticus 18:22. This was the Levite disapproval of the Canaanite practice of using male temple prostitutes in their religious ceremonies, NOT about two people of the same gender who love each other. Some Christian theologians will say that it is the same thing for Leviticus 20:13 as well.
How about Romans 1:26-30? Again, Not at all. Saul/Paul was writing about his observations of an ancient Roman fertility ritual to the goddess Diana with the intention of increased calvings/lambings and better crops for the year to come. This ceremony would end in an orgy. It was not about two people who are committed to each other and happening to be of the same gender.
If one looks at KJV1611, you will see no mention at all in 1Cor 6:9-10 about "homosexual." That was added in later versions of the Bible. So much for Jesus' demand to NOT ADD TO NOR TAKE AWAY FROM THE WORD OF GOD, NOT ONE JOT, NOT ONE TITTLE.
Regarding Jesus ever mentioning such an issue, when on earth did he ever even speak of it? Answer: About as many times as he mentioned it being a sin to ride in automobiles or using computers.
So, how can they condemn biology, given that more than 1500 different mammalian species (including humans) have homosexual populations if it is a sin or an abomination? I do not recall penguins, sheep, horses, giraffes or other animals committing sins. Do you?
Please try bringing people together by respecting the people who happen to be slightly different than you and allow them to be their true selves. Condemning people who happen to be homosexual only divides because of ignorance and fear.
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Kat Strid
The Bible was also gone through bye. People who said Their religion was the only one. And what did they do? They pick and choose what they put in it. Didn't put everything that was supposed to be in there or written. About in it Did they? So we'll never really know. About any of this will we? We all need to just get along. Wouldn't that be nice? Minister Katherine Strid
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Maria
Well I think CF should be able to support whomever or whatever they want. By forcing them out of business and doing what the gay community wants makes the gay community worse then those who don’t think and do like they do. Get it lol?
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marshall
We agree CF has the freedom to support whomever they want, but you're asserting here that customers have no such right? Everyone HAS to eat at CF? Lol I get what you're saying but do you hear how silly that is?
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woodrow
This is what the scriptures have to say about LGBTQ: You Decide.
God’s Anger at Sin ROMANS 1
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.[i] 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. YOU DECIDE.
God’s Judgment of Sin ROMANS 2
2 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.[a] 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. YOU DECIDE
BYITNOJ
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Dave
Hate the sin not the sinner. If somebody sin against God's word then it is our duty as Christians not to condone it but to rebuke it in brotherly love. We should expect the same treatment from our brothers in Christ. We are not to pass judgement (only God can do that) but what we can do is pray to our Lord that our fellow brethren may not fall away but come into righteous light of our Almighty God.
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Lionheart
As for those of us who are not following the dictates of any of the worlds fictional books, we get to follow the dictates of our hearts, to love and help everyone as best we can, and that includes all those who are involved in the worlds religions, and those not involved in any religion at all, because we have our own desire to do good in this world to our fellow man, not because a book tells us to do it.
?♥️
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
It's best for us to ignore certain ministers. If we do, they'll eventually get tired of babbling to themselves about the dictates of their silly books written by schizophrenics who were once known as prophets, and go away. Otherwise, they'll thrive on the negative attention, and we'll never get rid of them.
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flugo
'dazed': 'We are not to pass judgment . . .." A pile of crap! In John 7:24, Jesus encourages us to judge. And we are to rebuke the errant in Luke 17:3. You'd preclude possible further embarrassment to yourself by doing a bit of homework before diluting this fb site.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Amen, Brother Lionheart! By George, I think he's got it!
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Rev. Brien
Hmmmm, how do I feel about Chick-fil-A....let me see... 1 Massive veteran suicide rate 2 Massive homeless population 3 Massive child abuse problem 4 Massive broken infrastructure 5 Massive broken government problem Now, if you can somehow fit a crappy fast food joint into this very partial list, I will be happy to look at it. If you can't, then you can take Chick-fil-A and stuff it. ??
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Lori
Prejudice evolves from the TRIBE mentality. Anyone that is not in our tribe, is NOT acceptable. This is a very primal and stuck mind set. Perhaps Chick-fil-A is finally growing beyond this primitive view that so many choose to embrace.
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Lionheart
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Dragon Priest
Foolish evvil-angels-icans (evangelicans). Attaching so much religious significance to a chicken sandwich? Present day christianity is very very sick. They fail to follow even the simplest of his 2 commands: 2 Treat others well. hey claim to follow God, but I ask which god? The spiteful murderous jealous one of the Old Testament, which BTW was not god. Or the one Jesus called his father? Even that one definition of God is not fully understood my the masses of fools who go to churches. But then there is plenty of time to learn and that they will.
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Jeff McClain
What!? People need to get a grip, no one should be chastised for their beliefs and it is not fair to lump everything together. What if you found out that a large amount of the people the Salvation Army were helping were Gay!!!!? What would that mean. We are all God's Children, I repeat we are all God's children!!!!!!! Period!!!!! Quit trying to separate people into should help shouldnt help category!!!! Like how many people crying about the gay life style are lying and cheating on their spouses, or committing other sins, no one sin is greater than another, read your bibles and understand what God has said and by the way if you aren't Jewish you are a Gentile!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read the small print. And God bless us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Lionheart
No we are not all gods children. We don’t even know with any surety that any god exists. This is one of the big problems of religionists who keep insisting/dictating they are right. You can repeat it as much as you like but it doesn’t make it true, any more than if I were to keep repeating we are all children of fairies.
If I kept repeating that we are all children of fairies you would think that I was silly and crazy, and rightly so. This is exactly how you sound to those who rely on logic and reason, and do not have the same silly belief system as yourself.
I honestly don’t mean to bash you, but do you not see that you are bashing others by insisting we are all children of an unproven mythical deity?
You suggest we should read the Bible, and I have done that. We can read the Bible until we are blue in the face, but it doesn’t mean to say anything that is written in that book is a dictate from any deity that promotes stoning and slavery etc,.
I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I've read that Bible comic book, too. I found it to be hilarious, in a morbid sense of the word.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Wheñ I have to go out for chicken it's KFC, but I usually prefer to stay home , and fry my own, in my Presto Fry Daddy, seasoned with Tony Cachere's Original Creole Seasoning and cayenne pepper. I use the same seasoning blend for deep frying all meat, poultry, and fish. I did try Chik Fila one time in Lexington, Kentucky, but didn't think there was anything special about it. However, I love the taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken Original Recipe, and like their lunch buffets, too.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
And by the way, I've read that cayenne pepper is the number one herbal remedy for problems with circulation problems. I also forgot to mention that I have a diploma on my wall that states I'm a Natural Health Consultant, another that states I'm a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist, and one of my other several diplomas says I'm a Nursing Assistant. Don't expect free nutritional advice often. If you doubt any of it Google Wikipedia.
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flugo
Yepl. It works! I've been taking daily capsule doses of cayenne pepper for weeks now, and my circulation has drastically improved . . . . especially in my senior male member. I don't need those little blue pills anymore! And my wife is happy! She says our sex life is definitely hotter!
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Minister Mike
I don't care for any of the fast food chicken I've tried - it's all too greasy for me. But, I will now try C-a-F to see what all the raves are about.
I prefer my chicken fried, baked, or grilled in/with a bit of olive oil, so like you, I do my own. And I will NEVER ridicule you for believing deep frying is your preference or try to convince you you're wrong.
Maybe there's a lesson here for the religious zealots.
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Minister Mike
I don't care for any of the fast food chicken I've tried - it's all too greasy for me. But, I will now try C-a-F to see what all the raves are about.
I prefer my chicken fried, baked, or grilled in/with a bit of olive oil, so like you, I do my own. And I will NEVER ridicule you for believing deep frying is your preference or try to convince you you're wrong.
Maybe there's a lesson here for the religious zealots.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Every once in a while won't hurt. Just don't do it often. Also, when I deep fry food at home, which also isn't often, I only get it in canola oil, which has a lot more monounsaturated fat (the good fat) than any other fat used for deep frying. It's best to avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, such as vegetable, and soybean oil, except for the soybean oil that is not at all hydrogenated, like that which you would find at health food store a. However, although soybeans are very nutritious in many ways, in any form they contribute to the production of belly fat, which may be alright for an otherwise healthy, middle-aged couch potato like me, but is especially bad for diabetics, and those at risk for diabetes, like those who frequent fast food restaurants.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I'm not even prejudiced against prejudiced people, so I don't care what anyone believes in, as long as they keep it to themselves, and others like them. And I feel the same way about all businesses. I haven't been in a restaurant yet where the employees preached to me about anything. Maybe I look too scary for anyone to attempt it. I do have a black t-shirt that states Satan Is Happy With My Progress. I haven't worn it yet, but Chik Fila sounds like a good place to start. I got it in the mail from Amazon, in case it sounds like a good idea to any of y'all.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I usually go with the flow wherever I go, and it won't hurt me to act like a Christian long enough to wolf down some chicken.
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Minister Mike
This is a wise move by the corporation both financially and morally.
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flugo
'mini mike': 'Wise move'? To bow down to these LGBTQxyz-ers' self-serving demands? To cave in to those with abnormal, degrading and deviant lifestyles? To kowtow to these sexual misfits who make mockery of God's original designs for relationships? Time will tell how 'wise' it was.
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Christine
don't these guys know it's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve? God designed the perfect relationship in the garden of Eden. One man marries one woman, they are blessed with children, they mate with their children and have more kids with them, mate with those kids to make more, the siblings mate with one another and have kids then mate with those kids and so on until God's will has been done and the earth is populated. This is perfection, not sexual deviancy like the LGBTQXYZers.
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flugo
Yes, Christine!
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Richard Lee Cornell
Giving to any charties has been droping. Just look at the churches that have gone belly up because they can not afford the cost of preaching the word of God. I have known a church that years ago was taking in money hand over fist only to lay off people then sell off everything before they closed their doors. They exist as a web site with a PO Box. When it comes to religion / church they only exist if they can keep their numbers high and money keep rolling in. Remember Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who had a great palace only to go bankrupt.
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Thomas William Cornfield
Thou shalt now judge or ye shall be judge and stricken form the book of life. well Chick-fil-A will not see the Rapture , and if sexual conduct make the company decide weather they will contrubute donations well that a shame. Because that all we are talking about a sexual act. during the days of jeasus people would be stones to death for such acts of sexual acts, The acts don't get there names for Sodum and gamora <?> for nothing
Minister Tom Cornfield
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tuppennyblue
I object to your use of the word "offenders" when referring to The Salvation Army and The Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It's partisan and offensive and no way to refer to people who stand by their beliefs of being opposed to perversion, which is more than can be said for Chick-fil-a. The cock shall crow thrice for them.
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Karu
I am a firm believer in voting with my wallet. I have not eaten at Chick-fil-a since I heard their funding to anti-LGBTQ organizations. Likewise I have not bought anything Nestle since they declared 'that water is a human right "extreme."' , nor shopped at Home Depot since they came out supporting the current uber-conservative administration. And many more. Even with this announcement I question CF's motives, and will still not be buying there.
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Richard Lee Cornell
In the Roman Empire ever spring every female was required to get pregnant they had no choice. One to add to the number of slaves, two to add to the needed man power in the armies. All governments needed man power to invade other people lands. Every Jewish female from the day of their period was pregnant. She was pregnant for every day she was alive for the rest of her short life. There were no gay guys since it was only the females who got pregnant guys did as the wanted, females had no choice. Have a hard time with religious people who limit their family size, but tell others that they can not. If a Catholic tells that they are against a woman's right to chose then I ask then how many children they have. They have been marry for ten years they better have 10 children or his wife has choose. Maybe he is a cross dresser?
All of these fast food places should start working against Type II diabetes. That's the biggest reason to not visit a fried food joint but if I did go to fast food restaurants I would avoid religious ones.
If they did, they would probably go bankrupt. That's the problem with humanity. We care more about money than anything.