Many of you know that Dan usually writes these blogs. With all of the recent news about Chick-fil-A
I wanted to relate a personal story.
Look at
some of the companies and groups that Chick-fil-A financially supports.
One of the groups is Exodus International who’s mission
statement says “Mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a
world impacted by homosexuality”.
On their site they say they do not support bullying, reparative therapy,
or anything like that. This is not
true. Though they don’t
specifically offer reparative therapy they quickly get people into programs of
reparative therapy. These
therapies can range from counseling to more intensive things like exorcisms,
electro shock therapy, brain washing, etc. It really depends on the people who are running a particular
chapter of the group.
So where is my personal connection you may ask? In my first year of college I got
involved with a Christian group on campus. The other students in the group were amazing. I really enjoyed being with these
people and will forever be grateful for them. Yet in the process of being involved with this group I got
involved with people from Exodus International along with other Ex-Gay groups. These people led me to believe that
being gay was not what God intended for me. I was very confused coming from a religious background that
did not accept homosexuality. I
had finally started to accept who I am until these people came along. They quickly got me involved in
reparative therapy sessions. My
sessions included long hours with groups (that I had to pay for; thousands of
dollars wasted) telling me that my being gay was a result of things that
happened to me and I had a choice not to be gay. There was laying of hands, exorcisms in the group, and
though it never happened to me, some individuals experienced electro shock
therapy. The sessions were very
much in a bullying style intended to brainwash us into believing we were not
supposed to be gay.
This did not help.
I had homosexual attractions ever since I can remember. Going back to when I was five. I do not remember a time when I did not
find a man more desirable than a woman.
That means that all those things they said made me gay happened after I
knew I was gay. All the group did
for me was make me hate myself more, go into more secretive and destructive
behavior, and not want to exist.
Through the grace of God I moved states and came to Colorado
after college. I eventually found
people who supported me, and a church that supported me for who I am and not
what they thought I should be. It
has been a long road and is still a journey I take with my loving and
supportive husband.
Why do I share this story? To let you know of just a touch of atrocities that companies
like Chick-fil-A commit on non-human animals but on their fellow humans as well. Don’t shop blindly and vote with your
dollars blindly. Before you buy
your next meal out, a car, or even your groceries look at what you are
supporting. Ask the tough
questions of what their policies are and whom they give to. Ask for documentation, especially if
you are buying something big. I
know I roll my eyes at my husband when he does this but love him even more for
doing it. Do you want to be a part
of something that is destructive and hurtful? Or do you want to be a part of something that brings love
and compassion to the world?
I leave you with something from the Bible which relates to animal cruelty. The owners at Chick-fil-A don't bring up this part. Their entire chain supports animal cruelty, which is against biblical principle: “I
give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree
that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for good.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and the creatures that move
on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it- I give every green
plant for food” Genesis
1:29-30. Read on for yourself He
never in the perfect world told us to eat animals, in fact he tells us to rule
over them and we know a good ruler will not kill and eat his subjects. It was only after the fall that humans
started eating animals.
As Dan always says, thanks for reading. We both are so grateful for all of the support we get from our readers!
