Yesterday, I suspect thousands upon untold thousands (some have used the word "millions") flocked to Chick-Fil-A for "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day." Peppered across television newscasts and online newsites and blogs were videos and pictures of incredibly long lines of customers waiting to get into their local Chick-Fil-A to enjoy a meal.But, I believe the message is misunderstood in many circles. Why did all of those thousands of supporters give up an hour or more of their time to patiently wait in line to give what appears to be a record breaking sales day for Chick-Fil-A?
In the video link at the bottom of this post, Mike Huckabee nailed the real issue! Yesterday was primarily about the First Amendment.
As Christians, we have our biblical convictions about marriage. And yes, those convictions are strongly held. The Bible is clear on this matter (just one of the texts is found in Romans 1:18-32 as it describes how a society declines morally. Verses 26-27 outline how the breakdown of "traditional marriage" is a part of this decline.)
But, I don't believe that yesterday was really about the issue of marriage. I don't think it was about gay-bashing. I'm certain that the news would have reported on that if it was present but I heard no one using vitriolic hate-speech with a Chick-Fil-A in the background.
Here's what I observed. Yesterday highlighted the fact that there is a growing number of citizens who are greatly concerned that our First Amendment rights are being stripped from us. There was the conviction that we must strive to keep America a nation where people have the right to their own opinions and to express them freely. In our country, unlike some countries, we still have the right to agree to disagree. But, we don't have the right to shut someone down for expressing their opinion.
If this is tolerated, the big question becomes: "Who and what gets shut down next?"
Surely, conservatives as well as liberals don't want to go down that road.
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