Today my daughter, 15, is at home, bored. Many of her friends are going to Chik-fil-a in support of CEO Dan Cathy’s stance on gay marriage. My daughter loves her friends, but does not share their point of view.
Let me say that I have always loved Chik-fil-a. As a child of the South, I remember when the first restaurant opened in the local mall. The concept of a filet of chicken was one that revolutionized the South, and made chicken much more palatable for this picky eater! It saddens me to know how very different Cathy’s beliefs are from my own.
My daughter and I discussed this issue all morning. You see, we are Christians, as well. My mother is the Associate Pastor of our church. Even so, we cannot reconcile the argument against gay marriage with the teachings of Jesus. There is nothing in my understanding of Jesus that would allow me to condemn another person for being who God created them to be. I am also unable to reject another’s notion of a loving relationship. My relationships have often been less than ideal; so who am I to judge another?
My heart breaks for my daughter’s loneliness on this issue; but it swells with pride for her compassion and empathy for others. Much of her empathy comes from a friend she had at her former school, a girl with two fathers. My daughter spent the night at their home, and vice versa. Even after our move, the two stay in touch via text and Facebook. It is not likely that her friends here in East Tennessee have had the same kind of experience.
Isn’t this the issue? Putting a human face to a theoretical position has a way of focusing our feelings and makes the abstract much more personal. Suddenly, “those people” become a friend’s dad, someone else’s son or daughter, or an American hero. Denying a domestic partner benefits might be justifiable for economic or privacy reasons, until you read that Sally Ride‘s widow will not receive Social Security benefits on the death of her loved one. Is this the reward this country wants for the first woman in space? When the argument can stay a tirade against a faceless “those people”, it is easy to keep a stance of self-righteousness and hate.
My prayer, as a fellow Christian, is that those against will find a face to put on the issue–one that will allow God’s Grace to open their hearts and mellow them into an attitude of acceptance and love for others. In the meantime, however, I think we’ll be buying our chicken elsewhere.
How do you feel about this issue? I’d love to hear your feelings about it. Will you be supporting Chik-fil-a?
Best,
~C-Lea
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- Chik-fil-a, Gays, and Grace… (jkstories.com)
