Merry Christmas Starbucks

Today’s beef: Christians bending over backwards to appease Starbucks. Now I admit that as a non-coffee drinker I am unaffected by the corporation’s magic potions. I won’t name names, but many I know are filling up my Facebook timeline to NOT call out Starbucks for making the change to a red cup during the upcoming holiday season – while making no mention or use of the term Christmas or any of the symbols of the birth of Jesus. Sure, they don’t have to. I will even agree, it’s really not a big deal. Many companies decorate for the holidays while instructing employees to not mention Christmas.

 

People of other faiths taking part in other celebrations, that I will not attempt to spell here. As crotchety as I am becoming in my old age, I’ll try to not be too offended if someone wishes my happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas. When someone does wish me happy holidays I need to be able to think fast on my feet and reply with a cheerful Merry Christmas, but I’m usually not that quick. I’ve heard tales of this happening and the store employee sheepishly thanking the customer for saying Merry Christmas, while admitting the store is forcing them to use the holiday greeting.

 

While it is sad our once God-fearing country has become more and more anti-Christian, I agree that how people greet each other while out taking part in the end-of-year consumption-driven shopping frenzy is not the battle followers of Jesus should be waging. We should always be kind and loving not just to fellow believers but also to those of other faiths, as well as to our enemies – the growing but vocal minority so adamantly and belligerently opposed to all things Biblical and Christian. I have a hard enough time doing that myself.

 

No business should be forced to operate based on how other people think they should. Bakers shouldn’t have to bake cakes promoting viewpoints in opposition to that baker’s beliefs. A pastor should not be forced to perform a wedding ceremony that doesn’t adhere to God’s description of marriage in the Bible. Starbucks should not be forced to wish its customers Merry Christmas. And customers can take their business wherever they wish, for whatever reasons they have. While there are many other coffee houses scattered around the city, state, and country, Starbucks has made itself indispensable by placing franchises on every corner – even inside other businesses like Home Depot. Jay Leno once said he saw where a new Starbucks had opened up – inside another Starbucks.        

 

Starbucks may or may not be any more evil than the typical American corporation. To support same sex marriage in today’s culture is no great risk, since over half of the country polled is not against it. What’s interesting is these Christians are taking said stand in support of a mega-corporation like Starbucks. Sure Starbucks treats their employees well. Sure they are a good citizen of the world. It’s easy to do these things when they charge four dollars for a cup of flavored water. Seems like the companies in need of the church’s support are companies standing up for Biblical principles and the Biblical view of marriage, like Hobby Lobby and Chickfila. Companies under attack in the world today. Doesn’t Chickfila have good coffee? Toto, we’re not in Disneyland any more.

 

Several articles twisted the Starbucks CEO’s words into something he did not say. http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2013/03/22/howard-schultz-to-anti-gay-marriage-starbucks-shareholder-you-can-sell-your-shares/ 

 

 http://www.christianpost.com/news/did-starbucks-ceo-really-say-we-dont-want-your-business-92588/  This goes to show you can’t believe every headline or article you read, both on MSNBC and Fox News. You really have to dig to get the real story, which is a shame. Who has time for that?  

 

Reminds me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode when an enemy gets the Enterprise crew hooked on playing an appealing game, so addicting that when danger presents itself the crew is so wrapped up in playing the game they don’t respond to the threat. The ever-logical android Data, unaffected by the game’s lure, is left to save the day.  

 

Now there are articles saying the initial Christian outrage over Starbucks was a fabricated media hoax. Who knows what the story is. I know I am the world’s worst at expressing my viewpoints like this. It would be easy for someone to rip my argument apart. But they can’t change what I believe or how I feel. Why it would be important for someone to do this I do not know, except out of hate.