I for one think it is a simple matter. For me, believing myself a moral and ethical person, the response is simple; I won’t spend my money with an organization that endorses what I would consider bigotry and discrimination. I cannot find justification in my mind to provide financial support to an organization that would oppose equal rights for each and every human being in America. It’s just plain un-American.
Before I continue, I need to clarify something that some people seem to glaze over when they discuss marriage rights. Marriage is not just one institution. Marriage is a religious institution and marriage is also, separately and divisibly, a legal institution as well. Marriage is a religious ceremony and practice performed by many religions. Many similarities exist between the religious doctrines of each different faith, but many also differ in what is allowed or not. Some religions allow same-sex marriage. Historically speaking, Christianity also has performed many same-sex marriages in the past.
The marriage institution of the Christian church is not being debated here. No one that I know has suggested that anyone, anywhere, at any time dictate to the Christian church how, where, when, or what conditions it may or may not perform its religious ceremonies. This is your area that constitutes religious freedom. This is the area where I will wholeheartedly agree and support your freedom to practice whatever religious beliefs and traditions you so choose to practice.
The marriage institution of the law, however, is a whole different piece of fruit. This is a legal institution. Let me repeat, this is not a religious institution. This is the place where your religious freedoms to discriminate end. As stated in the Declaration of Independence issued to Britain and subsequently entrenched into our countries history, “All men are created equal” under the eyes of the law. The laws of our country should not ever discriminate against any group of people based on any factors such as race, creed, sex, sexual-preference, gender, hair color, shoe size, or any silly perceived difference.
The legal institution of marriage must abide by the tenants of our core constitutional rights as laid out in the Constitution of the United States of America where it is clearly outlined that “no law shall be made respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” This was the very first amendment ever to be added to the Constitution. Under this clause, no laws can be made to support, uphold, or deny the religious aspects of a union between two people under the eyes of the law.
Therefore, this leads to the clear understanding that any and all laws preventing the practice of one’s religious beliefs, and any and all laws dictating the practice of any religion’s marriage beliefs is unconstitutional. In more simple terms, the law can’t tell you what to believe and practice in your religion, and also that your religion does not have any place in the legal system. Now that this issue is completely explained and understood we can continue to dissect the issue at hand.
Some Americans are still divided in their opinion about the issue. Some believe that Cathy is right in what he says, that gay people are less than human beings and should not be allowed to get married under the law. Some people disagree with Cathy, as I do, and think that he is simply voicing a bigoted opinion.
Firstly, he has every right under the law to say anything he wants. I, nor anyone has said he doesn’t have the right to say it. If the KKK can publicly denounce all African-American people, Cathy can denounce gays. His rights to free speech are not subject to our interpretation. While we may not agree with him, he has every right to say it as much as he likes.
Secondly, he has every right to donate his money wherever he sees fit to send it. His money is his money. Nobody presumes to be allowed to tell anyone else where they can or can’t spend their money, legalities aside. I would no sooner claim the right to tell Cathy what to do with his money as you would presume to tell me what to do with mine.
This leads me to my third point. Here is the real kicker ladies and gentlemen. I have every right to choose not to give my money to his company. I have every right to vocally disagree with his opinions and his beliefs. I have every right to publicly condemn his immoral beliefs.
Some have argued that, “it’s just a chicken sandwich”, or “you’re only punishing the employees and franchise owners.” To which I would respond, it’s far more than just a chicken sandwich, and that sentiment is demeaning to the people who Cathy hurts with his statements and his money. Saying “it’s just a chicken sandwich” is dismissive of the real issue; that the whole situation is endemic.
As for punishing the employees, I would point out that I did not put these employees into this situation. I did not force Chick-fil-a to offend a significant portion of the US population. Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-a, did that without my help. If their jobs are at risk perhaps they should be looking at the man who put them in that situation.
I’ve heard a few other arguments claiming that people choosing where to spend their money is somehow un-American, or socialist, or communist, among other silly suggestions. As I said before, the right to choose where to spend my money is an American right. The right to push your religious beliefs on other people, however, is an entirely different matter.
Think about this next time you post proudly that you’re going to eat a Chick-fil-a; remember that your support tells Dan Cathy that you support his opinion that companies, and rich people with bigoted ideas, should be enabled to tell American people what they can and can’t do. Remember that each dollar spent at Chick-fil-a means a portion of that money goes to organizations that actively seek to make some human beings less equal than others.
Each dollar spent empowers religious discrimination against those who might subscribe to a different interpretation than the Christian one. Each dollar spent enables groups who don’t adhere to the ideals laid forth in the Constitution of the United States of America, instead adhere only to the ideals carved into a two-thousand year old book that contains passages about how to humanely treat your slaves, how to beat your wife, and how women are less equal than men.
Think about that the next time you ask for a chicken sandwich.
Sources:
- Facebook Conversations
