Recently a blog I enjoy visiting from time to time posted some disturbing things about McDonald's (no, not about their crappy food, although I must admit I am in love with their sweet tea). She indicated that she believed it was time for her family to boycott the restaurant chain and not patronize them until they change their position (if ever). I won't go into detail, but you can read her blog entry here. It was well written and thought out.
Sitting in the McD's drive thru today for a much needed afternoon snack in the midst of errands (don't gasp too loudly, the girls and I were getting drinks; well, and cookies just happened to fall into the bag as well), I was thinking about the blog entry and how I felt about McDonald's as a company. Should I even be in the drive thru line?
There has only been one cause that has had me up in arms my entire life and has caused me to stop patronizing companies. Abortion. I can honestly say that if I researched more I would probably have to boycott almost every company known to man, as many of them support Planned Parenthood, which personally I think has locked arms with Satan himself. But I digress...
After finding out that philanthropist Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway had purchased my favorite kitchen wares company, where "a chef could pamper" herself with various wonderful products, I had to stop supporting the company even though it meant not supporting some of my friends who sold the products.
Warren Buffet is a huge proponent of abortion rights and population control. The company he purchased was raking in over 700 million a year and he has been known to contribute 60% of his charitable contributions to organizations that are in alignment with his beliefs. It is his absolute right to do so, as it is mine not to fork over my hard earned cash to help him. So I decided to "boycott" the company, as well as other companies that Berkshire Hathaway owns outright.
Here is the question however. Am I a hypocrite for picking and choosing? Although a different matter entirely, why is it okay for me to get my sweet tea fix at McDonald's while I am remorsefully throwing those Pampered Chef invitations in the garbage? Can a Christian rally against a cause they feel God has really put a burden on their heart to cry out against whilst not batting an eye at another? Once we have the knowledge about a company's sinful behavior, what is our responsibility? Why do I feel like I am simply sticking my head in the sand?
I am not one to jump on the "bandwagon" unless that bandwagon has been researched and verified and biblically makes sense. It usually takes me some time and then I am committed. I am only picking on Mickey D's as an example. There are sadly many, many more. What do you think? What do you do?
4 comments:
I have been going to Burger King!
Here's the long and short of it for me...unless we research every dollar we invest into every company and then decide if that company spends it well or wise, we are really stuck. I believe our Christian Fiancial Planner invests morally and they do their very best to keep our money away from babies working and drugs and other horid things that money gets invested into unknowingly by it's owner/investor. But, it happens. Even the financial planner says they can't guarentee every penny is in a Christian worthy account. So unwillingly/unknowingly we support things we'd rather not. I think when we know better, we do better. If I buy a PC spatuala, does that mean I support abortion? No. If the lady at the drug store supports abortion does that mean I shop somewhere eles? What if I don't know? Did I just support abortion? NO. So, for me, I do the best I can, and leave the details to God. Because He can turn people like Warren Buffet around. Look what he did to Peter! Awesome topic, and I'll be in prayer on this for sure, it really makes you think.
I am generally not a boycotter by nature, but i do believe that there are times when a Christian needs to stand up and say, "No more." The abolitionist and civil rights movements are good examples of this.
There are two reasons I generally don't boycott:
1) I just don't think that we should expect secular companies to act Christian any more than we should expect apple trees to grow oranges.
2) Christ allowed a prostitute to wash His feet with her hair and tears and called a tax collector (members of this profession generally regarded to be thieves and traitors) to be a disciple. He called them, loved them, dined with them, served them, and allowed Himself to be served by them (to be beholden to them since He entered His ministry with nothing material) before requiring their conversions. (He did not forgive the prostitute's sins until after she washed His feet, and Jesus was questioning His disciples' faith late in Him ministry.) God's love precedes human obedience, always.
Now, that said, I do think that there are some things worth standing up for, but I think they are rare and should be accompanied by a loud, unified voice speaking the truth in love.
I think you have to do what God puts on your heart. We can only work with the information we have, and I don't think it's hypocritical to not spend hours researching every company you support. The other comments are completely valid - we Christians have to be a part of society, a participate in commerce, and "be among" the masses to change hearts.
I personally don't participate in boycotts formally, but I do tend to patronize companies that are run in an ethical matter as I see it. So if eating at McD's leaves a bad taste in your mouth (figuratively), then don't eat there.
I'm with you on abortion being pretty far up my list of issues where I stand up for my view that all life is precious. I think we have a responsibility to protect life in any way we can. I probably would have said the same about slavery in the US, and would draw a comparison to genocide in Darfur as an example. I'm not as certain that our view of a sinful lifestyle would rise to that level.
Sorry for the long post, but it really is a tough nut to crack!
Blessings!
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