Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A),
I am a heterosexual, God-fearing woman who knows you are not alone in the fight against the LGBT+ community, as there are many other people and companies that also feel strongly about this issue, but I address you and your affiliation with Chick-fil-A because it is you and this establishment I have most dominantly heard about. I have heard and read a lot about your opposition to the homosexual lifestyle and the LGBT+ community. There are reports of your company funding anti-gay groups, and I understand that as a Christian based business your opposition on such acts comes from a biblical standpoint and its description of homosexuality as a sin, but there are other teachings that can get overlooked or be forgotten when legalities are presented, that I hope you will consider.
I was raised as a Christian and have been taught about biblical scripture and that it does not support homosexuality and in fact, describes it as a sin. This can be seen in both the old testament, like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-11 NKJV), Leviticus 18:22 (NKJV); “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman,” and Leviticus 20:13 (NKJV); “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination,” as well as scripture found in the new testament such as Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10, and 1Timothy 1:10. Some argue that these scriptures have been misinterpreted and refer more to acts of rape, lust, and lasciviousness than homosexuality, and in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah that particular argument makes logical sense, but regardless of how these particular scriptures are interpreted, there are more scriptures to look at.
Whether the bible distinctly condemns homosexuality is not an argument I am trying to make, and I will leave that to individual interpretation, but I do want to point out the “other” teachings that I again, hope you will consider. Christians are taught many things about right and wrong, and depending on denomination or religious sect, that can vary, but there is a general belief among Christians, spoken by Jesus, that is important for all Christians, including Christian businesses, to remember. Mark 12:31 and Luke 10:27 are two scriptures where Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and when referring to this and loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, Jesus also said, “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).
This idea is extended upon in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, and other “books” of the bible. Matthew 7:12 holds the “golden rule” that “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (NKJV). Would we want to be forced to give up our life’s right of following God? I think it is safe to say “no” for both of us, and if not, we shouldn’t be a part of forcing others to give up their rights either. Along with this, Matthew 7:1, and Romans 2:1 warns about judging others and Jesus reminds us that we need to pay attention to our own sin instead of pointing out someone else’s when he says, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42). He even calls those who do so “hypocrites,” and in Philippians 2:3 we are called to be humble and esteem others better than ourselves, because as stated and portrayed several times in scripture, there is no man without sin (Psalms 14:1-3 & 53:1-4; Ecclesiastes 7:20; John 8:7-11; Romans 3:10; 1 John 1:8).
With these thoughts, reason is another element to think about. Again, whether or not homosexuality is sin is not my aim, I will let God judge that, but if it is, is it reasonable to exclusively exclude and discriminate against those who have “sinned” in such a way, while welcoming those guilty of other sins? If this group of “sinners”, if that’s what they are (only God should judge), should not be allowed the same rights as the rest of the sinners; to marry, adopt, etc., how does one reasonably justify such thoughts? Is any form of discrimination, really justifiable?
I was taught as a child that gay was bad, and as I have grown, I have met incredibly caring and kind people of the LGBT+ community, several of which did not fit the picture painted for me, and some of which are now friends. One of these friends told me a story about his sister, a church goer, who was told, as I was that gay was bad. This confused her because, her brother, as she put it, is “not bad.” I know some of the worries in cases such as marriage, are that it is against tradition and God’s wishes/intentions and therefore shouldn’t be allowed, but we need to take it from a different perspective because as noted before, we have all sinned against God. How many gay marriages, in reality, have ever caused any harm to others? There has also been a concern in reference to adoption, that such an occasion would warrant a higher chance of the child becoming homosexual and is brings potential danger to a child, but these ideas have been recently debunked by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
I am not trying to influence your beliefs by any means, nor am I assuming anything about you on a personal level. I write this in hopes that you, and other peoples and companies supporting discriminatory and anti-LGBT+ groups will reconsider their support of these groups that are based on hatred and judgment, and that fight for an unjust purpose. It has been reported that Chick-fil-A no longer supports such groups but that you still do. I hope we can agree that discrimination of any sort is an injustice, and though there are still 29 states, according to Taskforce, where it is still legal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation, this doesn’t make it right. Just as our religious rights are protected under the constitution (as they should be), their rights should also be protected, free of discrimination.
Sources
Bible. 1997. Nelson’s Study Bible. (NKJV).
Kirkland, Justin. June 3, 2021. Chick-fil-a’s Owner is Newly Connected to Anti-Equality Act Donations. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a36622217/chick-fil-a-own...
Schlatter, E. & Steinback, R. February 27, 2011. 10 Anti-gay Myths Debunked. Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2011/10-anti...
Taskforce. 2021. From Chick-fil-A to Enda. https://www.thetaskforce.org/from-chick-fil-a-to-enda/