Christians Against Starbucks!

A boycott is being held against Starbucks by a Washington state, Christian pastor, Steven Andrew. What can possibly be behind this? No they have not asked Ellen to be their spokesperson. Starbucks is supporting a bill in favor of gay marriage, and for that, the pastor says, they are following Satan. Using religious rhetoric and saying things like “are you on the Lord’s side” and “will you help the US be blessed by God” he hopes to strike a blow for Christianity. It seems the state of Washington may become the seventh state to recognize same sex marriages and that’s intolerable.

What bothers me more than onemillionmoms.com protesting Ellen, is when religious “leaders” come out against gay people. They flat out say that God wants them to protest the gay population, to be intolerant, cause them hurt and harm, and basically deny them their human rights. What God are they praying to? I want to ask them where is the text message, email, hand written letter from God asking for their help to ostracize gay people from the community? What God are they worshipping who would select a group of people and demand others treat them badly, wound them, shun them, deny them opportunities available to others? It can’t be our Christian God. He sent His only Son here to teach us to “love one another as he has loved us.” I never read anywhere in Jesus’ words where he said, “My father says gay people do the devil’s work, boycott any merchants who are gay or kind to gay people.”  

How can these Christians go around preaching love and hate at the same time? It’s hypocrisy. If you ask me, this is the work of the devil. To use your position as a “preacher,” a man of God, to promote hate. What could be worse? They would sooner forgive a murderer and welcome him into the flock and into heaven than they would a law abiding, God loving gay person. Something is very very wrong with this picture. I wonder what God is thinking when He sees and hears these people? How twisted must their minds be to think that preaching hate is part of God’s message? 

It’s up to the followers of these “men of the cloth” to straighten them out. They need to speak up and show them the error of their ways. They have become misguided, or maybe they always were. If they really understood what God was about, what love was about, what bringing people together was about, they certainly would not be spreading these kinds of bigoted messages. This pastor, Steven Andrew, is not alone is his ignorance, but how many more people will he convince that his words are right and condoned by God? It’s sinful, it disgraceful and even blasphemous to speak on God’s behalf and preach hate.

I hope Steven Andrew gets a message from God and that he gets it soon, when the bill in favor of gay marriage in Washington state passes next week. I hope the other 43 states follow suit. We shouldn’t even be discussing this issue any more. It should have been put to rest long time ago. But thanks to people like Steven Andrews, intolerance and hate are alive and well.