on tolerance.

My Facebook timeline is blowing up over this Chick-fil-a thing. Amazingly, my Reader is much more tame which is nice, but at the same time, I feel like maybe we're all playing it a bit safe and avoiding this little topic.

Which, is usually my preferred method but... not this time.

I'm a bit baffled as to why this statement from the owner of Chick-fil-a is shocking? We are surprised that a company that is strongly ran with a Biblical guideline is standing up for what they see as the biblical definition of marriage? We're surprised that a Christian ran company that everybody knows is Christian ran (ya'll they're closed on Sunday), gives money to Fellowship of Christian Athletes and The National Christian Foundation?

Really?

The owners of Chick-fil-a have never shied away from their faith. They run the company in a way that aligns with their faith and they do it loudly and proudly. They always have. It's surprising now?

What baffles me more than that, is that most of the people up in arms over this are the ones screaming that we should be more tolerant and that everyone has rights and blah blah blah, but the minute that a Christian states their views? well, heck, we don't need to be tolerant of them. They don't have the right to say that.

Double standard much?

Both sides are fighting a losing battle. True story. You aren't going to argue long enough or bully someone long enough to get them to believe what you believe. That's the problem folks. If you want to preach tolerance, then you also have to act out tolerance. Simple.

I have very strong Christian beliefs. Ask me about them, I'll tell you about them. As a Christian, it is my job to live by those beliefs. Because I follow Jesus, I am called to live by the Bible.

What I'm not called to do is be mean. To ostracize groups of people. To hang in my comfort zone and not invite people of every walk of life to church with me. Jesus wasn't afraid to get His hands dirty; why should I be?

Perhaps this business owner is doing what he feels he needs to to "let his light shine" which as Christians, we are called to do. And y'all, he lives in America where he has the right to live and breathe as he wants and can say what he wants. Where you have the right to do the same thing.

I'm surprised at the outrage this has caused. I surround myself with people of all different types; some Christians, some atheists, some straight, some gay, some Conservative and some wildly liberal. They don't all agree with me on most things, but we are still able to get along. Because we listen to one another. Because we love one another.

I'm a Christian. But you won't see me deleting my Facebook because Mark Zuckerberg is an atheist. I don't care what Mark Zuckerberg does. I just like Facebook (most of the times).

Now granted, I would love a chance to share my faith with him but that's not what this is about.

We're all raised differently. We all believe differently. We're different from one another. And that's awesome, because if we were all the same, well, that would suck. But we have to learn to be tolerant of each other's views.

Even if they're different than ours. You don't have to like what everyone has to say, but you do have to tolerate their right to say it.

And if you don't want to eat their chicken because of their views, well don't. That's also your right. But I'll be having a Spicy Chicken Sandwich for dinner now. All this talk may make me need waffle fries too.