Yeah, I'm being entirely serious. I could not wrap my mind around the argument he was trying to make. Red cups are persecution? He also commented that Starbucks employees are banned from saying "Merry Christmas" and that Starbucks "hates Jesus." Those are some pretty lofty, completely unfounded claims. I'm not writing this because I love Starbucks or I want those sweet, sweet Creme Brûlée lattes protected: I'm writing this because American Christians need to stop claiming that they are being persecuted.
Starbucks is a company. It is run by a CEO. It is composed of almost two hundred thousand employees who work in stores all over the world. Corporations aren't religious. When we all die and get to those pearly gates, I don't think Starbucks will be standing alongside Chick Fil A waiting to hear if they get to spend eternity worshipping the good Lord. The people who compose the corporation can be religious, but in and of itself, the corporation is not. Why should Starbucks honor one faith above another, when it is not a religious entity? Why should the cups be adorned with messages of Christmas? What about Kwanzaa, Hannukah, or Mawlid? These are all holidays that are incredibly important to individuals from other cultural or religious backgrounds. Why should a secular corporation celebrate one holiday above another? Would people be crying persecution if the cups were blue with little menorahs on them? I would imagine that a significant population, the same individuals who are claiming persecution in this case, would regardless of what the cups looked like. That is, unless the cups were overtly and undeniably "Christian."
Also, do none of these individuals remember that Starbucks, in addition to their annual "Holiday Blend" sell a "Christmas Blend" and an Advent Calendar? They hate Christmas? They hate Jesus? Oh, it really does make my blood boil. It is so ignorant. No, it is more than ignorant... it is asinine. The way this man is encouraging people to make their point to Starbucks is through ordering drinks and saying that their names are "Merry Christmas" so that the cups will have their specific holiday message on it and baristas will be forced to say it. First of all, let's go over "Boycotting 101"- maybe don't send people to spend their money to support the place that you're so angry at. I mean, this just seems so basic, but maybe I'm the one that is backwards. Second of all, it is just so stupid that I'm not actually going to dignify their argument by making another point.
Don't get me wrong- I don't like the cups this year. My dislike for them has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than the fact that minimalism isn't my favorite style of art/design. That is it. It has nothing to do with my own religious beliefs. It simply involves my personal tastes and preferences.
Persecution is such a buzzword right now. So many people, as of late, have claimed persecution and I want to look at them and recite these famous words from "The Princess Bride:"
I am especially bothered by these claims of persecution in light of what is happening to our Christian brothers and sisters all over the globe. Every month, three hundred and twenty-two Christians are killed for their faith and seven hundred and seventy-two acts of violence are committed against Christians because of their faith. These acts of violence can include physical abuse, rape, beatings, false imprisonment, etc. This is persecution. Starbucks having plain red (okay, ombre...) cups is not the same as being imprisoned for over three years in an Iranian prison for your religion like Saeed Abedini.
Persecution is real. It's happening all over the world. It's happening right now. It is brutal, terrible, horrific, and devastating. But, it is not happening at the hand of Starbucks or their red cups.
Very well said!!! I am a Christian and my daughter works for Starbucks! I like you do not care for the 'STYLE" of the cups this year, but I also know that my daughter is free to say "Merry Christmas" to each and every customer that enters the door this holiday season! In closing, I would like to wish every one a Merry Christmas AND a Happy New Year. Albeit a little early....just want to get it out there!
ReplyDeleteBe careful. There is very real and very deadly persecution in this country. I agree that it is wrong to label Starbucks business practices as persecution, although I am certain some individual staffers do engage in unfair treatment of Christians in some regions. Persecution takes many forms, and not all of them are violent or obvious. I don't want to empower these people who don't really know what they are talking about, but I also don't want to empower those who are determined to wipe out any public symbol of Christianity from our culture, and who want to eventually wipe the Christian faith from the nation.
ReplyDeleteFear fear fear fear fear, so much fear
DeletePerfect love casts out fear. Why do not all Christians acknowledge this?
DeleteThis isn't persecution, it is the right wing (facist) dogma of "if you aren't with us then you are against us!" The view that all balanced and unbiased points of view are biased because they aren't biased to support a point of view. And to claim it as Christian is the greatest hypocrisy and a sin that will sentence it's proponents for all eternity.
DeleteThis isn't persecution, it is the right wing (facist) dogma of "if you aren't with us then you are against us!" The view that all balanced and unbiased points of view are biased because they aren't biased to support a point of view. And to claim it as Christian is the greatest hypocrisy and a sin that will sentence it's proponents for all eternity.
DeleteBe careful? What is this, contact sports? Seriously.
DeleteI think you bring up a great point. I didn't feel the need to reply until I read all the other replies. Why the attack on your opinion? Fear, fear, fear...? I thought you were pretty clearly illustrating the point of desensitization. That if we continue to allow others to tell us how we feel and what to think, then we all become the same. I don't think Starbuck's is persecuting Christians, but I think many people in this nation do if not in the way the author describes. And right wing fascist (yes you misspelled it) dogma? Who is using the "if you aren't with us you are against us" tactic here? Matthew East is... Someone states their opinion and you start name calling and accusations? So, much for freedom of speech. You want to disagree fine, but we should be above third grade name calling. I was waiting to see someone call you a doo-doo head...
DeleteChristianity has enjoyed dominance for scores of generations in the US. Religion is a personal thing, and best kept personal & private in a secular society.
DeleteThank you for posting this. Our attitude as Christians towards persecution is shock and outrage (and making mountains out of molehills) when it should be grace and cheek-turning.
ReplyDeleteWe should be outraged. But our outrage shouldn't cause us to post outraged blogs about how America is falling away and woe is me. It should remind us that Jesus said this would happen and motivate us to be more passionate about sharing Christ. Grace and cheek-turning doesn't necessarily apply to this situation. Grace is only grace when accompanied by truth. So instead of using our energy to be upset about this, we should use it to preach Jesus with grace and truth.
DeleteI linked to your article in my recent post:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.richshockey.com/2015/11/on-persecution-and-saying-merry.html
People will know we are Christ's disciples by how we love one another... not by whether our cups say "Merry Christmas" on them.
ReplyDeleteAs an older Christian..with some perspective..it is very very clear that Christianity and the very freedoms and safety it's principles have created in this country.are now being rejected and in a growing number of cases penalized..what younger Christians cannot see is that light and dark cannot exist together..when the light ceases to be light..darkness will overtake it...and freedom in all its for will cease
ReplyDeleteAs a young christian, I disagree. Yes, the world is changing and Christian ideology is beginning to die out, but doesn't it state in John 1:5(nlt) "The light shines into the darkness, and the darkness cannot hide from it." Or how about in Psalm 139:12(nlt) "but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you." As long as there is God, light will not cease to exist. You put too much importance in humanity. God does not NEED us. No, we NEED God. He created us from love, but does not need us to fulfil his ultimate plan. If Christians cease to exist (which, let's be real that's so incredibly unlikely) God's ultimate plan will still prevail because he is God. He does what he wants. Yes, Christianity is being tossed aside, and Christians are being persecuted. We can sit here and cry boohoo and complain about how we've lost our religious freedoms, or we can realize that Christ already told us we'd be dealing with that. He straight up said people will hate you because of what you believe. So rather then be angry about it, praise him that another promise is coming true. Because that brings me one step closer to eternity, and honestly, that inspires me to keep spreading his message. Please stop grouping us "young Christians" together. Not all of us are the same.
DeleteAnonymous, your response gave me goosebumps. Yes, yes, all of it yes!
DeleteI would agree a large amount with Anonymous and I would also say that I strongly believe in the continuing revelation of the Gospel. That is, as time goes and as culture goes and as knowledge goes all forward through time, we start to understand different things and thus what was "truth" at one time is now being changed. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the Bible is the "ultimate truth" and that it never changes, yet there is also this tension of yes it does change--not because it changes but because we change and so it changes for our sake. When Moses asked God "what should I call you?" YHWH said "I AM" because God is whatever it is that we need God to be for us. When we need a healer, God is our ultimate healer, when we need a teacher, God is the greatest teacher, etc. This is why I stand with my brothers and sisters who are undocumented and my brothers and sisters that have long been cast aside by the Church in this country. The simple fact is that the Church has long been this country's main oppressing force and many Christians of my generation have taken notice of this. In this way, we are actually more aware of the difference between the light and the darkness than most in your generation have ever been. There is a simple truth found in Genesis called Imago Dei, to some Latino theologians like myself, this is our lifeblood theology. It is sourced from Genesis 1:27 which states that we have all been made in the image of God. This means that ALL people are our brothers and sisters, including our enemies. This leads to a radical revelation of love and embrace of all peoples that has often gotten me in trouble with the political authorities of this land. So in summary, we are acutely aware of light and dark (maybe even more so than you) and just because our theology doesn't look like yours, that doesn't mean we are on some wrong path--it just means that God's revelation to us may look very different than God's revelation to you and we can all learn from each other.
DeleteShalom,
Urban Prophet
You're right that Christians aren't being persecuted. That is hyperbole for sure. It think it is more accurate to say that they are being used. But I think the main point of this post is that companies are secular. The premis is flawed only because of the double dipping. That is, companies have been mainly profiting from this Judeo-Christian holiday for centuries. That is what Black Friday is all about, and it has nothing to do with Kwanza or Mawlid, no offence intended. How can companies be secular and also profit from religious holidays? There is no secular version of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYes there is. Many atheist celebrate Christmas, they say Merry Christmas, and they exchange gifts. You may consider Christmas a "Christian" holiday, but to many it's just a time to get together and share some family time.
DeleteJust like many Christians wish they could define marriage, this is a case where people are free to interpret a day on the calendar any way they please. It may not be your Christmas, but it doesn't mean it's not theirs.
I don't consider Christmas a Christian Holiday. This is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact that Christmas is a Christian holiday. The fact that it celebrates the birth of Christ is why it is a Christian holiday. Atheists who celebrate Christmas are celebrating the birth of Christ, whether they intend or believe or not is irrelevant. You may have noticed the word "Christ" in Christmas? Marriage is not a Judeo-Christian holiday so therefore nothing to do with this conversation.
DeleteSorry, it was a pagan holiday that was "Christianized" when Rome took over the faith. Saturnalia was celebrated three days after the winter solstice to celebrate the rebirth of the sun god.
DeleteSorry, it was a pagan holiday that was "Christianized" when Rome took over the faith. Saturnalia was celebrated three days after the winter solstice to celebrate the rebirth of the sun god.
Deletelol. Ok. Merry Saturnalia.
Deletei'm so happy Bookfran had the sense to investigate the real holiday. christ wasn't born anywhere near christmas. saturnalia could be compared to rome's version of the movie The Purge (only one person from every community was killed, not just everyone going on a killing spree, but the reasons are the same). the church adopted the holiday in hopes of gaining more followers. the reason we decorate trees is because that was another tradition that the church adopted in order to gain more followers. and people substituting xmas for christmas is actually a longstanding christian tradition; the greek letter x represents the name of christ, and "Xp" and "Xt" were commonly used substitutes.
Deletethese are not opinions. this is history and fact.
Christians ARE being persecuted. Biblically, persecution is not just physical. Though we don't understand physical persecution and definitely take our "freedom of religion" for granted, we experience persecution in other ways. Just like physical persecution motivates people to share Jesus more passionately, this moral decay and anti-Christian movement that has been going on for hundreds of years should motivate us to preach Christ more passionately.
DeleteAgreed 110% (especially with your anit-minimalist design preferences lol)
ReplyDeleteAgreed 110% (especially with your anit-minimalist design preferences lol)
ReplyDeleteThe religious right says persecuted and the liberal left says racist. I think everyone needs to shut the fuck up.
ReplyDeleteI wish people wouldn't hear one or two loudmouths and believe that every Christian thinks the same. Some who claim to be Christian will be denied by Christ when they get to those "pearly gates" (To some who call Him Lord Lord He will say I never knew you). Whether the ones in this case are truly Christian or not is not for me to say, but please stop automatically lumping us all together. But as a Christian I will say that I'm fairly certain Jesus is not concerned with the design of Starbucks coffee cups and neither am I. Can't we find something important to get passionate about like child trafficking and soldiering, people being killed for their religious beliefs, people dying all over the world for lack of clean water. If you hate the new cup, skip one cup and donate the money to a clean water project. If you love the cup, enjoy you beverage...and still think about giving $5 to a clean water project because you are thankful that you can afford to drink Starbucks. Make a difference and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWell written article Jessica! This is not an attack on Christianity, it is plain old political correctness. The video is suggesting a non-confrontative idea that doesn't obnoxiously yell..."Hey, I'm a Christian"...it just quietly makes a point to whomever sees/reads it. I don't consider this idea negative. I think Christians need to have more confidence in saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. They need to bring their faith into as many conversations as is appropriate. Too many Christians live life anonymously (no one needs to know) and yes actions speak louder than words but some closet Christians keep their faith so secret that even their actions give no evidence. We live in a time that Christians need to speak up with love and out of concern for a world that is perishing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree. We don't need more secretive Christians that blend in. We need to be bold. Starbucks and other companies are doing this intentionally. They know what they're doing. I'm not necessarily for boycotts unless it violates your conscience shopping somewhere. But I do think we need to speak up. Say Merry Christmas, talk to the person in line about Jesus, buy coffee for someone else, we need to DO something.
DeleteIt's not the Christmas is being taken away, it's just that companies such as Starbuck's recognize there are other faiths that have holy days in December. Christian, Judaism, Islam, Buddhist, Wiccans and Zoroastrian all have holy days in December. Why should they alienate those other people just to appease one group?
ReplyDeleteWell, if we look at what persecution means BIBLICALLY, you'll see that persecution is not just physical. In Revelation and in various parts of Scripture we learn that "in the last days" there will be physical persecution, moral decay, and for lack of better terminology, a "war" on Christianity. We experience 2 out of 3 of these in America. And the last thing we need are more Christians feeling comfortable with the way America does things. However, we shouldn't be surprised that these things happen. Of course a pagan company isn't going to do things in favor of Christianity. Why would they? If they don't love Jesus, they hate Jesus, so it makes sense that they would try to eliminate all Christian aspects of Christmas. Your point that they wouldn't favor any religious holiday is untrue. Corporations and our government teach tolerance and acceptance of every religion except Christianity. There is a slow turning away from all things Jesus. It's not new, it's been happening for hundreds of years.And it's a big deal. We don't need more Christians thinking this isn't a big deal. So what we really should be blogging about is what our BIBLICAL response should be. Because honestly, it doesn't matter what we all think our response should be, it's what Jesus has always told us it should be. In the midst of persecution the Bible always says we are to keep our eyes on Jesus and the hope of eternity, encourage the brothers to stand firm in Christ and not to waver, and to preach Jesus constantly.I agree that we don't need to respond in anger, shock, or even boycott. We can use our "outrage" to motivate us to share Jesus with people. The real issue is - why are you so outraged about a plain red cup when you haven't shared Jesus with someone in more than a year? This shift away from Jesus and against Christians should motivate us to be more passionate about Jesus, more intentional about encouraging our brothers and sisters. But I am really disappointed in the encouragement to not be bothered by this. Be bothered, and be motivate to share Christ. On a different note, I do not like Starbucks coffee and much prefer the local, organic coffee shops around town or making my own at home :)
ReplyDeleteAs this meme puts it, “If coffee cups define your Christmas, honey, you’re the one who needs Jesus.” https://www.facebook.com/188533647842714/photos/a.188695787826500.54678.188533647842714/1190320544330681/?type=3&theater
ReplyDeleteRoger Wolsey, author, "Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don't like christianity"
Can you post the link of the aggressive christian claiming persecution?
ReplyDelete