Companies you won't patronize because of their owners/ads?

In My Humble Opinion
101

Until you have walked a mile in an atheist or non-christians shoes, you really have no idea how much dogma is shoved in our faces. I can’t tell you the number of times, when asked, I reveal that I am an atheist, that people have brought out the whole “you have no morals” card. Or looked at me like I’m carrying Ebola, or stopped talking to me.

It was suggested to me, when I got into real estate, to take my Darwin fish off my car. I am who I am. Many people have chosed to show an absolute utter lack of respect for me or my beliefs or lack thereof.

Sonlight Carpets (with a cross and jesus fish on all their advertising) has insured they won’t get my business. Nor any other BUSINESS that does it. Not only do I find it wholly inappropriate to business, I feel it is pandering to the christian folk and offensive to the non-christian folk.

Back in the day when I had relgion, I was taught the whole actions not words bit. I was taught that religion is personal and private and out of respect for others you should live by example.

FWIW, my best friend is a raging catholic. She is as dyed in the wool, pope-lovin’, confession going as they come. I may not have much respect for her religion, but she believes it helps her be the person that she is, and I have a shitload of respect for the person she is. Probaby the best catholic I’ve ever met. But it is her private Idaho.

Chili’s kept me from eating there one day when I was under age and on a date. We were meeting some friends and they would not allow me to enter. I did not enter a chilis for about 15 years and have only entered when the group I am with insists on it.

I really try not to go to Walmart. I’m not fond of their business practices. I lived in a very small town and the closest town to us that had more than a gas station was a lovely little thriving town. Tons of Mom & Pop shops. A super Walmart moved in and the town is dying.

When I get my paycheck, my boss doesn’t get to decide what/where I spend my money. That is because my religion does not enter in to my job. There is no freakin’ way I would work for a company that would require me to tithe, nor make me feel like I should, nor make me feel like less than a person because I don’t share their religious beliefs. If a business is free to preach, I should be just as free to walk in there, announce my beliefs and get good service. I really, really don’t think that would happen.

I don’t go to Starbucks because I think that shopping there is stupid. Their coffee tastes burnt, is ungodly expensive and I prefer just regular coffee.

102

Cite?

103

Perhaps you care to reconcile these two statements?

104

If I had a cite, I would not have said “I’ve heard.” The people who own Chick-Fil-A are free to practice Christianity as they choose, as am I. I do not support or approve of Dr. Dobson and Focus On the Family; I am pro-choice and pro gay rights. I’ve also had a few people in real life try to convert me to Christianity or question what sort of Christian I am because I don’t make a big deal of it in real life.

The thing which put me off them for life, however, wasn’t their business practices or who they give to. It was that blasted pickle!

105

At that point, hadn’t Thomas sold almost all of his interest in Wendy’s. That was after the Tim Horton’s merger, right?

106

I don’t patronize most fast food places (except for a very occasional Subway), but I absolutely, utterly refuse to step into a Burger King. Not just because of the Creepy Huge King, but also because an old coworker got e.coli there and was hospitalized for over a month.

I’ve always been dubious about Avon for some reason. Their cosmetics are OK, I’ve had friends sell it, but there is something, I don’t know…like they’re a cover for something else. I’m probably wrong, and my imagination’s probably working OT, but that’s how I feel.

107

I’ve got no problem being called an anti-religious bigot.
(Actually, I’ve got no problem with you calling me anything at all.)
But am I correct in assuming that you call evangelical believers bigots as well, in that they are “intolerantly devoted to their own opinions and prejudices”?

108

Do you feel they need reconciling? I don’t. Having a Darwin fish on her car is not even close to the level of private intrusion many Christians will practice in order to find others to share their self-inflicted misery with, which I think is what her second statement referred to.

109

Evangelical? I can only assume you are using the word in meaning **#6 **(the least common meaning)

e·van·gel·i·cal Pronunciation (vn-jl-kl, vn-) also e·van·gel·ic (-jlk)
adj.

  1. Of, relating to, or in accordance with the Christian gospel, especially one of the four gospel books of the New Testament.
  2. Evangelical Of, relating to, or being a Protestant church that founds its teaching on the gospel.
  3. Evangelical Of, relating to, or being a Christian church believing in the sole authority and inerrancy of the Bible, in salvation only through regeneration, and in a spiritually transformed personal life.
  4. Evangelical
    a. Of or relating to the Lutheran churches in Germany and Switzerland.
    b. Of or relating to all Protestant churches in Germany.
  5. Of or relating to the group in the Church of England that stresses personal conversion and salvation by faith.
  6. Characterized by ardent or crusading enthusiasm; zealous: an evangelical liberal.

Because the most common definition “Of, relating to, or in accordance with the Christian gospel, especially one of the four gospel books of the New Testament.” has nothing to do with intolerance or bigotry. Your posts here seem to fit def #6 also, I might note.

110

I was born into a very iberal Xtian family. I am now either an agonostic, a “doubting christian” or even a panthesist. I also have a Darwin fish on my car. No one has ever said anything but “where can I get one?”. Quite a few of my freinds are either Wiccans or Catholics- and I have never had any problems with either- the only dogma I have even had 'shoved in my face" is when I told a young “witch” her faith was really a rather new one. Sorry, but I have many doubts here. :dubious:

111

Carol of the Bells

112

I’m an atheist and I’m happy to argue on behalf of the exceedingly strong scientific evidence in favor of evolution (do apples fall down?) until the cows come home but I absolutely hate the Darwin fish. It’s an extremely disrespectful hijacking of a religious symbol that I think is unnecessarily confrontational. It isn’t so much arguing for the point of evolution as it is a snub at Christians.

I don’t know why anyone feels it necessary to proclaim their religious beliefs or lack thereof upon a bumper, but the Darwin fish is just obnoxious and equally as intrusive as a little Christian fish.

So again, if you actually object to the use of Christian fish, how is a Darwin fish any more acceptable?

113

The Darwin fish is funny to me. Believe in invisible pink unicorns all you want, but keep your hands off of science. The same people that will be protesting their hearts out against evolution will trust 100% that their cell phone, bug spray, aspirin, pacemaker, etc work.

Science has benefitted us so mindbogglingly well it shocks me that folks want to dismiss one aspect of it because it conflicts with their dogma. I wish medicine had requirements that you couldn’t use any unless you believed in the tenets of science that made them work.

114

I can’t tell you what’s going on in any other atheist’s head, but I don’t object to the use of the Christian fish. I think it’s a refreshingly understated symbol of solidarity, as opposed to the gigantic lettering “IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN SALVATION, YOU BETTER BE RIGHT!” or the self-righteous one that says something like “In case of Rapture, you can have my car”.

That said, I don’t patronize businesses that use the fish or any other Christian symbol to attract customers, unless I absolutely have to or I have a personal connection to the company.

115

You’re creating a false dichotomy. There are a number of Christians that I know personally that find no conflict in their faith with the theory of evolution. The Christian fish is not a, “fuck you,” response to the Darwin fish; quite the opposite. Posting a Christian fish on a bumper-sticker is not a direct attack upon evolution or even athiesm; it’s a statement of personal belief.

The Darwin fish is co-opting an important symbol and saying rather plainly, “not only is athiesm right for me, but Christianity is wrong for you.”

Sometimes I wonder if the atheists of today would have been the Christians of the first two thirds of the Roman Empire, what with getting off on the persecution and what not…

116

I am not Christian, and I wasn’t overly fond of Chick-fil-a’s very in-your-face religious message (and by in-your-face, I mean painted on the wall inside one chick-fil-a near me. Seriously.) I never stopped eating there because of that though, because I loved their product. What made me stop eating at that particular establishment was when I got staph from the food, called them and told them about it, and all they said was “We can’t control our employees.” No Im sorry you spent the last 24 hours puking, no Im sorry you had to sleep on the floor in your bathroom.

Though I don’t agree with it, I do think many Christian charities do quite a bit of good and will not necessarily boycott a business because of their association with a religious organization, but I certianly respect that everyone in the US is free to patronize any establishment they choose for ANY reason and also AVOID patronizing an establishment as well. I will, however, go out of my way to shop somewhere that is owned/operated by someone who agrees with my religious beliefs.

117

I’ve never interpreted that last part as being part of the Darwin fish’s message. Is it just me?

118

Religion-based charities are fine by me. In my mind, that’s what religious organizations are supposed to be doing. A for-profit business using religion to try and attract customers, however, will most likely not be getting my business unless they can make a case for how their religion directly affects the quality of their work. A good example would be Hebrew National’s old TV commercials, with Uncle Sam holding a hot dog:

“The government says we can use artificial coloring.” Uncle Sam grins and nods. “We don’t.” Uncle Sam looks taken aback. “The government says we can use fillers, additives, etc… We don’t. Why? We answer to a higher authority.” In this case, the message wasn’t that their religion made them better people, or an exclusionary “by us, for us” deal, but rather that their religion imposed restrictions on them (specifically, kosher dietary laws) that forced them to make a better quality product. That’s cool, as far as I’m concerned.

Anyway, my own boycott (about 10 years ago) was of Sakai moving company because of their hideously annoying ad jingle that would inevitably get played 50 times an evening. I not only refused to use them when I moved, I’d call them for an estimate, take all the free boxes they’d give me, then call a different mover and sign with them. All because I couldn’t stand those ads.

119

It was those big ass glasses she wore. At least for me. Plus I thought the ads were stupid as hell, too.

120

To be clear:

Not doing business with someone because they won’t hire black employees is totally reasonable.

Not doing business with someone because they send a portion of their profits to the KKK is ridiculous.

Is that analogous?

That has nothing to do with you being oppressed for your atheism, that’s just because it’s an obnoxious mocking of someone’s religion. In order for you to interpret a darwin fish not looking professional, or whatever, as an attack on your atheism, you’ve probably got a victim complex and look for ways to be offended. Essentially, you mock people, and then take offense if they get offended.