DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... A Business Strategy Idea (Politics Related)

In most cases, businesses are reluctant to take a 'side' in the political arena based on the idea that by taking a side, that business will alienate half their potential customers right off the bat. This seems like a reasonable position, and it probably is the best strategy for very large businesses such as McDonald's and the NFL.

However, most businesses would be wise to take a side if there is any reasonable basis to do so. Do so loudly and proudly. If possible, make statements that will infuriate the other side, within legal and ethical reason of course. You will still mostly lose that side's business, but in most cases it will be more than made up for by free advertising/networking and the sales from people who agree with you.

I'm reminded of when the CEO of Chick-fil-A made some politically incorrect comments, I forget the exact details on that, but the part that I did not forget was the next day there were lines out the door at franchises across the country.

Another example might be Yuengling. I've enjoyed Yuengling since they came to Ohio, I believe they make a far better beer than the other macrobrewers (I consider Yuengling to be a macrobrew in the sense that it is the same cost and almost the same availability as the more traditional macros.)

I have thought this for a long time, and I have since learned that the company supported Donald Trump in the general election. I have made it a point to buy more Yuengling, and to try a variety of their different beers. Yuengling Oktoberfest was fantastic by the way.

You could apply this on a bigger scale as well. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees U.S. citizens the right to free speech. The tyranny of political correctness is a way to get around this most important right, without technically infringing on free speech. This is done by shaming people, getting them fired, boycotting businesses and when people actually stick up for themselves, they can be sued into oblivion.

Well, what do you do about this? Both sides are equally within their rights to support businesses of their choosing, but it is usually "progressives" who boycott conservatives that stick up for their beliefs.

The solution to this is two-fold: first, do the same in return. If you do not like the narratives that a company pushes, then do not support them. period. I do not like the tactic but it is effective.

This still does not solve the problem of lost business for those who have been targeted the worst. You must figure out a way to do so. Here's one idea: seek out a list of people/businesses who the far-left SJW types have boycotted, and make it a point to support them politically, financially, or in any other applicable manner.

Oh boy....

First off, have you ever been to Chick-fil-A?

There have ALWAYS been long lines, drive thru or inside. That hasn't changed before the CEO's comments, and it hasn't changed after.

Why? Because his comments weren't political. He said he supports traditional marriage and doesn't believe in same sex marriage because of religion.

That's not political. Political would be him coming out for a specific candidate or party in relation to his comments. He didn't do that.

You should know the difference.

In regards to your thread....that would be idiotic of businesses to do. Which is why they don't do it, in general, no matter what ideology.

Let's use your example of that local brewery of yours.

If people actually gave a crap about the party affiliation of local breweries.....that brewery would tank. Whether it's liberal or conservative.

Let's say there's 6 people that go to the brewery. And let's say 4 of them are conservatives.

The brewery comes out in support of Hillary Clinton. Haus, Diam, Arch, and 40 then decide to go "f that, I'm not coming to this brewery anymore".

Well it doesn't matter how much me and rocket love the brewery, him and myself do not consume enough beer to replace the profits of 4 customers. Even if we tried to spend a little more in support, it won't equal the loss revenue of 4 customers.

Which means now the brewery has to spend more in advertising in hopes of gaining more customers.

And more importantly, customers that show up on a consistent basis like the 4 who just left.

It's why you see the disclaimer all the time. What's the disclaimer?

"The views expressed by this individual does not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the company and its employees".

Which means what? This thread is a complete waste of time. Why?

Because people who are already in the game would've done what you suggested if it was cost effective.

Businesses aren't in the business of making political statements. You freaking learn that in macroeconomics 101 for gods sake.

There are some exceptions to this. For example, take the Christian bakers who did not want to be part of a gay wedding ceremony, and were subsequently forced to pay well over a hundred thousand dollars in damages, had to shut down their business, attend counseling, and have regularly received death threats since.

That level of punishment is so astounding and out of touch with reality that certainly a bakery could not hope to make up the difference. That is to say nothing of their actual views mind you, people can make up their own minds on that but as it relates to my original post, that would not be a good example.

In general though I do think there is something to the idea that you might as well take a side, just do so in a way that doesn't make you the target of severe retaliation.

Trump supporters, take note. One of our posters on here likes to call our President '46' in a disparaging manner (I suspect he would not call the Candian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, '39'.) So be it. I say that apply 46% to the total U.S. population, and not just the voters, and you're at 150,000,000 people. That's plenty of people to do business with, especially if you give that group personal incentive to seek you out.

Fun fact: Chick-Fil-A generates more revenue per restaurant than any other fast-food chain in the U.S. If the CEO's political views are hurting that company, it isn't apparent how.

Maybe the brewery thing wasn't the best example. You have to look at the specific dynamics of the market and the customers. For example, most of the business I've done is online. Just getting exposure is hard. Anything that goes viral is free advertising.

Look at it on a smaller scale. Say you're looking for an attorney because you got busted for having a few pounds of weed. You have narrowed the list down to ten attorneys. In your research, you have found that one of them is a Trump supporter, one of them was a Clinton supporter, and you're unsure of the political views of the other eight.

Realistically, you are going to cross off the Trump supporter unless there is overwhelming reason to choose him or her. Among the remaining nine, I believe the Hillary supporter will have a big advantage in securing your business, just based on that mutual view you hold.

for the 2nd time, the CEO's comments on marriage isn't political. please learn the difference between making a political statement, and stating your religious beliefs.

they are not one in the same. sometimes they get blurred, but they are not the same.

I know exactly what to look for. I'm a double major in International business and supply chain management. As well I've started my own project that i hope will turn into an actual business in a year.

There's a reason why businesses try their hardest to not make political statements, or at least not under their company's banner.

also, your attorney example is flawed. Attorney's rarely ever turn down work, because guess what? they don't care if their client is innocent or guilty. their job is to defend their client the best way imaginable. and the situation is different as well, which is funny because in one line you mention specific dynamics, and then somehow forget all about that in your example.

the dynamic is that i'm picking the best attorney with the best track record because i can potentially go to jail. at that point, i don't care about party affiliation. i care about not going to jail.

your brewery example was actually the best because nobody is being forced to look for a local brewery; it's all by choice, and is not potentially life changing (unless of course the beer is so good it changes the way you look at life lol).

As a matter of fact, look what happened to Ivanka's brand. It was already not doing all that great, but now it's doing worse.

yes, you have a spike in a SPECIFIC product like her perfume on Amazon, which by the way, is discounted now, because of Trump supporters. but her overall brand took a massive hit, a hit that it might not fully recover from, if it even recovers.

the only businesses that are making true political statements are the ones where it's impossible to hurt their bottom line, such as big Oil, for example. they routinely donate money to super PACs and politicians because guess what? you still need to fill up your car if you plan on getting to work on time.

I could hate BP all i want for their oil spill, but if my gas light is lit, and a BP gas station is the only one in the area...well....

Business survive off of repeat customers. customer loyalty, rewards, etc. are all put into place to keep consumers happy and coming back for your products.

and that's why they try their hardest to stay away from political statements, whether it's a big business or a mom & pop store. the loss revenue that will happen from pissed off customers isn't gonna come back because Haus decided to buy a couple more shirts than normal this shopping trip.

here's an article we broke down in one of my courses:

Case Study: Do Business and Politics Mix?

https://hbr.org/2014/11/do-business-and-politics-mix

it's why you have to stay away from the public eye about it.

Comments on marriage are both religious and political. Hasn't there been a huge debate these last several years between Republicans and Democrats about gay rights and various other concerns in the LGBTQ community?

I personally don't care which consenting adults get married. That isn't my beef and it isn't my point here. I do think Chick-Fil-A has a lot of regular customers who do agree with the CEO's position, and go there instead of another fast food joint partly because of that. I have no real way to prove that. It's just a hunch.


That's nice.


The idea is that because you think you are a smart guy and that you pick the right politicians (as we all do), you will subconsciously think people who support those same politicians are smarter than those dumb ol' Trump supporters. I could dig up many such examples of comments on this forum how some members on here think it's inconceivable that anybody with a brain could support Trump. You know that sentiment is out there. It's just hard to acknowledge it relates to this hypothetical scenario where your freedom is on the line, and something as petty as political differences could factor in.


I think the brewery thing was actually the worst example, lol. I'm not really familiar with Ivanka's brand or what happened there. Would it be reasonable to say that product line is mostly being purchased by liberal women? If so, that is probably not the type of business to be blatantly pro-Trump in but that's just speculation on my part.

Think about the Kleins, the Christian bakers who were sued for more than a hundred grand, were forced to shut down their business, attend counseling, and have regularly received death threats for refusing to participate in a gay wedding.

First of all, that is such a damn shame and I can't believe more people have not taken up for them. (Christians and non-Christians alike... anybody who has a basic sense of fairness really)

Here are a couple more facts in that case: the bakers were willing to bake the lesbian couple a cake (they were return customers). The bakers did not want to be part of the actual ceremony. The judge in the case put a gag order on the bakers so not only did they get royally screwed in every possible way, they're not even allowed to talk about it (their lawyer has adroitly pointed this out, but this is an old story, and any outrage has long since died down.)

I have a theory on why liberals supported such overpunishment. It has little to do with fairness, equality, or rights. You see, if the bakers had just lost out on the customers' business, the bakers would have only lost out on a small amount of business. no big deal.

Even though the story went viral, and many liberals would have boycotted the place, you could apply my theory here to that case and say that the business easily could have been made up by the silent Christians who would favor their business over others. In order to prevent this from happening, the civil justice system had to step in and levy a punishment that was so swift and so crushing that never had a chance to happen. Then liberals rejoiced in the name of tolerance.

How would you feel about a company denying business based on the color of their skin? Do you think the Civil Rights Act of 1965 went too far?

again, they are not the same. they only become the same once you go "I believe in traditional marriage, so i vote republican"

That's political. stating "i believe in traditional marriage" is not political. it's a religious belief.

They are not the same.



Except that IS your point. your entire thread is based on the idea that businesses should make more political stances and declare their political leanings.

as demonstrated here:



that's part of your original post. so obviously that is your point, with regards to businesses making political stances, in general. which i countered.

I don't care about who gets married, either. but the topic of the thread is businesses making political stances. i simply corrected you and told you that wasn't a political comment he made. he didn't say he wouldn't serve gays. he simply said he believes in traditional marriage.

in order for this topic to have any sort of meaning, the definitions have to be defined. you seem to be struggling with that. I'm trying to help you out here.

And just to make this more clear: you DO believe the chick-fil-a CEO's comments were political. so if we go off of your (incorrect) definition of a political statement, then it shows that this particular issue is part of your overall point, as you're the one who decided to use the example in the first place.



yes, it is. It's called Ethos. an attempt to appeal to the reader using credibility.

You're a smart guy, you should know that. unless of course...you know very little


There's plenty of us on both sides who think each other are idiots for leaning one way or another. or at least supporting a specific candidate. but again, if for example, you are an attorney, and i quite possibly have to go to jail, do you honestly think i care about you being a Trump supporter? or do you think i care more about you winning my case, because you have a <insert winning percentage) success rate in cases?

and with overall business, how does that relate?

And that's the part you seem to be having a hard time with. the ONLY way i'm going to find out if a business leans to a certain way is if they tell us.

for example. let's say i don't know who Arch is. he's self employed. I go to his shop and need something produced. he produces the good for me. i pay, and go on my merry way.

The only way i'm finding out if Arch is a trump supporter is if he has it plastered all over his website. or he decides to have some political discussion with me in his shop.

my livelyhood(sp) isn't on the line. i'm choosing to do business with him. i can go anywhere else.

However, it's not smart for Arch to have that plastered all over his shop, whether he's for Trump or Hillary, because as a business owner, he doesn't want to lose money if he can help it. There's almost nothing to gain by advertising that. and as we've seen already, there's a lot to potentially lose.





again, your brewery was the best example that you came up with. i have some way better examples, but this is your thread.

as far as her target demographic goes, you have to first find out what demographic shops at malls in the first place.

So we know her products were marketed in Nordstrom. I can tell you right now that we have that store in Beachwood mall. that's mostly women. mostly white women.

as far as their political affiliation, who knows. Nordstrom is expensive. i'll leave it at that for speculation.



hey that sucks. again, i've stated my stance multiple times on this board. find another bakery. there's plenty. if they don't want to bake you a cake, write a bad yelp review and be on your way. there's another bakery who's more than happy to take your money and bake you a cake. but i read the rest of your post, and i'm not done with this thought just yet...



And this right here, is why it's clear you simply just. don't. get it.

as i've stated before, my PERSONAL belief is that they should've just found another bakery.

but....what if they were the only bakery in the town that could produce that specific cake?

even if there were other bakeries, just think about that. think about smaller towns that don't have multiple options to choose from. let that sizzle in your head while i point out this:

at what point is your religious beliefs gonna stop being used to justify discrimination?

as i've pointed out before - which is a fact - the continuation( emphasis on that word) for slavery was that blacks were cursed by god.

before the Vers and the other clowns come out and think i'm making this about race, i'm not. i'm giving you an example, Haus, on how religion can be used as the basis to discriminate.

i can come up with any religion, Christianity, Islam, Hindu. Or i can make up my own religion, and use that to keep people from my stores for any reason, right?

is it wrong for a restaurant to not serve blacks? is it wrong for a gym to not allow whites in? is it wrong for a vegan restaurant to not allow men in? is it wrong for the military to not allow women?

^^^^ if i'm a business owner, i can find something in a religion text that gives me justification to not allow someone in my shop. so where does it end?

we have anti-discrimination laws in this country for a reason. i know people who think like you probably think those laws are unfair, but they aren't.

and that goes all the way back to the original point of your thread. Businesses are in business to make....what? that's right. Money.

so if businesses go around making political statements, or using their religion to justify discrimination, stuff that happened to the bakery is the potential consequence.

So sure, the christians around the country could've rallied behind the bakery, and donated defense funds and all that.

but.....for what? all the bakery had to do was bake the cake and take their money. I don't blame christians, or any other religious groups for not trying to save a random shop. because it's not their responsibility.

and i can't believe i'm defending big businesses, but Haus: you're asking businesses to sacrifice their bottom line.....for what, again? pride?

you're not asking businesses to sacrifice their bottom line to feed the homeless. you're not asking them to donate more to local communities.

you're asking them to sacrifice their bottom line.....to make public political statements?

Sorry bro, there's a reason most businesses refuses to do that. you're pretty much on your own on that.

That's part of the problem many have tried to deny for a long time. Religion and politics are far too closely tied together. The problem with that is that many Christians end up criticizing other Christians who don't support the same politicians.

#eatingtheirown

I think many Christians are too kind for their own cause. It's a delicate point to make because the whole 'turn the other cheek' thing is such an overriding theme of the religion. It gets used against Christians on a regular basis. The case discussed above is one of many similar examples.

For the record, I often used to argue with the religious right on here. I'm willing to set aside those minor differences in order to fight what I think is a great injustice-- the left's all-out assault on your religion and way of life. Practice what you believe in and you may be fined $100,000 or more. That is the society you live in. What is it going to take for ya'll to push back?

And what you are stating is one of the major reasons our country has become more and more divided.

What has happened to freedom of choice when it comes to beliefs? People in general, and I mean on all sides, have become so indignant and intolerant of others not sharing their beliefs.

To each his own, as long as you are not hurting others, or taking action against others for their color, religion, sexual orientation.. etc.. I don't care. If I walk by a burger joint and they have a Hilary or a Trump sign in their window, I am not going to not go in that place because I don't like either one. All I care about is how good that burger is.

We need more tolerance, and agree to disagree in this country.

Also as fas as Chic Fila , I think they do so well because they are a uniques change of pace from most other fast food spots that are all burgers and fries. JMO

this assumes that the majority of liberals aren't religious.

which is false.

as a matter of fact, the majority of the country identifies with some form of religion.

and christianity dominates both conservative and liberal ideologies.

do you do any sort of research...like..at all?

You are absolutely right. Believe me, I would love to live in a world where people could just agree to disagree and leave things at that.

I have gotten fed up with the largely one-sided nature in how these things go. I often think that the same respect is not shown to me, or to people who have similar views as I do.


Fair enough. There isn't one in my area and I haven't been to one in a while.

Don't allow a government to enact policies based on unproven religious dogma. It's that simple, isn't it?

Don't run a business using unproven religious dogma that impedes on the rights of American citizens.

It's quite simple, Haus.

The problem is, that your religion is not a cause. I am a Christian, but I believe in what Jesus taught, which is tolerance and love for all. The religious right has swung way far away from that.

Jesus would be called a dirty liberal by the religious right in todays society.

Plus that whole Economic Social Justice Gospel that many like to ignore...

It is not one sided, i have seen the crap from both sides. I have right wing friends who post stuff about boycotting sponsoring companies of the Oscars and stuff like that, its silly

Not once did I mention any stats about the number of Christians so I'm not sure where that's coming from. The majority can be discriminated against, despite what your liberal Sociology professor may tell you.

I also think a lot of people who say they are Christian are... how do you say it... Christian in name only? I'm not sure how accurate the stats are when it comes to true, practicing Christians.

we're a secular nation.

so while the nation's majority might identify as christians, the policies of this country can't not be christian-based.

you're complaining about the left assaulting religion. which is why i mentioned the stats.

you're basically saying the christians are assaulting themselves.

and your shot at whatever profesor i have is cute. i almost feel bad for the hillbilly in a trailer sending you chain emails, as it's clear that's where your beliefs come from.

you know very little.

anyway, i expect a rebuttal for the original topic on this thread which i gave you. i have a suspicion i won't be getting one though. i hope i'm wrong, but it seems like you were less concerned with talking about business and more concerned with making yet another liberal-aimed rant on the board.

*Trump voice* sad, very sad.

Inherent bias, and a giant assumption. A good portion of my professors at Toledo held conservative beliefs, and those were the ones who tried to indoctrinate kids the most. Especially the one guy who always made a point about his pocket constitution...



There rests the problem with religious dogma. No one can really agree what is literal, what is symbolic, etc. The answers I get end up as "oh, you just need to study it!". That's a bit disingenious if a creator made a book so dense, and that you only get saved if you study it for years at a time.

Good thread Haus.

By the way, the terrible thing the CEO of Chick-Fil-A said was that his business supports "Traditional Family Values."

Well that was it! The gloves then came off on the Left!

many of the " true practicing Christians" sit their butts in the pew every Sunday and practice nothing close to Christianity as Jesus taught it .

I think the problem is , for too many years, religion had too much say and control in our government, especially at the lower levels.

Now that has went away a lot because the constitution was not set up for our government to be ran by religion, and the religous do not like that.

Quit trying to force your religous beliefs on others through legislation from our government . Live your life the way Jesus wants you to and stop worrying about what others believe in .

Are you a bad person if you break from tradition?

Great contribution. I thought it was something like that, but figured there had to be something more to it, due to the response.

Anyway you can take it from here if you care to. I'm heading out for the night.

Later all

I have to laugh to myself at all the supposed good Christians on here who cried "How does Gay marriage effect you?" "Why do you even care?"

Every one of them standing up to God who told us its a Sin, but not to them, they willingly compromised their way around Gods wishes and today, as I warned them, we see real Christians losing their businesses, their homes, and everything else they own because once you give the Left and inch, they take the mile.

SHAME!

The same people compromise around God as they support the murder of our most innocent through Abortion.

Once again these supposed good people chose Man over God and as "Man" pats them on the back, God will judge them also.

You should start a show on a major cable network, and use chalkboards to support your arguments. You'd fill a great entertainment niche.

It's called Fox News.

40 should replace Glenn Beck's old slot. I'd watch it for entertainment, and enjoy the dramatic irony with a hint of satire.

So you believe that your religous beliefs should be enforced by our government? But at same time believe in the constitution?

I believe homosexuality is a sin. Do I feel our government should force my beliefs on others when it does not harm me ? no Do I feel that I should discriminate against homosexuals because I believe what they are doing is sin? This lie says it all ... Let those without sin cast the first stone.. I have committed many sins in my life. Many of them of the sexual manner. They were not homosexual in nature, but still sins. So should legisltion been passed against me? Should a baker said " hey you are not married, yet you have sex on a regular basis with various women and that is a sin, so no cake for you"

Now, the abortion issue I find a little different , because there is another living being affected. Not really a good subject to get into , i think

Was Jesus tolerant and loving towards the religious leaders of His day? How about the money changers in the Temple of the Lord? How about towards Judas Iscariot? Jesus told Him exactly what his fate was going to be, and it was not pleasant.

Jesus told the one thief, who was hanging on a cross beside Him, that because he humbled himself and asked Jesus to bring him into His kingdom, Jesus would forgive him and do so. The other thief was given no such assurances, because he mocked Jesus, even as he paid the earthly price for his sins. (as determined by the Romans)

Jesus would also be called a radical by almost everyone.Hhe would have been called intolerant.

He said that marriage is one man to one woman becoming one flesh, for life. Period. He never aid a word about one man and one man, or one woman and one woman. Jesus was not one to quietly ignore an issue if He thought it was important. He also said that divorce was an invention for the sinful people of Moses' time, and is not part of God's plan.

He said that only a few people will make it to heaven, thought the "narrow gate". Most people will try to enter through the wide gate, only to find that it leads to hell.

Jesus said that when He comes in His glory, that many will call out to Him saying "Lord! Lord!", but that He will tell them to begone, because he never knew them.

Jesus said that He is THE WAY, and that no man comes to the Father except through Him. No religion will save you, only Him.

While Jesus offered salvation to those trapped in sin, the woman at the well, and the woman who was going to be stoned for adultery, He never said "go keep doing what you were doing and you'll be just fine" ..... he told them to go and sin no more. (In other words, leave your sinful actions in the past)

Jesus condemned most of the people in the world by His very words. That's not tolerance. God loves people, but He is also a just God. People seem to want to overlook that part of God ..... and they just assume that He will forgive everyone, and will accept everyone into heaven .... because "a loving god wouldn't send anyone to hell". ( "g" purposely left lower case, because it is not The God of the Bible, the One, and Only True God) I have also heard people say that hell will be great, because all of the party people will be there. Good luck with that. Jesus, in Luke 16:19-31, tells us what Hades will be like. By my reading, Hades is the "holding area" for those whose names are not written in the book of life. When such a person dies, they go to Hades, while those who are in Christ are comforted.

Here is the passage:

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

People think that they know what Jesus said, when they never read their Bibles. I have learned so much more every time I read through my Bible. It saddens me that so many people are going to be condemned. I pray, frequently, that God will show us a way to save more people, because so many people have no idea who God, or Jesus, is. People are actually guilty of idolatry, because they make up their own God, who does what they want, rather than obeying the God of the Bible, the One True God. People pretend that God is who they want Him to be, and not the other way around.

I know this is true, because I used to do it. I made sure that I could take a single Bible verse here or there, and apply it as I wanted. I was great at it, justifying anything and everything I wanted to. Thank God He opened my eyes, and changed my heart, and put me on a new path. I am not perfect, by any stretch, but I have accepted Christ as both my Lord and my Savior, and I try to follow the things He said to do. I fail all too often, but because I trust in the Lord, He helps me to do better. I have turned my life over to Him, and thus I trust, and know that I am saved through Christ. I am not acting in open revolt against Him, and I am not spreading a message that runs contrary to that Jesus taught.

I do agree that there are many who call themselves Christians, but who live lives that are indistinguishable from the pagans. There are many who call themselves Christians, who act with hate. That is not the way. Jesus did not teach hate, but He also did not teach us to stand by and allow people to die in their sins. There is a way to tell people that they are heading towards damnation, using the Bible, and using what Jesus taught .... without hating the person. Actually, the most loving thing a Christian can do it to tell someone about the Lord. A Christian can teach them what Jesus taught, but some will be infuriated that their sins are called sins. Heck, most of the adults in this country these days have committed adultery. Most have coveted. Most have stolen. Most have hated. Most have committed an act of violence against another, or have had violent thoughts against another, which Jesus says are the same as the act itself. Most people do not want to hear this. They love their sins more than they love the Lord. As long as that's the case, they can call themselves Christians. They can recite the sinner's prayer. They can say that they accept Christ, but the truth is that such is between them and Christ. Jesus said that we will bear fruit if we have Him. A 3rd party, who watched the person who claims to believe, will see a definite difference in the way they act, behave, and treat others after their salvation. If we're living with someone in a sexual relationship, out of wedlock, and we lie, cheat, and steal from others, and hate other people .... and we continue to do so after we "accepted Christ", then where is the fruit of that salvation? I think that a lot of people are going to be in for a horrible surprise at judgment.

Anyway, I think that if Jesus walked the earth today, and a person living with their boyfriend/girlfriend in a sexual relationship, or simply having a sexual relationship, a gay person, a person claims Jesus, but who acts as though he has never heard of Him, and so forth .....I think that Jesus would tell them to go and sin no more, or else they will run the risk of later hearing "I never knew you".

I posted what Hades is like earlier. I think that Hell will be even more horrific. I know that some will scoff, and I feel bad for them. However, all a Christian can do is try to communicate the information he knows, and each person has to make their own decisions. That's the shame of it all. It is our decision, and many will choose condemnation, rather than doing as Jesus taught us. Many will think that they are doing as Jesus taught, because they will simply make up what they think Jesus wanted, instead of learning it for themselves, in God's Holy Word. It is our choice. I hope that everyone here would read their Bible all the way through, at least once. It is amazing how things jump out when you actually open yourself to God's Word.

Anyway, sermon over. People can either check it out for themselves in the Bible, or decide that they already know, and take their chances.

I am religious,
I am also on the right,
I call Jesus Lord, Son of God Almighty.

I can't believe I'm wading into this, BUT, you've mentioned my name several times.

Couple of things: 1. You DON'T know me, truly, just as I don't know you, truly.

2. I don't get political in my business. AT all. For the reason you describe, basically. If we were still on facebook, you would see that over the last year especially, but ever since I've been on face book, I'm about the least "political" person ON there. (clem is the only person that posts here that I have on facebook, so if you want verification of that, just ask him.)


Why? I work for democrats, republicans and independents. I work for Christians, Hindu's, atheists and even a muslim family. (Hindu's and Muslims are tough to find around here). I work for straight people, gay people - known gays, or some I assume are. I work for single moms and/or dads, I work for the elderly, and the young. etc. etc.

Why? Because, my job is not to preach, not to convert d's to r's, etc. My job is to make a living, and do the best job, at a fair price.

It is my choice. What I wouldn't support, is, say, the gov't. telling me how much I can charge someone, or, say, mandating that I work on a Sunday if that's what the customer demands. (and for the record, I HAVE worked on a Sunday or 2. A bowling alley was one of the jobs. They were open from M-S, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays, they closed at 1 a.m. and didn't open until 4 pm. So, I started at 7 a.m. and the place was ready for business at 4 p.m. - and that's beside the point I guess)

On a personal level, my friends know where I stand, and many customers could probably guess correctly. But I'm not in the business, nor can I afford to be, of preaching, or politicking.

I have a service, and they want it, at a price that is acceptable to them and me. That is my business bottom line.

Here is another example. I do business first with those that use my service. It's called "choice". If I need a service or product, and one of the people/businesses that supply it are a customer, I'm going there. If I need something that no customer is a provider of, then I can shop, so to speak.


And I'm rambling, I know. Heck, maybe I didn't even have a point?

Actually, you proved his point quite well. He used you as support for his argument, and I'm quite sure it was out of respect to you, sir.



That's basically what Swish was saying, but Haus argued businesses need to get political. They need to get political, in his opinion, to weed out the groups that rally against policies that seek to target unfair treatment over trivial ideas based in religious dogma.

You just validated everything I said.

Thanks?

Funny item related to this:
This news broke on my radio... while I was sitting in line at Chick Fil-A. One week later, I was back in that line. That spicy Southwest sandwich is killer. Tortilla soup is delish, too.

Here's the thing about me: "family values" are basically the rules I live by, too... so no boycott for me. If I need something 'crafty,' I gots no problem shopping at Hobby Lobby, either. I'm there to buy products, not lecture them on reproductive rights and healthcare.

Cool, or whatever.

I wasn't trying to disagree with swish. Or agree. My name was brought up several times, so I simply spelled out how I do MY business. No more, no less.

Are you talking about the one on Monroe by Franklin Park Mall? The line for that place was ridiculously long during my college years. I'm assuming that's still the case?

I wasn't trying to invalidate anything you said, in the part of your post I quoted.

Basically, I said I work for anyone that hires me, regardless of their politics, religion, sex, marital status, what ever.

I would disagree with the gov't. mandating that I do that if I felt strong enough against a job though.

And I HAVE turned down jobs, based on the condition of the job I was asked to do. Simply saying "there is nothing I can do to fix the issue you have, and truthfully, you have 200 employees that, if I agreed to do the job, they would see the results that I already know ahead of time........but those 200 employees would go home and say "arch was gonna fix our problems, but he couldn't, even though he told the boss man up front he couldn't, so, we don't want to hire him for other jobs.

January - turned down a job. Would've been a nice $1100 for 2 days, about 5 hours a day. For a business that also hires me for different areas/complexes. They understood, or so they said. They hired a different company.

I was worried about losing the other jobs since I refused to do that particular one. (based on: this stuff is beyond help)

After they had it done by some other company, I contacted them. "Hey, how'd it turn out?" (again, worried I may lose some darn good jobs.)

Guy said "it turned out exactly like you said it would, probably worse. Don't worry, you still have the other jobs, and the company we had used lied to us. We'll never use them again."

And, I only brought it up, because you brought my name up several times in this thread. (and in a different thread).

It goes deeper than that, yes. But that's the gist of what I was saying.

Not agreeing, not disagreeing - not trying to prove or disprove any point. Just stating, that's how I do business.