Will you stop buying Hallmark greting cards>

Well stated. I didn't say that we aren't allowed to judge, I am just not comfortable in judging someone who may go against my own convictions. I am not saying that anyone else is wrong for boycotting Hallmark. People have to do what they think is right. My point is that I am not going to boycott Hallmark because of the types of cards that they make which are marketed for a certain group of people. I have my own convictions about that issue and I don't care to push my beliefs off on others. If someone is a lesbian, that is their business and not mine. I don't feel the need to tell them they are wrong in doing so, doesn't mean that I agree with it, just not my business. That is just me and how I feel. That is how we raised our boys, with our own convictions and we allow others to be who they are.

The fact that Hallmark sells these cards does not effect my life in any way, shape or form. Whether or not someone is gay does not effect my life in any way, shape or form.

Hallmark has found a way to make more money by providing cards for a certain group of people, that's capitalism.

Whether someone is straight or not, God still loves them as He loves me, unconditional love! Goes back to love thy neighbor.

 

I had a post then it dissappeared any way my thought is why would you stop going to a place because they sold something you didn't like....... some of you don't wear pants...... so does that mean you don't shop where they sell pants?? some of you don't celebrate halloween but they have halloween cards at Hallmark...... I don't celebrate Jewish or Kwanza holidays but that doesn't mean I get mad because they sell such cards for those holidays.......... so gay people have a need for hallmark cards......... I don't care one way or another...... but if you were the one to have the idea to sell such a thing........ and got rich doing it I would not say that is wrong.

 

I think I agree with you ABall. The jury is still out, but right now I'm leaning towards not boycotting.

 

well I have to agree with alot of people, to each there own. We are not the ones judging here.
I have to agree with Aball.

I shop places they sell things I don't like I just don't buy them.

About Target I can see there point, ok here comes the tomatoes, help me Aball I might need your help.
I don't know about you ladies but sometimes I love to go shopping and not be hit by someone selling something or wanting me to give money for something. That is wal mart or Sam's Club every week you go there someone is trying to sell you something. So, Yes I go to Target to shop in peace and know when I leave I wouldn't get hit can you donate a dollar or two here. KWIM.

 

I'm not what it says about me but

I love Hallmark......
I love McDonalds
I love Target
I occaionally go to Wal-mart

I love the dollar store......

I"m cheap, I love bargains........ I like greeting cards, I like fast food, I like things for a dollar.


I know there are those that judge me???

 

I don't think this is about judgement. This is about beliefs. I believe abortion is wrong, therefore I don't support anyone who campaigns for abortion. I believe that homosexuality is wrong and therefore I don't support anyone who campaigns for gay rights. Like McDonald's or Target.

I don't judge anyone who eats at McDonalds or shops at Target. It's my way of quietly upholding my beliefs. I don't tell people they should be like me or believe what I do. I think everyone should have the choice to believe what they want. Or shop where they want.

And not liking pants isn't quite the same thing as thinking something is immoral.

Anyway, I say everybody do what they want...and let everyone else do what they want too!

 

No tomatoes from me Kris.. I get tired of the "Would you like to buy...?" "Would you like to donate to...?" or better yet just the blank stares you get.. drives me nuts, and at Christmas time it is the worst.. we barely have the money to put anything under the tree for our kids, and we get frowned at because we aren't putting our money in a bucket.

I do eat at McDonalds, I do shop at Walmart.. and will soon shop at Target since we are getting one about 30 minutes from here, I will still buy Hallmark cards and will still shop in Hallmark stores (ha when I have the money for a candle anyway!)

Every company out there has something about them that someone wants to hate... I am in it for me, and my budget and I go where I can afford to buy the things my family needs.

 

This is the way I see it. First of all, we are all free people and can shop/not shop where we want. I sure am not going to get upset with anyone for chosing to shop at or not shop at a place. And private businesses are free to support/not support causes they believe in, or sell what they feel there's a market for.

BUT I have the responsibility to support businesses that I feel support what I believe in. I will not eat at McDonald's. This is NOT because they have gay people working for them; I would guess that most companies do. But I do not want MY MONEY going to support causes I don't believe in; causes I even will give money to defeat. When McDonald's choses to be a corporate sponser of gay organizations/events , I feel that any money I spend there is helping to pay for those organizations/events. And there are other choices. I will make a deliberate choice to support companies that support what I believe in. Just like any gay person will probably make a deliberate decision to support McD's.

As far as Hallmark goes, that's a little different to me. They see a market and cater to it. No more different than saying people want religious Christmas cards, so they make them. If they chose to make cards for Ramadan because of the increasing number of Muslims in this country, I doubt anyone would raise an eyebrow. Will I continue buying from them? I honestly don't now, so it won't make a difference one way or the other.

 

I think I am the same as Aball, Kris and Sommer and I fully understand and agree with Patty on the differences between judgments and convictions.

I love Target! One of my fav stores!

McDonalds I hate but will continue to go to because my kids like them. Actually ate there for lunch today. Yuck.

I'm not going to boycott Hallmark and if someone judges me for that (and I am NOT saying anyone will) well frankly I don't care and probably wouldn't have been friends with you anyway. LOL!

In my situation my best friend I have known for 26 years is gay. I'm not going into the story or anything. Just wanted to say that I know God loves her just as much as he loves me. She is a wonderful person, always there for me, always has been. She is the one person beside my husband that I can count on 100% anytime day or night. I do not agree with homosexuality. I believe that morally it is wrong. God will judge her just as he will judge me one day. Until then I will continue to love her as a sister. I don't really care what a business does with it's money. It's their business. Not mine. I certainly wouldn't want someone telling me what they think I should do with my business (yes we own two businesses). Kinda the same thing as Subway not including homeschoolers in the last contest. So what? It is there business, their choice.

I won't be judging any of you who choose to boycott or not to boycott because that is your business. There are so many other things that are worthy of worry and concern. I just dont' think this is one of them.

 

If you skip McDonald's for, say, Friendly's, the person who serves you could be gay. The manager could be. IMHO, I wish the talking heads of these places would keep their agendas to themselves.

 

Wow, Tiff~ You said it so eloquently. That is what I was trying to say but I used too many words. (((( ))))

 

But I'm not boycotting it because of a gay person who works there. If the person can do the job, I'm not saying they shouldn't have the job. I'm saying that I don't want my hard-earned dollars supporting companies that support programs/agendas/organizations that I strongly disagree with.

 

That's why I wish the talking heads would shut up. What good does McDonalds-or any company- think they are doing by supporting the gay agenda or any agenda, for that matter? This could apply to a bunch of situations, if you think about it..

 

Maybe this is the place to insert an observation from those who have studied history more than I have:

It appears that the rise and fall of nations and empires has a correlation with how each culture perceives and relates to eternal, non changing Truth. Some things bring about a decline in the strength of the culture, such as oppressive taxation, lack of trust of leaders, crime, loss of individual rights, adultery and breakdown of the family, wide-spread drug-induced altered states of consciousness,the practice of calling good things evil and evil things good, easy communication with evil spirits, internal factioning of various groups--each with a "give-me" mind-set--loss of respect for human life, leading to abortion, infanticide, killing the weak, old, retarded, "undesirables," euthanasia, cannibalism, etc etc. Interestingly, wide-spread acceptance of homosexuality in a culture has been one of the final signs of that culture's demise.

"Ignoring history condemns us to repeat it," may be fulfilled in our generation. The people of God in Old Testament times prospered when they obeyed the Lord. "Righteousness begets Prosperity, and the daughter often eats the mother!" is a saying we learned in our history two years ago. As God's people flourished, they tended to forget Who had blessed them. They became lax, immoral, disregarded the Truth, and thereby invited God's judgment.

The question before us is if our culture (or the whole world!) has passed the point at which God's righteous judgement is inevitable, or if there is anything effective that can be done to bring our culture, in general, to a place of repentance.

A specific, implied question of this thread could be, "Will boycotting a company which (in our opinion) funds the decline of our culture, halt that slide?"

Another question could be "Even if it doesn't change things, is boycotting companies who fund what we consider evil an issue of integrity, and should we do it anyway?"

Just think, one day "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!!!" What JOY awaits us after each dark night of judgment!

 

Question #1: I think it has. But we don't know that for sure, so we cannot just sit back an "accept" it as inevitable.

Question #2: No, I don't think it will halt that slide.

Question #3 (which to me is the important one): ABSOLUTELY! At least, it is for me and my house.

Prairie, like always, a very well thought-out post, and very well said!

 

I love that this has opened up discussion. That's what it was meant to do. I am not judging, only wanted opinions and to discuss this topic.

Thanks for all the debate and information ladies. We have such an amazing group of women here.

 

I was away and missed this. I won't boycott Hallmark. I support gay marriage so there's no conflict for me.

I think that even if it were a big issue for me there's a difference between giving money to lobby or special interest groups to support an issue and simply serving a niche market or extending benefits to all employees. I'd still be comfortable shopping at Hallmark.

 

Just seeing this very interesting thread now. I glanced through the posts.

I feel that I am responsible for spending the money God gave me in a proper way. That means being a good steward in many ways from not supporting things that go against God to not overspending or paying a bill before buying a pair of shoes to tithing before paying myself or the bills....etc. I feel a responsibility to spend my money in a Godly fashion. So, I will not go out of my way to spend money or invest money with corporations or businesses that are so contrary to biblical beliefs. Yet, I live in a world where that will mean never buying a thing soon...LOL.

So having said that will I boycott Hallmark, McD's or Target..or whoever? Well, I already don't spend money on movies that do not glorify God... but is that the same thing? Honestly, I am not sure. You see, there is a part of me that says I will no longer buy from those companies the same way I would not donate money to a charity I did not agree with. Afterall, there are alternatives to McD's and hallmark. Yet, there is that part of me that will completely forget to boycott so I hesitate to be too on fire about this...LOL. It is no sacrifice for me not to buy from McD's, Target, or Hallmark...so ask me when the sacrifice hits home. That's when we really know where our convictions lay. lol. For now, I have stopped going to McD's. I know if it is on my mind I will not knowingly give money to any organization that goes against God. So, I guess sending the very best will have to take a backseat to sending what I feel is the best. I don't feel that someone who decides not to boycott is a poor example of a Christain. (see Tiff...we are still friends...LOL!) I can't even say I am on fire about these boycotts. What I do know is that you need to spend your money in a way that you feel comfortable with. I don't feel I am judging by boycotting a company...that is silly. We are all allowed to support what we want to support or not support what we choose. And as far as judgement...I make judgment calls everyday and will continue to do so. We are ALLOWED to make judgements. We are just not allowed to condemn to Hell..that is not our job. Oh and I can read...so where the bible sees sin, so should I, if I claim to be a believer in Christ.

 

I was boycotting specific P&G products for a while (too many to boycott them all!), and Rachael, whenever I went to buy TP or paper towels, or detergent, would always ask me, "Is that a P&G product?" She kept me honest! The kids understand we won't be going to McD's, and they understand WHY, so again, they will help us to remember.

 

I have no problem w/ this but are you going to also stop buying crayloa crayons, if you do? Hallmark makes them.