Well, neither have I. One reason is that I have zero hobbies (unless you call being a pain in the backside a hobby). Another reason is that I am about as artistic as a fiddler crab amputee.
But, I ran across something interesting about a week ago. I can't remember where the link came from, so my apologies to whoever (whomever...whatever). Regardless, it seems that some atheist chick got really ticked off at Hobby Lobby when she went online to print off some coupons and was confronted with messages about Jesus around Easter time. Read what this gal wrote to Hobby Lobby, and their response. Then come back. Please.
So, I got to looking in to The Hobby Lobby company. They have an interesting company profile.
Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is a chain of about 370 crafts superstores located in 28 states in the South and Midwest; it is the country's largest privately-owned crafts retailer and third overall behind Michaels and Jo-Ann's stores.
Could you imagine the uproar if this happened in a publicly held company? Oh man...talk about cleaning out your desk, and being escorted to your vehicle in a Minnesota second!!!
Always a family-owned operation, Hobby Lobby openly operates strictly on Christian-based principles, and the stores are closed on Sundays to allow employees time for "family and worship." The company's employee turnover rate is considered very low. Hobby Lobby's headquarters is located in a 2.6 million-square-foot Oklahoma City manufacturing, distribution, and administrative complex.
They're closed on Sunday...kinda like Chick Fil-A.
The story of their success is quite interesting to read.
And, while I was searching for a picture of a store for this post, I came across some news from about a year ago. It seems that in the midst of a bad economy... Hobby Lobby boosts lowest full-timer pay to $10 per hour.
Hmmmm...
For all y'all "crafty," artsy types, you might want to consider this when deciding where to spend your craft dollars. Of course, it's up to you. I mean, I just report. Y'all decide...
Hobby Lobby's home office and warehouses are very near to where I live. They also have Mardel Christian bookstores, and they are the company that bailed Oral Roberts University out of scandal and debt. I know several people who are employed there, and a few more who work there as a second job during the holidays. ALL of them enjoy their jobs, and believe they are treated very well as employees.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the case of the woman who was offended, well, I'm offended that she was offended. If she wasn't already aware that Hobby Lobby is a "religious company", then she should have been because it's not like it's a secret. I doubt if they will miss her business.
Hey, you ought to go there even if you don't have a "hobby". You probably will when you come out. I have two boxes of scrapbooking stuff that I'm not ever going to use.... just sayin'.
I have never understood intolerant people being intolerant for the sake of tolerance. Kinda seems contradictory to me.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read it I thought "There goes another myopic, angry atheist, getting all bent out of shape about other people being happy." Then I read the Hobby Lobby response and I thought "Wow, that's why atheists are so angry."
ReplyDeleteWould you like some yarn with your heavy-handed zealotry?
I've been to Hobby Lobby. It has stuff.
I did not get that feeling from HB's response at all. The responder seemed (to me) genuinely concerned for the girl's well-being.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, a Hobby Lobby just moved into our 'hood here in AZ (occupied a location that used to be a Mervyn's). My daughter is presently working for Hobby Lobby in Mobile, AL...
ReplyDeleteI will get back to respond soon. But, just so y'all will know. That is a different Andy commenting above.
ReplyDeleteHey Andy (the real one, prop. of this blog), my wife loves Hobby Lobby and goes there frequently. When I've gone with her, I've really enjoyed it too. I also read the article about the raise in pay they gave their employees. HL is obviously a good and decent company to work for if they think that highly of their employees. Since they're successful enough to give a raise at this bad time, they must be doin' something else right as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input, guys (and gal)!
ReplyDeleteAndy #1 (if I may call you that), I understand your point somewhat. But, it seems to me that the lady was offended at the outset...even before receiving a response from HL.
Her initial e-mail said that she found the ad "very exclusive and insensitive." And, that she felt "alienated," and was taking her business elsewhere.
I just don't get that kind of thinking. If JC Penney was running a big "burka" sale ahead of Ramadan, and I happened across it, I wouldn't feel alienated, or anything.
Atheists don't offend me. Atheism does not offend me. Now, to be sure, the response from HL probably cranked up her aggravation a notch. I suppose that she was expecting a standard corporate, "We are sorry that you were offended. Please don't go to Michael's! Pretty please...we won't do it again, etc."
One thing for sure, you don't have to wonder where these folks come down on Christ, and the Bible.
I read the Hobby Lobby/Sarah exchange and I took the poll. I voted for John Locke (16%) and wasn't too surprised at the poll's outcome. Yet I had some minor surprise at the results... I figgered Locke might get at least a quarter of the vote in these here tolerant United States.
ReplyDeleteI know lotsa folks who shop at Hobby Lobby and I've bought a few things there myself. The whole contrived controversy just seems stupid to me.
Buck, actually I was surprised at the results of the poll. When I first came across this, the poll had HL at about 70% favored. I'm thinking somebody either "stacked the deck" before I got to it, or stacked it afterward.
ReplyDeleteBut, what surprises me the most is that 16% of the readers actually know who John Locke was. I'll bet if you asked 100 people on the street, you would not find 3 that could tell you.
This Sarah chick clearly is not an atheist, and, as an athiest myself, I'm quite frankly offended by her improper use of the word.
ReplyDeleteAs an atheist, I believe exactly what the word implies: "A-Theist" means "without belief in God(s)". That means that I couldn't care less if the store I'm shopping in endorses Jesus, Zeus, or the Great Green Arkleseizure. From my perspective, they're all equally imaginary. If someone chooses to use them to make themselves feel better, that's no skin off my nose...not until they begin trying to impose their beliefs on me, which Hobby Lobby is clearly not doing.
Just like a statue of the Ten Commandments or the goddess Justitia in a courtroom don't bother me - they're both metaphors for justice, not a religious endorsement.
Now, our little slow-thinking Sarah is not an atheist. What she is, is an ANTI-theist. She actively opposes religion. And, as I'm willing to bet she wouldn't kick up a shitstorm like this if Hobby Lobby was posting Buddist or Pagan stuff on their website, then in actuality she isn't even an anti-theist.
She's an anti-christian. And it's shit-heels like her that make actual atheists look bad.
There's a Hobby Lobby in Mobile. I think I'll start going there instead of Micheal's.
Sorry about the wall of text, Andy. This is one of my pet peeves - ignorant people using political correctness to justify their bigotry.
harbqll, do not apologize for a "wall of text." The Globber is free, and all.
ReplyDeleteI must say this frankly. I have actually only come across three true "atheists" in my 50 years. Now, I can say that I've come across four.
I have used in the past the term "God Haters" to describe the other hundreds that I've known that rail against the things you mentioned. I have likened them to my sons when they were children...out in the yard with a plastic sword, swinging it wildly against "an opponent that was not really there." They expend many hours of effort, and tons of oxygen trying to battle a "non-existent" enemy.
Your term "anti-Theist" seems to fit Sarah, and her ilk MUCH better.
The true "athiests" that I've known intrigue me. Maybe it is because you all are so "rare" on this planet. But, probably more so because the "offended" factor seems to not exist. The first guy I ever really tagged as an "atheist" said many things to me that sound just like what you wrote. I can respect that.
I mean, you can tag me as having an "imaginary" God, and it does not offend me one bit. I can respect someone that will just let things play out as they play out, and can understand that not everyone is going to see things my way.
Heck, I've got lots of disagreements with folks inside of what we call "Christianity." But, I'm not going to be offended, nor offend them...I hope.
Thanks for dropping your thoughts on this miserable little blog, harbqll. Nice to know you.
Wow, where to start? harbqll: thanks for drawing the difference between and atheist and an anti-theist. That really does clear some of the thinking I have had. One of the things we always hear as christians is if you don't believe in a god, then why are you fighting so hard against something that doesn't exist? Here you clearly defined this person and those fighting a god as antitheist and not atheist. To be honest, I was having trouble distinguishing that. It has truly changed my thinking. I liked your post, very informative. Thanks. Secondly, I did not think what was posted on the site was overtly displayed. So her response was not one of tolerance (thank you Paul) but one of intolerance. These are the people who don't say just keep it to yourselves, these are the people that say you can't have christianity. Third, I was embarrassed to not know John Locke. Ugh, well until I went back to see who he was and some of my old history came back to me. Some.. I vaguely remembered him. Ugh, well let's say i seem to remember it. But don't let my old history teacher know that. That would have been over 30 years ago. I am gonna go read some more about him. Good stuff. Fourth, I voted for Hobby Lobby, I though John was who wrote the response at the time, and was floored at the number of people who were on Sarah's side. Even if Hobby Lobby and John Locke's votes were combined, there would have been about 2000 more votes for Sarah. Was the ballot stuffed. Maybe not, I remember about 2 or 23 years ago a video came from the show the view where Rosie ODonnel compared christians to terrorist and it sounded like everyone in the audience cheered. Well the Bible tells us that the gospel message is offensive. And here is the gist of it. If God exists, then we owe our obedience to Him. Us as people want to do what we want, when we want and not be told what we can or can't do. We want to be our own boss. This was the case in the Garden of Eden. Eve was told by Satan she could be a god, and she fell for it. That is still us today. Thanks Andy.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I meant to mention this also, after reading that article, I didn't find where she claimed to be an atheist, but she did claim to be a non christian. She was hit with guilt from the message speaking truth to her heart. That is where she was offended. My first reaction to being told I am wrong is being offended, because it hit at my pride.
ReplyDeleteHeh.. I have too many hobbies. In fact I've used the pseudonym "toomanyhobbies" as a user name on lots of websites... I find myself inside a Hobby Lobby, Michaels or locally owned hobby store usually two or three times a month. They should be outlawed.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Hobby Lobby was a "Christian Store." There is one here in the Denver area directly adjacent to a Mardel's bookstore, so that makes sense now.
I could spend hours in a hobby store, in fact I have spent hours in them. So many cool things you can do... if I only had the time.
Oh, I'm a firmly committed agnostic by the way. I find both sides of the religionist debate entertaining.
Darrell, thanks for pointing that out. I had to go back and read it several times. Like I said, this was about a week ago when I saw the article...I guess I read "atheist" in to "non Christian."
ReplyDeleteMy bad!
Cosmic, I know you well enough to understand what you are saying.
Even though I am a firmly committed Christian, I find the debate entertaining, too! ;) And, I pity someone who can be offended by something that can't harm them, like Sarah.
I'm afraid I have to say that I think the email exchange was pretty much between two people who deserved each other. I found them to each be pretty much equally insensitive to the views of others.
ReplyDeleteBefore I say the following, I must preface it with saying that I've known and enjoyed conversations with intelligent, sensitive and tolerant religionists and atheists many, many times. But on the other hand, I've had many,many debates and conversations with condescending and arrogant atheists, and I've had many, many debates and conversations with insufferable zealots. I can't think of much I would wish on either of them more than dealing with the other. So I was fairly amused by the exchange. Not so much by what was said, but by the collision of two people who each clearly view themselves as the only reasonable, enlightened one in the conversation.