Tommy Mann

The purpose of this post is not to defend Phil Robertson or his comments. In fact, I don’t think that is the main objective of any of the Duck Dynasty patriarch’s supporters. What is alarming to many of us is that Phil’s rights end when homosexuals’ rights advance. I realize that the 1 st Amendment doesn’t guarantee that Phil be on a reality show; however, I think we all realize what would happen if the roles were reversed. Who is the last person to lose a job, sponsorship, or their reputation for slandering or “judging” those of us who stand for the sanctity of marriage? Every person who calls us intolerant, hateful, bigots, religious nuts, homophobic, and any of the other divisive insults is doing the same thing Phil Robertson did. Some might argue what they are doing is worse. How is that worse? Robertson only answered a question (much like Mr. Cathy from Chick-fil-A did). Would we rather Robertson lie? That might be the norm for politicians, but dishonesty should...

Chick-fil-A has resurfaced in the news this week with reports that they have “chickened out” on their support of traditional marriage. Yahoo ran a story about it last Wednesday saying that CFA will no longer give money to “anti-gay groups” like Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christians Athletes. When I read the article on Wednesday I became very upset. In such a dark era that we are living in, CFA seemed like a beacon of hope. Their stance on convictions, and the subsequent support of millions of people standing with them, was a breath of much-needed fresh air. CFA seemed almost like an Old Testament prophet, boldly standing up for what they believe in, and many of us were happy to take a stand with them. Some of us were even criticized for eating at their restaurant. Non-Christians were understandably upset by our support, and some Christians were, well, not understandably upset. CFA supporters were criticized on all fronts. So when the story broke that CFA had...

During this recent Chick-fil-A mania I keep hearing about the supposed “hate groups” that Chick-fil-A donates to. Who exactly are these groups of hate that benefit from CFA? Well, I guess I am one of them. CFA on several occasions had donated food for our youth ministry and even college Christmas parties. The teenagers hear a message about how the two most important commands of Jesus are to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, and then they eat chicken. CFA has been contributing to other such hateful events all over the country. CFA also sponsors the hateful bigots at Victory Junction Gang Camp, ( http://www.victoryjunction.org/ ) which is a charity that puts on camps for terminally ill children. The media is leading the public to believe that the Cathys are the first business owners to donate to anyone. Remarks about how corporations should not be giving away money from their customers are filling up social media. So just to see the other s...

As the whole world knows by now, yesterday was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. We don’t have a CFA here in Union, SC, so my wife and I drove 45 miles to the Westgate Mall in Spartanburg for a chicken filled lunch. And yes, like millions of others, we posted pictures of our meal on Facebook and Twitter . But why? Why all the hysteria around this restaurant chain? I’m not going to get into the comments made by Mr. Cathy, because they have nothing to do with this story, and because everyone is familiar with them. What happened at these fast food stores all over the country yesterday was a grassroots effort to simply say that we respect and support this business. The Cathy family was potentially going to have their business boycotted, and when politicians began to illegally block their admission into cities, Americans ( not anti-gay, religious bigots) realized that our precious freedoms were under attack. If the State can block a business purely on ideological terms, who will they...