Posted on 04/29/2016 6:30:34 PM PDT by Morgana
TUPELO, Miss. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A petition calling for a nationwide boycott of Target has broken 1 million signatures.
Organized by pro-family non-profit the American Family Association (AFA), the petition comes in response to an announcement last week from the retail giant in which the company stated it would allow "transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity."
"Inclusivity is a core belief at Target," the post reads. "It's something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day."
The short announcement concludes by asserting "[e]veryone deserves to feel like they belong."
The statement has been met with much backlash from various organizations, including the AFA, which maintains that policies like the one implemented by Target are "exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims."
"Clearly, Target's dangerous new policy poses a danger to wives and daughters," the AFA notes. "We think many customers will agree. And we think the average Target customer is willing to pledge to boycott Target stores until it makes protecting women and children a priority."
The petition was launched shortly after news had broken of Target's announcement and has since garnered a little over 1 million signatories who pledge to "shop elsewhere" until "Target makes the safety of women and children a priority."
The organization cites examples from across the country of what they claim Target's policy can lead to, including multiple cross-dressing men arrested in various states for filming inside of women's restrooms and locker rooms.
Despite the recent surge in pro-transgender initiatives sweeping the country's schools and stores, several studies indicate the percentage of Americans who identify as transgender to be well below 1 percent, with a 2011 paper by the Williams Institute estimating the number at around 700,000 adult Americans or 0.3 percent of the population. According to the 2010 census, around 22,000 had legally changed their sex, and only a little over 135,000 have legally changed their name to one of the opposite gender since the formation of the Social Security Administration in 1936.
The Census Bureau does not currently track gender identity and, despite pushes for the collection of data on transgender individuals to improve statistics, the agency asserts it has no plans to include such information in the 2020 census.
I don’t know what you mean, misinterpret, unless you are setting up a quibble. His patience is an evidence, an outworking, of His love.
Just remember to deselect the box for email news, etc. unless you want them.
I can split nearly any church in less than two minutes. How can I do that? By asking which of the following items are sinful (or at best unspiritual):
The above practices are not explicitly discussed in cripture. Yet, many Christians have practically come to blows over these issues! This should not be! The church must stop fixating on non-essential issues...
Titus 1 &2 New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of Gods elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages Gods household, he must be blamelessnot overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teachand that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Cretes own prophets has said it: Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hopethe appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
The people at Target who made the decision to allow transgender bathroom are exhibiting ungodly behavior. This is something God told us not to allow (men should not wear women clothing, etc.) Those who think that God would just be loving and forgiving are sadly mistaken. It is our duty to warn such people, not coddle them by saying God loves them. He doesn’t. He want them to repent and turn to Him so that He can transform them.
We are evil creature. God wants to change us to be like Him but only when we repent and recant our sins. He will destroy that which is wicked. That is the love of God.
Agree but what you are missing is that half of those items listed are man made rules (drinking alcohol). The other half are things some don’t wish to follow even when it is for our benefit (working on Sunday).
It isn’t the church’s problem, it is our sinful nature that causes these problems. If others exhibit these issues then we should not see the splinter in our brother’s eye. If we exhibit these issues, then we better look to our own salvation to see if we are in the faith.
But they carry over INTO the church.
And church is where these things need to be examined - against what the BOOK has to say about them.
1 Corinthians 6:12
Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14&version=NIV
Sober wholly true statements. But that all need to continually examine their lives in the light of scriptures.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
Me included.
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant...(Genesis 32:10)
I for one believe in refuting their abuse of Scripture, by God's grace, and opposing those who support their agenda, and yet sharing the gospel with them and helping them change their flat tire or the like as opportunity and ability enables.
The only reason that it carries over into our churches is because of the hardness of our hearts. We can only examine our own sin. If every Christian did this then there would be no problems.
Target can do whatever they want to do - it’s their store.
I can also do whatever I want to do... and what I’m going to do is to NEVER show at Target again.
*
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.