Posted on 11/22/2005 9:15:00 PM PST by avant_garde
AgapePress) - An official with a pro-family group reports that a boycott campaign aimed at Target Stores nationwide has succeeded in attracting hundreds of thousands of consumers who say they intend to shop elsewhere during what is traditionally the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
On Friday (Nov. 18) the American Family Association (AFA) launched on online boycott campaign against Target, citing the retailer's decision to ban Salvation Army kettles from their store entrances as well as the use of "Merry Christmas" in their in-store promotions and retail advertising. By the following Monday, almost 300,000 individuals had "signed" an online petition indicating they planned to express their disapproval of that decision by avoiding Target Stores during the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. At press time, that number had jumped to more than 340,000
(Excerpt) Read more at headlines.agapepress.org ...
The Three Wise Men brought the Baby Jesus what? Gifts.
Exchanging gifts with family is relevant.
I don't worship at Wal-Mart, Target or any place like that. I still don't see your point.
Retailing is all about "customer service" - giving the customer what they want is it not? When 8 out of 10 people walking through your front door are Christians and are looking for a gift to celebrate Christmas, why would a retailer go out of their way to alienate those customers???
As long as they are not denegrating my religion (and they are not), I won't hold it against them.
I'll part with my hard-earned money when that store doesn't decidely become pc and are shaking in their shoes that they're unable to say Merry Christmas!
"That secular business holiday they celebrate is not what I celebrate"
Bingo. The Christmas, and to a lesser degree Thanksgiving, holidays that the retailers celebrate has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. We should not hold it against them that they aren't putting the Christmas name on it.
In fact, it is probably a good thing that Christmas is being disassociated from the commercial shopping frenzy of late November and all of December.
If you need some stuff, go to Target and Lowes. If you don't need any stuff, don't go there. It's no different from any other time of the year.
About the Salvation Army. It does disappoint me that they aren't allowed at the doors. I think they are a worthy charity, probably the best. I for one, am sick to death of people begging for money at every store entrance. I doubled my check to the Salvation Army last year and will do so again this year. I hope they do well in their fund raising. I won't hold it against any store that does not want customers being bothered at their door.
Red herring. Nobody expects Chinese restaurants to celebrate Christmas for pete's sake. However, if a retailer is in the business to make money by selling products specifically designed to sell as Christmas items such as "trees", then they ought to be labelling them as such, wouldn't you say?!
If a "church" wants to glorify a symbol, or graven image, as honor to him, I could care less. I don't think God finds any favor in doing so, and would be more proned to believe it is an abomination to him. IMO, if Jesus were here today, the last place you would find him is in your church, unless he was overthrowing the trinket tables and razing the shops.
How does giving a new bike to your child, or a crock pot to your wife, relate to wise men worshipping God with gifts? You have obviously bought into the manufactured meaning of Christmas.
Where does God say "remember my birthday"? The only thing I can think of, that we are told to commemorate, is the Eucharist. You know, "this is My Body, this is My Blood"!
Maybe you are worshipping some false impression, of Baal, without realizing it.
Do you have any children? Do you teach your children that Santa comes down your chimney, to celebrate God's birthday?
Exactly.
The sentiment is sincere.
These holidays all happen around the end of the year and are commercialized in that manner.
"Happy Holidays" does not automatically exclude Christmas or Thanksgiving or New Year's...but probably does exclude Halloween...that was a joke, it also probably excludes Kwanza because that's not real, and it also probably excludes Hannukah, my Jewish friend tells me that it is a remembrance more than a holiday and the memory is not a happy one, but a grateful one.
"However, if a retailer is in the business to make money by selling products specifically designed to sell as Christmas items such as "trees", then they ought to be labelling them as such, wouldn't you say?!"
Uh... No. Not if they choose not to.
The tree is a pagan symbol anyway. It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Were there evergreens in Bethlehem?
I am, of course, being facitious and serious at the same time. The commercial shopping frenzy that we now call Christmas has nothing to do with Christianity. I find it ridiculous that we are offended when a retailer chooses not to call it Christmas. We seem to have come full circle. Or would that be half circle?
I quit going to Lowe's years ago when I asked an employee there for help and they walked away from me. I've never had a problem once at Home Depot.
No fooling. In fact, I (a woman) was actually recruited to work there one day when another employee heard me talking about the nuances of some electrical supplies with my husband :-).
Hasn't Lowes been importing Holiday Trees to Bethlehem for 2000 years?
You can *call* Target and Lowes and ask them about their policies. C'mon...we're Freepers...we're good enough to verify facts before making decisions.
If you are mad at Target for cutting out bell ringers...go ahead. Same goes for Lowes. I respect and honor the conservatives on this website and do expect you guys to check your facts...it is that and nothing more that I request.
Happy Thanksgiving guys...and when the time comes...I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas. It seems a bit early right now to hold that sentiment honestly.
Have a Happy Holiday.
Are you saying God has removed His presence from my church because it contains a Christmas tree?
Merry Christmas to you!
Well said words, sir/ma'am.
The Christmas tree in my church is not a graven image.
Ok, it's an idol, idolized, set up to represent, whatever you want to call it. It has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus...
I'm so sick of this garbage. Whichever store I see actively promoting Christmas is where I will spend my dollars. If I don't find one, the money is better spent by giving to Christian charities anyway.
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