Many businesses are not afraid to make it clear they are Christian organizations. Some of these places include Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby and the Marriott Hotels.
Some of my family members and friends will often crave Chick-fil-A on Sundays. They soon get annoyed by the fact that it is closed on Sundays. The Chick-fil-A website says, “Sunday is a day to rest and relax with family and friends. But for many of you, it’s the day that you crave Chick-fil-A the most. While we are closed on Sundays, your kitchen is open.” It is good that Chick-fil-A is aware that their customers feel this way and even offer a Closed-On-Sunday Chicken Sandwich.
When I was younger, I never understood why the franchise was closed on Sundays. Since I’ve gotten older, I finally understand. With Chick-fil-A’s Christian roots, it would make sense for them to close on Sundays to recognize the Christian Sabbath. As I’ve grown closer to God in college, I respect Chick-fil-A for being closed every Sunday since it shows founder Truett Cathy’s commitment to faith before business. This also guarantees Chick-fil-A employees a day off each week. There are many places, that make their employees work on Sundays, which is not fair. People should be spending their Sundays resting, going to church if it’s in their religious beliefs and spending time with loved ones
Hobby Lobby is an arts and crafts store, similar to Michaels. Hobby Lobby is also known for being a Christian organization. However, their Christian beliefs have caused conflict since the health insurance program refuses to cover certain contraceptives, despite the Affordable Care Act stating that employers need to provide a health insurance programs that provide all forms of contraception for free.
After a divisive lawsuit, Hobby Lobby won. I respect Hobby Lobby CEO David Green for standing up for his beliefs and making it his goal to follow God. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially in today’s society.
Marriott owns hotels all around the world and always places the Bible and Book of Mormon in the drawer of the nightstand in each of their rooms, except those in predominantly Muslim countries. One Mile at a Time, a travel source says, “Marriott is unique among the major hotel chains, in that they have the Bible and Book of Mormon bedside at every one of their hotels worldwide (except in Muslim countries). That probably has to do with the company’s roots, though at the same time there’s no denying that Marriott has evolved a lot over the years.” However, the source also reports that Marriott will discontinue this practice to attract younger travelers in America and not offend those from different religions, especially international travelers from countries with a dominant religion other than Christianity. This practice will specifically be discontinued at Marriott’s Moxy and Edition hotels.
I will still love Marriott and have been staying at Marriott hotels with my family for a long time, but I find it sad that they will stop showing their faith.
Overall, I find it comforting that there are some companies in the world that are very content in what they believe and not afraid to show it.
Farah Haidari
fahaidari@vwu.edu
