Boycotting Hobby Lobby for anti-semitism? Yes and Amen!

[Book of Jeremiah]

[

Business is business. Even Jesus had to buy some things, and his little group had a 'purse' with money for their expenditures. It was Judas who carried the 'purse' for the group. He also felt the need to decide how other people spent their money. So when some Christian gets all bent out of shape over how another group does business or spends it's own money, I have to wonder if it isn't he spirit of Judas rearing its ugly head.

Now did Judas hang himself or did his guts split open, because the bible says both...

Anyway, the section about Judas being the moneyholder for the group actually comes from the Gospel of John (13:29), which is the most anti-Jewish of the Gospels, where the Jews are blamed for everything.

What you are claiming is impossible, Joe. John was the apostle whom Jesus loved. John layed his head upon Jesus breast. John was a Jew. In fact all of these men who followed Jesus were Jews except for Luke who was a doctor and a Gentile. To be anti Jewish is to be anti - Jesus. That is why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who denied him. By doing so they denied God who had sent Jesus. By denying the Words of Jesus they were denying the very words of God. And by doing that they were identifying themselves as ones who were not the sons of Abraham but rather the sons of those men who had murdered the prophets before Jesus.

Indeed that is the every essence of this thread. That anyone who is anti- Jewish is ant- Jesus and therein anti - God. It is all tied together and that is why Mr. Green has denied Jesus Christ before men.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I also love how wingnuts try to make Jesus into a Capitalist...

While I do not believe in Ayn Rand whoever she is, I will withhold my thanks as I am picking up the idea you somehow believe communism is the solution for your disdain for capitolism? Am I wrong, Joe?

I believe it is possible the early church did evolve into capitolism in their attempt to distance themselves from the communists who heisted and perverted the early church having all things in common ( but take note the Believers had their own homes, etc ) and therein capitolism was born.. I do not know as I do not know the history of capitolism, Joe. I only know the history of communism and that to date communism is responsible for the deaths of more human beings than any other religion on earth. It is the religion of the devil and of that there must be no denial. - Karen

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I also love how wingnuts try to make Jesus into a Capitalist...

While I do not believe in Ayn Rand whoever she is, I will withhold my thanks as I am picking up the idea you somehow believe communism is the solution for your disdain for capitolism? Am I wrong, Joe?

I believe it is possible the early church did evolve into capitolism in their attempt to distance themselves from the communists who heisted and perverted the early church having all things in common ( but take note the Believers had their own homes, etc ) and therein capitolism was born? I do not know as I do not know the history of capitolism, Joe.

I only know the history of communism and that to date communism is responsible for the deaths of more human beings than any other religion on earth. It is the religion of the devil and of that there must be no denial. - Karen

 

[JoeB131]

To Joe, if you are suggesting that Communism is better than Capitolism, I believe you are mistaken. Still Capitolism is not Christianity either..

I do believe any able bodied man or woman should work with their own hands so that they may be able to give to others who are in need and cannot work. That is part of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Next up? The Rich Young Ruler.

I think Capitalism and Communism both fail for the same reason.

Human Nature.

Christianity, too, come to think of it.

 

[tinydancer]

Great article on why Hobby Lobby isn't anti Semitic. And a very sweet old Jewish story. Very pleased though that Hobby Lobby will now carry Jewish Holiday items.




The Scroll
Why Hobby Lobby Isn’t Anti-Semitic

You don’t have to agree with the store’s selection to agree they’re not bigots


By Yair Rosenberg|October 4, 2013 3:18 PM|Comments:


There’s an old joke about a Hasidic merchant who ran a Manhattan store with a gentile partner. The shop specialized in providing trinkets for tourists, and during the holiday season, the owners would make a small fortune selling ornamental crosses for Christmas.

Being somewhat uncomfortable with this merchandise, the Jew would leave this part of the business to his non-Jewish partner, who would deal with the supplier and the buyers.

But one year, the gentile was out of the country before Christmas, and the Hasid realized that their inventory of crosses was depleted.

So he steeled himself, dialed the supplier, and in a thick Yiddish accent nervously mumbled:

“Hello sir.

As you know, Christmas is coming, and it seems that we are short of crosses. Would you be able to rush us a shipment?”

There was a brief pause, and then the response came from the other end of the line: “Mit Jesusluch oder ohn Jesusluch?” “With the little Jesuses, or without the little Jesuses?”

The joke is funny because we recognize the inherent absurdity of a religious Jew selling Christmas paraphernalia.

And because we empathize with the discomfort of the awkward Jewish merchant who’d rather not be trafficking in Christian iconography.

But based on the accusations being leveled at Hobby Lobby, a crafts store chain owned by devout Christians which doesn’t offer a Hanukkah or Passover selection, it is difficult for some Jews to similarly empathize with religious Christians who might feel the same way about Jewish merchandise.

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/147768/why-hobby-lobby-isnt-anti-semitic

 

[tinydancer]

And this is very important to recognize and not get all high and mighty condemning Hobby Lobby. They contribute to Yad Vashem and many Jewish synagogues and museums in both America and Israel.

I'll put up a link for those that don't know what I am talking about.

On Oct. 4, the Anti-Defamation League, a national group that counters anti-Semitism, accepted Hobby Lobby’s apology, and strongly defended the company.

“ADL firmly believes that the religious views of a business owner cannot be a basis to infringe upon the legal rights of others, but a store choosing not to carry Hanukkah items does not violate anyone’s rights,” read the statement, which was released before the announcement about the merchandising decision.

“Moreover, we have no reason to believe that Hobby Lobby has refused to stock Hanukkah items because of hostility to Jews or anti-Semitism,” the ADL statement continued.

In Hobby Lobby’s apology, Green outlined his connections to the Jewish community in the U.S. and Israel.

“Our family has a deep respect for the Jewish faith and those who hold its traditions dear,” read the statement.

“We’re proud contributors to Yad Vashem, (Israel’s official Holocaust museum) as well as to other museums and synagogues in Israel and the United States.”

The statement also noted that the company has “previously carried merchandise in our stores related to Jewish holidays.”



UPDATE: Hobby Lobby apologizes, agrees to carry Jewish holiday items | Religion | The State

The Holocaust History Museum - Yad Vashem

 

[PrometheusBound]

I also love how wingnuts try to make Jesus into a Capitalist...

I don't know much about Ayn Rand, Joe. I saw a movie once and in it she was depicted as having an affair with another womans husband. Is that true? I never fact checked it maybe it was just a story Hollywood wrote. I know they made a mess out of the bible movies and none of those that I've seen are scripturally factual so who knows what they did.

Jesus had no place to lay his head, Joe. The bible says so. As to Judas who betrayed Jesus? It was his own words that revealed his heart.

It is written:

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Judas was also crafty in his strategising how things were going to unfold... he did not have child like faith like the other disciples and leaned upon his own understanding in matters. Consider this, Joe.....

It is written:

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou has hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

I looked up the word prudent in the dictionary and this is what it says:

Prudent: acting with caution, foresight or discretion. mindful of consequences.

While I can understand a worldly business man as being a prudent man about such things as the value of a box of anointing oil / perfume, I could not understand how Judas walked with Jesus all that time and did not recognize the importance of that moment in which the woman broke the alabaster box pouring out that anointing in preparation for Jesus burial until I took into his account he was already preparing in his heart to betray Jesus for filthy lucre.

Then the story makes perfect sense. You see first came the temptation of money after having seen the treasury he was placed in charge of, then the seed of greed was planted in his heart and he began coveting this money for himself... then came forth the murmurings that this alabaster box could have been sold and the money given to the poor which I do note his clever excuse brought some agreement from the other disciples as well because unlike him, they were very childlike in their faith and didn't understand what was happening...

It is written:

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work unto me.

For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always.

For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel is preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial after her.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver, and from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

- Mathew 26 : 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

So let me just conclude with this, Joe. It was immediately after the expensive anointing ointment was poured over Jesus that Judas went directly to the chief priests to betray Jesus. I believe the very sight of this expensive alabaster box being broken in front of him and poured out over Jesus coupled with the fact that Jesus was prophesying his own burial led him to say in his own heart, I can still make money here. If he is going to die let it be by my hand. Then I will be rich at last....

There are many false teachers on television today doing the same thing. Selling out on Jesus, denying Jesus is the only way to heaven and they have become millionaires by doing so. These men are misleading millions of people in exchange for millions of dollars. You won't see them preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Paul did because they are in it for the money and love the praises of men more than the praise of God. ( John 12: 42, 43 ) Men such as Joel Osteen. I hear he has hired huge firms to protect him and they will sue anyone who speaks against him to expose what he is doing. To that I say, Come and get me. I can't wait. I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and these men who are preaching a false gospel for filthy lucre have forgotten the warnings of Jesus Christ...
It is written:
Woe unto you rich! You have received your reward! - Luke 6: 24

And again it is written:

Blessed are you poor for yours is the kingdom of God. - Luke 6: 20

NOTE* The Apostle Paul took no thought for his life. He never worried about the consequences of his actions and he didn't take away from the gospel message out of discretion to avoid losing money for the itching ears crowd. Those are the actions of worldly "prudent business men" like Joel Osteen the multi millionaire who has publicly denied Jesus Christ before men.


Someone should remind Joel Osteen of these words......

It is written:

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Whosever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. - Mark 8:36, 37, 38


p.s. I am impressed that you recognize liars and hypocrites when you come across them, Joe. The Kingdom of heaven is nigh unto you today.

If you want to preach, you need to find a choir to preach to.

 

[Amelia]

Response to my Hobby Lobby inquiry, dated today

We previously carried Jewish holiday items in our stores, but at the time, we did not see a demand for them, so they were discontinued. We are pleased to respond to the customer feedback we've received and to make these items available in select stores where we have seen the most demand at this time. We will continue to evaluate the demand for products in our markets.

Joel Jackson
Customer Service
Hobby Lobby Stores

 

[JoeB131]

Response to my Hobby Lobby inquiry, dated today

We previously carried Jewish holiday items in our stores, but at the time, we did not see a demand for them, so they were discontinued. We are pleased to respond to the customer feedback we've received and to make these items available in select stores where we have seen the most demand at this time. We will continue to evaluate the demand for products in our markets.

Joel Jackson
Customer Service
Hobby Lobby Stores

Sounds reasonable....

Now if they can only be reasonable on women's reproductive health, we might be making progress.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Great article on why Hobby Lobby isn't anti Semitic. And a very sweet old Jewish story. Very pleased though that Hobby Lobby will now carry Jewish Holiday items.




The Scroll
Why Hobby Lobby Isn’t Anti-Semitic

You don’t have to agree with the store’s selection to agree they’re not bigots


By Yair Rosenberg|October 4, 2013 3:18 PM|Comments:


There’s an old joke about a Hasidic merchant who ran a Manhattan store with a gentile partner. The shop specialized in providing trinkets for tourists, and during the holiday season, the owners would make a small fortune selling ornamental crosses for Christmas.

Being somewhat uncomfortable with this merchandise, the Jew would leave this part of the business to his non-Jewish partner, who would deal with the supplier and the buyers.

But one year, the gentile was out of the country before Christmas, and the Hasid realized that their inventory of crosses was depleted.

So he steeled himself, dialed the supplier, and in a thick Yiddish accent nervously mumbled:

“Hello sir.

As you know, Christmas is coming, and it seems that we are short of crosses. Would you be able to rush us a shipment?”

There was a brief pause, and then the response came from the other end of the line: “Mit Jesusluch oder ohn Jesusluch?” “With the little Jesuses, or without the little Jesuses?”

The joke is funny because we recognize the inherent absurdity of a religious Jew selling Christmas paraphernalia.

And because we empathize with the discomfort of the awkward Jewish merchant who’d rather not be trafficking in Christian iconography.

But based on the accusations being leveled at Hobby Lobby, a crafts store chain owned by devout Christians which doesn’t offer a Hanukkah or Passover selection, it is difficult for some Jews to similarly empathize with religious Christians who might feel the same way about Jewish merchandise.

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/147768/why-hobby-lobby-isnt-anti-semitic

I saw that article, Tinydancer. It was written and published on October 4th, 2013. If you'll notice the date. I went to a Hobby Lobby a week later and the Store Manager told me they do not carry Jewish items in their store, nor do they have any plan to order anything Jewish. No Hannukah items or Passover. I found it very troubling that Mr. Green told the media he had corrected the problem when in fact he did no such thing. I am now understanding that he intends to do this in November in two stores.. New York and New Jersey.... to "test the market"... as I said before, I believe the Jews have been tested enough and as the Rabbi said in the article which was published after this announcement, The Rabbi has made clear he will take his business elsewhere. So will I.

p.s. Jesus celebrated the Passover and it wasn't a conflict of interests for his Christian morals. Thanks.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Response to my Hobby Lobby inquiry, dated today

We previously carried Jewish holiday items in our stores, but at the time, we did not see a demand for them, so they were discontinued. We are pleased to respond to the customer feedback we've received and to make these items available in select stores where we have seen the most demand at this time. We will continue to evaluate the demand for products in our markets.

Joel Jackson
Customer Service
Hobby Lobby Stores

Sounds reasonable....

Now if they can only be reasonable on women's reproductive health, we might be making progress.

Actually they did see a demand for them, Joe, as they have stores located in highly populated Jewish areas and ignored the complaints until it came to the publics attention. Then they decided to "consider a couple of test stores in New York and New Jersey".. my response? Too little, too late.. I'm not impressed. Sorry. As to women's reproductive health? Surely you are not speaking about the right of women to murder their own unborn babies, right? Murder is not reproductive, Joe. .....and it most definitely isn't healthy.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

by Rabbi Donald Weber

October 8, 2013

Freedom is messy. From the American Nazi Party marching in Skokie, Ill., to the myriad websites promoting hatred of — insert the name of any religious, racial, or political group here — freedom is something we all cherish…until we are on the receiving end of someone else’s exercise of freedom.

Witness the flurry of discussion in and around Marlboro, where it was discovered that the newly opened Hobby Lobby arts and crafts and notions store did not stock items relating to Jewish holidays or Judaism in general. Various callers to the store management and to the company’s headquarters have reported responses indicating that the company is a Christian-owned company, and the absence of the Judaism-related items reflected what the company calls “our values.”

To put this into perspective, the parent company, Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., has refused to provide its employees with health insurance that covers the “morning after pill” for contraception. That case is on its way to the Supreme Court.

The company makes no bones about its Christian focus. In an op-ed piece in USA Today, owner David Green said, “We’re Christians, and we run our company on Christian principles.”

This may come as a shock to many of us who live in a part of the country where respect for other faiths is almost a necessity, but what Hobby Lobby is doing — at least as it relates to carrying or not carrying Jewish items — is completely legal. Stores can carry any items they choose. Whether it is smart business to ignore the Jewish market is another matter, but that, too, is not an issue of legality — or bias.

It has been reported that at least one employee in Marlboro told a Jewish customer, “We don’t cater to you people.” Even that statement, if it is true, is not illegal or discriminatory. If the store asked a person to leave because he or she was wearing a Jewish star, that would rise (or sink) to the level of discrimination, but otherwise it just doesn’t. That’s the messy part of freedom.

But that does not mean we are powerless, or helpless. The same freedom that allows Hobby Lobby to ignore Jewish interests also allows us to ignore Hobby Lobby. Our freedom includes the right to vote with our feet, and with our money. Not just in searching for Hanukka items, but for everything Hobby Lobby stocks. We are free, too — free to patronize the companies we choose.

Personally, I find Chick-fil-A’s publicly stated antipathy toward gays to be offensive, so I don’t eat there. And I believe Wal-Mart’s treatment of its employees is horrible, so I don’t shop there. That is my right, and the result of my freedom.

If you want to buy items for Hanukka, there are lots of choices. Start with the Judaica shop at any synagogue. Then try any of the local stores that recognize and respect our traditions, including, believe it or not, the Christmas Tree Shops in Freehold. And if you want to buy items that are sold in Hobby Lobby, it’s your choice whether to go there or somewhere else. Personally, I’ll go somewhere else.

Hobby Lobby and us: A study in freedom | NJJN

I thank God for this Rabbi and his article on what happened with Hobby Lobby. I am truly grateful for his addressing this matter of Hobby Lobby and their Christian principles statement / Christian morals statement. The Rabbi does make it clear that Mr. Green's is claiming his decision not to carry items for Passover and Hannukah is based on his "Christian Values" I say that Mr. Green does not represent me and he most definitely does not represent Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus celebrated the Passover. Who celebrated the Passover? JESUS CHRIST CELEBRATED THE PASSOVER! Hope you are reading this Mr. Green because according to Scripture you do not have a leg to stand on concerning this claim about your "Christian Values".

It is written:

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

- Luke 2: 41,42

I am not asking Amelia to make a public apology to me for judging me wrongly in this matter. I forgive her and ask the Lord to forgive her for eveything she said because I don't believe she knew what she was doing. I pray God blesses her today. - Jeri

The excuse Hobby Lobby Company originally gave was Mr. Green's Christian Morals - please read the article... as to the change in reason according to Joel response to Amelia's inquiry? Someone appears to be covering up the truth here. I believe I will do as the Rabbi in this article has chosen to do and not give Hobby Lobby my business again. Let each man and woman decide for themselves. That is my 2 cents. - Karen

 

[JoeB131]

[

Actually they did see a demand for them, Joe, as they have stores located in highly populated Jewish areas and ignored the complaints until it came to the publics attention. Then they decided to "consider a couple of test stores in New York and New Jersey".. my response? Too little, too late.. I'm not impressed. Sorry. As to women's reproductive health? Surely you are not speaking about the right of women to murder their own unborn babies, right? Murder is not reproductive, Joe. .....and it most definitely isn't healthy.

Are you a Doctor?

I'm not a doctor. (I just have one on my AVI).

I don't think it's your place or my place or Hobby Lobby's place to tell a woman what is appropriate in her reproductive health care.

But because we have this insanity that we need to get health coverage from our employers, you can have an employer sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.

 

[hjmick]

Response to my Hobby Lobby inquiry, dated today

We previously carried Jewish holiday items in our stores, but at the time, we did not see a demand for them, so they were discontinued. We are pleased to respond to the customer feedback we've received and to make these items available in select stores where we have seen the most demand at this time. We will continue to evaluate the demand for products in our markets.

Joel Jackson
Customer Service
Hobby Lobby Stores

Sounds reasonable....

Now if they can only be reasonable on women's reproductive health, we might be making progress.

Yep. Bottom line in their reasoning was, the bottom line. Not anti-semitic feelings, not hate for the Jews. It costs money to buy and stock things you don't sell.

Plain and simple business decision. Nothing wrong with that. The over reaction some people are having however...

Well, let's just say that there are people who are always looking for an excuse to be "outraged..."

 

[Vox]

more false "outrage"

what else is new

 

[strollingbones]

why are pagans taking a beating in this thread..we dont object to anything jewish? so why are you trying to set this false standard of ..he sells to pagans and not jews? now did you get upset and boycott chic a fic when the owner makes the statements about gays or did you defend his right as a private business owner? if someone doesnt want to sell cultural merchandise are you advocating forcing them to do so?

what is your obection to beltane? most of the so called christian holidays are simply pagan holidays renamed and dressed up....yall tend to get into your little war on christmas rants...but who is destroying 'christmas' you do not see pagans buying gifts for winter solstice or christmas shopping in october....i bet your arent boycotting the stores that are already putting out christmas displays, are you?

and then ask who is destroying christmas .....

 

[strollingbones]

I was told the other day by a high profile person within the Republican party in my own State that this matter of Mr. Green should be left alone because he is pro Israel and fights against abortion. This person feels that compromise is better than holding fast to the truth here. I must disagree. Someone can do many good things but if they deny Jesus Christ while claiming it is their Christian Morals that compel them to do so I say obedience is better than sacrifice. I follow Christ.

When I see people putting their political party above the words of Jesus Christ something is wrong. Idolatry comes to mind. Perhaps several other things as well. I shall leave that out. For now.

matthew 25: 45

 

[TemplarKormac]

For all of those Jew haters out there, they all of a sudden love them now if it means putting a Christian business out of business.

How vile.

 

[Borillar]

So, the owner is an asshole. He is still entitled to stock and sell whatever he wants within the boundaries of the law. Jews can come into his store and buy whatever artsy fartsy stuff he stocks. Folks wanting Menorahs or Tibetan prayer wheels or pentagrams or goats heads or Buddha statues will have to go elsewhere. No big deal. Someone else will make the sale.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Jews killed Jesus,so I don't blame him.