Columbia restaurant gets OK to give discounts to patrons with church bulletins
Now I’ve got nothing against Atheists. They don’t believe in any sort of God or organized religion, that’s fine by me. What truly drives me up the wall though is when the portion of Atheists who are so inclined decide that they must impose their beliefs on others because – gasp – some people still choose to follow a religion!
In this case, a restaurant in PA has a web promotion where those who bring a current church bulletin to the restaurant would receive a discount on their Sunday purchase. This group out of Wisconsin which has apparently pulled this crap on 30 other businesses already decided to accuse the restaurant of showing favoritism based on religion.
According to Google, there are over 20 different churches within a 1 mile radius of the restaurant – so there’s obviously a market for folks who go to church. Should people who don’t have a bulletin get the same discount? I don’t know. Should people who don’t cut out the coupon from the weekly flyer for Musser’s Market still be able to buy a 48oz container of ice cream for $1.99?
Religion is only a touchy subject because folks like those behind the Freedom From Religion Foundation make it one. I highly doubt that the folks at Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen would deny the discount to someone who brought in a bulletin or similar document from a Jewish Temple, a Muslim Mosque, or any other “religious” source. If they did, then I’d support anyone who is crying foul. They shouldn’t have to reword the promotion unless free speech doesn’t apply in matters of religion anymore. In 2005, the 7th circuit court in Wisconsin declared that Atheism was in fact a religion. That said, couldn’t they print out a current newsletter or something? Do they even have one?
The amount of coverage that this story is getting will undoubtedly drive even more customers into the restaurant and that’s the beauty of it. The FFRF set out to meddle, and in actuality created a rallying point for folks who are sick of their crap. My advice? Every local business that wants more business on Sunday should start offering a similar discount. It obviously works, and now they’ve got Atheists providing free advertising too!
Obama himself once declared residents of Pennsylvania as bitter people clinging to their guns and religion… So it shouldn’t be a surprise when a PA business comes up with with a promotion which caters to that very demographic. I’m honestly tempted to head out that way over the weekend to try the place out and show my support. I may even stop in at one of the local churches and grab that free coupon too!
Here’s to you, Atheism. Your public stance on displays of religion and people of faith over the years has provided free advertising and priceless promotion of our nations many diverse religious creeds. Thank you for reminding us all that we still matter enough to irritate you. 🙂
