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Coffee Cup Insanity

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  • Coffee Cup Insanity

    What happens when trolls are given a microphone.

    The link can be found here.

    The text is as follows:

    Are Christians really embarrassing themselves? Let's plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.

    Being someone who lives in the south, I resonate with what Jeff Foxworthy once said in that the problem with being in the south is that we can't keep the most ignorant among us off of the TV screen. Inevitably, when a disaster happens in the south, the worst representative of us is chosen to give the rest of the world a crazy picture of what we're really like down here. The same problem often happens with Christianity. We have more than enough loudmouths out there who for some reason gather an audience even though they don't really do anything worthwhile for the body and provide a good dose of entertainment for those outside who say "Yep. That's what Christians are really like."

    Take Joshua Feuerstein for instance.

    This is a guy who goes into a Starbucks and decides that since their cups are totally red aside from the Starbucks logo that Starbucks has declared a war on Christmas. He also has this notion that Starbucks employees are not allowed to say Merry Christmas. (Maybe they're not saying it yet because we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet?) This despite the fact that Starbucks employees have said they can most definitely say Merry Christmas and despite the fact that plenty of Christians have posted who aren't Starbucks employees but have said that their baristas have wished them a Merry Christmas.

    Feuerstein's idea then is to stick it to the man by telling the barista every time that his name is Merry Christmas. That way when they call out an order, they will have to say Merry Christmas.

    It's as if Feuerstein thinks that getting a barista at Starbucks to say Merry Christmas is like getting a vampire near garlic or Superman near green kryptonite.

    So you see, Feuerstein is teaching Starbucks a lesson. He's making sure that they wish everyone a Merry Christmas and he is forcing them to write Merry Christmas on the cups. If that isn't enough, he wants you to join in and has a hashtag devoted to this. Yep. Gentlemen, start your engines! The revolution has begun!

    There's no nice way to say my thoughts on this.

    This is stupid.

    Let's start by looking at the story that has been set up by his group themselves, the radicals.

    When you look at the way the cups used to be, which while it's hard for me to say I suspect they had more secular messages about reindeer and Santa than about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Of course, for the radicals, this is enough evidence that Starbucks is trying to remove Christ from Christmas. Fortunately, their own Josh Feuerstein has started a worldwide movement based on his idea. Gotta love the humility there. Not only is it there, but their own link on Facebook has the story that says a man has a genius idea and describes it as an epic win. As Feuerstein himself says

    Its ok that some of you don't agree with my methods. I still love you. Obviously at nearly 8 million views in 48 hours .. its connecting with the sentiments of a lot of others too!!!!
    Yes. Because a lot of people are viewing this, that must mean it's connecting with the sentiments of others.
    I suppose that's the same reason everyone stares at a car crash as they drive by it. It's connecting with their sentiments. Because something goes viral does not mean that it's a good idea that is connecting. Do we need to be reminded that we say the word viral and the word that it comes from is virus? I suspect most people are watching this not because they agree, but because they think this is incredibly ridiculous. (btw, why is it that Feuerstein is wearing a red cap that doesn't have a Christmas message on it? Is he declaring war on Christmas?)

    So to get back to the article, the idea is to go in, say your name is Merry Christmas, and force the barista to say it (Because you know they all hate that) and then take a selfie with it.

    Again, stupid.

    In fact, for wanting to teach Starbucks a lesson, if I was the CEO of Starbucks, I would be thrilled that this was going on. You see, either way, people would be coming into my stores and they would be buying my drinks and they would be taking pictures of my drinks and sharing them everywhere and this kind of talk only gets people talking about Starbucks all the more. I say this as someone who doesn't even go to Starbucks. Whenever I am in one, I don't care for coffee at all and instead choose to go with tea. I don't see this to defend Starbucks or promote them as there are several other grounds that one could go against Starbucks on, but this is not one of them.

    You see, let's suppose you go and buy a drink from Starbucks and then take a video of yourself pouring it down the drain to show Starbucks how little you care about them. Well guess what? Starbucks got your money any way and frankly, they don't care what you do with their drink afterwards. It's the same thing with people who would buy copies of the Harry Potter book just to burn them. The publisher got your money anyway. They don't really care what you do with the book after you buy it. In fact, I would think at this rate Starbucks would say next year they might not even have holiday colors on their cups to see if they can get even more people talking about them.

    And let's take a look at what is going on in the world around us. For instance, ISIS is busy killing off Christians in the Middle East. It would be interesting to see what they think about the cups, but I doubt they really have an opinion.

    Starbucks Coffee Cups.jpg

    You see, while Feuerstein is whining about coffee cups at Starbucks, there are real battles going on. There are real Christians that are being put to death under ISIS. There are real Christians being killed in China for their faith. Christians all over the world are suffering at the hands of real persecution. Every time you make an issue like this a war against Christians, you demean everything that those Christians are going through.

    You don't even have to go overseas. Look what's going on in America. Christians are abandoning Christianity rapidly and one of the reasons is unanswered questions and that usually gets paired with the idea that Christians lack critical thinking skills. Guess what kind of feeds into that mentality? Not only do we have that, we have a culture that has justified anything in the area of sexuality saying that everything is okay as long as it's love. So we have all of this going on and the war that we need to be fighting is that Starbucks doesn't have coffee cups the way that we want them.

    I don't say this to defend Starbucks nor do I say that we should not question them on other grounds, but this is a ridiculous one and Feuerstein is just helping to increase their coverage. Anytime anyone talks about this, Starbucks gets free advertising. (I happen to think the big compromise is that they sell coffee which we know was created by the devil to lead us away from tea.) Not only that, Feuerstein is lowering the sacrifice of real Christians and making us all look like idiots out there. (I can also say real Christians since it's been pointed out to me by my friend Marcia Montenegro of CANA that Feuerstein is actually a Oneness Pentecostal, a heretical sect that denies the Trinity.)

    You might think that by having the barista shout out Merry Christmas, you'll get people talking about Christmas. Um. No. First off, as it gets closer to Christmastime, you might be surprised but people talk about Christmas anyway. It's kind of like the closer we get to Super Bowl Sunday, the more people talk about the Super Bowl. It's just so amazing how it works like that. If they do talk about it, what might be said most is "Wow. Look at those dumb Christians whining about a war on Christmas. No wonder we shouldn't take them seriously." All it will ultimately do is make you look dumb, and you've already got Josh Feuerstein to do that for you. You don't need to make it easier.

    Furthermore, I'm going to go a step further. Let's suppose Starbucks didn't want to do anything for Christmas. Well that would be foolish I think, but that's their right. That's what freedom is in America. They don't have to do anything. Starbucks, believe it or not, is not a church. They are not in the business of evangelism. Instead of whining about Starbucks not sharing Jesus this Christmas, maybe Christians should go out there and, I don't know, share Jesus this Christmas? If Starbucks doesn't want to, they don't have to. That's their right and that right will be defended.

    Also, please do not speak about this as the "Coffee Cup Controversy." There is no controversy going on. Give it a more fitting name. Call it the Coffee Cup idiocy or hoopla or nonsense, but certainly nothing that gives it the idea that there is really some merit to anything this guy is saying.

    Go out and fight the real battles Christians and please don't give people like Feuerstein a microphone. It will only be used to embarrass you.

    In Christ,
    Nick Peters

  • #2
    Honestly, I'm kind of tired of seeing the Facebook stuff on Starbucks. Its annoying and all I can think of when I see it is #firstworldproblems. then this :facepalm: and people please stop obsessing over this one nutjob. I also am glad you posted the source of where the perceived war on Christmas by Starbucks came from, because now when I see another goofy comment, or the OTHER anti-evolution video, from this weirdo, I have a source to post, and it might make a difference at least to remind people not to listen to heretics and who the heretics are. I think some forget the Oneness Penecostals also spawned the snake handling movement and a few other "strange" things. (such as believing you must speak in tongues to be saved etc...)
    A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
    George Bernard Shaw

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    • #3
      I've only seen facebook comments that agree with me that this cup thing is stupid.
      If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

      Comment


      • #4
        This guy is apparently a pastor (or ex-pastor).
        Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

        Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
        sigpic
        I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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        • #5
          This whole coffee cup thing may be dumb, but there is way too much effort put out against it. I immediately replied to the original post that I could not avoid Starbuck's for that since I was already avoiding them for other things. Nick, I assume that your statement of fact is accurate, but so are lots of other things. This is the first thing that I have seen you going off the deep end on that I see as nothing but something that I see all the time. Mostly from liberals I admit, but still . . .
          Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

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          • #6
            Donald Trump said he was boycotting Starbucks
            A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
            George Bernard Shaw

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            • #7
              Feuerstein is a 9/11 conspiracy nut and through his viral videos has presented himself as a convenient figure for anti-Christian mockery.
              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Catholicity View Post
                Donald Trump said he was boycotting Starbucks
                And I ain't voting for that guy! Gives me the creeps.
                If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                Comment


                • #9
                  I think this is a tempest in a coffee cup.
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'm still trying to look for a reason to care.
                    "The man from the yacht thought he was the first to find England; I thought I was the first to find Europe. I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy."
                    GK Chesterton; Orthodoxy

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      All this talk about coffee and no one has brought me coffee. I am offended. And triggered. I'm trigfended.

                      "Fire is catching. If we burn, you burn with us!"
                      "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here and cause all kinds of trouble."
                      Katniss Everdeen


                      Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by thewriteranon View Post
                        All this talk about coffee and no one has brought me coffee. I am offended. And triggered. I'm trigfended.
                        Makes me want to get some coffee (but I can't have any now ).
                        "The man from the yacht thought he was the first to find England; I thought I was the first to find Europe. I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy."
                        GK Chesterton; Orthodoxy

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Pagans. You're supposed to drink tea.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Apologiaphoenix View Post
                            Pagans. You're supposed to drink tea.
                            I drink tea too.
                            "The man from the yacht thought he was the first to find England; I thought I was the first to find Europe. I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy."
                            GK Chesterton; Orthodoxy

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              It's an either/or. What fellowship have light with darkness?

                              Comment

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