EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW – EXCEPT MICKEY’S?
by David Sisler
M - I - C
See you real soon!
K - E - Y
Why? Because we like you!
But if you are a Christian, we will no longer provide a place for you to worship on Sunday, even though we have done that for more than a quarter of a century. Oh, we will continue our promotion of a special event for homosexuals.
Since 1975 Disney World has made a place at its Polynesian Luau for Protestants and Catholics to meet for religious services. Attendance at the Protestant services numbered between 25 and 250 weekly and were conducted by volunteer pastors from the local community.
Last summer, however, a shortage of Catholic priests caused the Rev. Joseph Harte, of Mary, Queen of the Universe Catholic Shrine, to reduce the number of Masses at Walt Disney World to one. When that happened, the single service at the Polynesian became too crowded, and some worshipers had to be turned away. That, in turn, led to a decision by Disney and the local Catholic diocese to end the Mass entirely and urge visiting Catholics to attend services at Mary, Queen of the Universe, which had been built in the meantime to serve tourists. The decision, said Rev. Harte, was entirely amicable.
Now comes word that all Christian services have been cancelled.
“As our guest population has grown, so has the diversity of cultures that visit our theme parks. It no longer seemed appropriate to only offer two options for worship to our guests,” said Rena Callahan, a Disney spokeswoman.
Research shows that more than three-quarters of all Americans identify themselves as Christians. Research shows that homosexuals make up two percent of the American population.
At 7:35 a.m. on December 28, when I started my calculations, the U.S. Census Bureau’s population clock stated that there were 289,922,464 Americans. That means, based on a 75 percent figure, there are 217,441,848 Christians. Based on a 2 percent figure, there are 5,789,449 homosexuals. Why is it that the Magic Kingdom totally discounts Christians and continues to court the homosexual community?
“Disney’s business is entertainment, and they’re very good at it,” said Carol Brinati, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Orlando. “The ‘business’ of the Catholic Church is to proclaim the Word of God. It’s up to us, as Christians, to find the appropriate services.”
Carol Brinati is correct. It is the business of God’s Church to proclaim God’s Word. But if America’s businesses conducted business the way America’s churches do, most would be out of business.
In several surveys conducted this year, George Barna revealed that America’s Christians talk one game, but play another.
Barna writes, “More than four out of five Americans claim to be Christian and half as many can be classified as born again Christians (they have embraced Jesus Christ as their Savior). Nine out of ten adults own a Bible. Most adults read the Bible during the year and a huge majority claims they know all of the basic teachings of the Bible. How, then, can most people say Satan does not exist, that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol, that eternal peace with God can be earned through good works, and that truth can only be understood through the lens of reason and experience? How can a plurality of our citizens contend that Jesus committed sins and that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all teach the same truths?”
Barna research showed that one-third of all adults who identify themselves as born again claim to tithe. Twelve percent actually tithe.
One-third of the born again claimants support legalization of same-gender sexual relations.
Only in Pentecostal churches and non-denominational churches do a majority of members share their faith with non-believers. More Roman Catholics claim to be born again than do Methodists, Lutherans, or Presbyterians.
The Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, lamented Disney’s decision to limit Christian observances to Christmas and Easter. He said, “This is just one further step away from what once was a core constituency of religiously motivated, ‘family values’ clientele.”
Disney’s decision, he said, is “more a matter of indifference than hostility.”
Several years ago the Southern Baptist Convention announced that they would boycott Disney World because of the gay day promotions. Attendance at the theme park did not falter. Could it be that Disney, and other businesses, discount Christians because we will not put our money where our mouth is? Why should they expect us to put our money where our mouth is when we will not even put our faith where our mouth is?
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Copyright 2002 by David Sisler. All Rights Reserved.
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