More on Hobby Lobby

Well, after my last post and trip to Hobby Lobby, I wanted to know what is really going on between HL and Fred Phelps. I searched the Internet high and low and could only find the same things I hear around town--"Did you know that Hobby Lobby supports Fred Phelps, I'm not going to shop there anymore!" I never found any information confirming this. I check http://www.snopes.com/ to see if it was some sort of vicious Internet rumor but Nada.

What I did find that was interesting but not terribly surprising if you have ever been to Hobby Lobby is that they are a "front" organization for the Assemblies of God church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby). Now, honestly, I am not sure I get the significance of this so I checked out the Assemblies of God main web site after a Google search. This is a link to what they believe:

http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths/sft_short.cfm

Near as I can tell from a brief summary of this and some position papers, the things that stick out to me are: they speak in tongues, they take a lot of the old and new testaments quite literally and develop their positions from that, they have really strong rules about divorce and remarriage--like they won't marry you if you have been divorced and your ex is still living--the minister can loose his license...Pretty strict! I expected to see very oppressed woman stuff but actually, I was surprised at how normal the woman looked--make-up, cute hair and pants! Not sure if they are a "stay home with your kids, home-school to prevent outside influences" type of group but would not be surprised.

They are considered "Pentecostal" which means:

"There are three basic streams of Pentecostal churches. The majority believe that one must be saved by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of sins and to be made acceptable to God. Pentecostals also typically believe, like most other evangelicals, that the Bible has definitive authority in matters of faith. To this first group, speaking in tongues is the sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but not necessary for salvation. The other two groups fall under an "Acts 2:38" based salvation message which says that a person needs to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and then receive the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation and includes speaking in tongues. Of the Acts 2:38 based churches, they fall into four categories of "Jesus Name", "First", "United" or "Oneness" Pentecostals which baptize in Jesus name only, and those that baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost "Matthew 28:19". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism)

They also do a lot of missionizing. Having seen and heard horror stories of missionizing in Native communities, I am not a supporter of missionizing in order to recruit more people--especially by taking advantage of folks in undeveloped nations and depressed communities. It sounds like they think the church is the body of Christ and that they have to "grow the body" by recruiting more members. A little creepy to me.

Oh and here is their take on "homosexuality"...which I find in direct opposition to Phelps' own "God Hates Fags" beliefs: "We must hold no malice toward, or fear of, homosexuals—such attitudes are not of Christ." Not accepting which I oppose but not stupid, ignorant and hate filled like Phelps.

It also sounds like they do not keep women out of their ministry like other religions, which I like...again not my thing but I like to know that women can do and practice what they like:
"we conclude that we cannot find convincing evidence that the ministry of women is restricted according to some sacred or immutable principle."

So it is definately not the type of religious organization I would support but on the other hand, it is not as bad as I thought either unless this is just the cleaned up, pretty version of the church on their web page! Aren't these the folks that forbid music and dancing?

Also I read in several blogs that the reason that HL does not use bar code scanners is because they believe that the number "666" is hidden in the bar codes so they choose to KEY IN every single item you buy! UGH! It is no wonder their lines are SO LONG and SO SLOW! They never have enough registers open and you have to really pay attention to how much your things are because they make mistakes a lot! I thought they were just cheap and that is what they say. I never knew this "666/bar code" thing was an issue but here is info on it:
http://www.virtualsalt.com/barcode.htm

I also have to say that HL donated money to the Women's Empowerment Action Coalition for the Womyn Take Back the Night march a few years ago. Now if we are not a bunch of feminist gals, I don't know what is!

So here is my future HL plan:

I will wear some type of feminist apparel when I go shopping there--a Take Back the Night Shirt or NOW shirt to shield myself from the conservatism that is seeping out of every nook and cranny.

AND

I will ask the checkers--every time I shop--why they don't use bar code scanners! Maybe if I get them to start thinking and talking about it they will come together and form a revolution from within and take down the system!

AND

I will check Michael's more frequently for things I need even though it is hard to navigate and I have to drive all the way across town and I don't particularly like the "vibe" in the store--not attitude but temperature, lighting, arrangement--makes me anxious--but I would rather throw my money at an organization I do not know and disagree with on so many levels!

I am not sure if anyone will believe me about no Phelps connection with HL but I will give it a shot!