Once again we are at war. Of course we didn't ask for it, but Satan is on the prowl. This time he has found a way to strip our joy from the Christmas season. There will be fewer "Noels" this year. After all, how can there peace on earth when there is no Christmas on my coffee cup? As you've probably heard by now, Starbucks has fully given into their pagan ways and removed all references to Christmas from their cups. Without any white emblems of holy reindeer, sacred snowflakes, or SAINT Nicholas on the cups, all we are left with with is a crimson abomination--interestingly enough the same color often used to depict Beelzebub himself. See for yourself:
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| New, non-Christmas cups (creepy) |
This is clearly a sign that Starbucks has declared war on Christmas and on Christians. But, it didn't always used to be this way. As we all know, Starbucks used to hold strong Christian convictions. They used to boldly proclaim the correct winter holiday on their
seasonal Christmas cups.
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| A CHRIST-mas coffee |
As is clear, Starbucks used to value keeping Christ in Christmas, but they have since strayed from their faithful beginnings and have become just another secular company. It's as if they believe their mission is to run a business selling coffee in a pluralistic society rather than using their caffeine to promote Christmas as the one true December holiday.
But this move from sacred to secular should not surprise us. Starbucks is only the latest in a long line of companies that moved away from their Christian roots to embrace a worldly message. Since those who fail to learn their history are doomed to repeat it, I give you the top 4 companies in recent history that have watered down or forgotten their Christian heritage:
1. Solo cups
Everyone knows about red Solo cups, but not everyone knows their history. This is especially unfortunate as their story eerily resembles the current Starbucks debacle.
For years, Solo proudly displayed Christian slogans and verses on its cups. It's primary market was Baptist church potlucks. Although they made wholesome containers for all seasons, their most notable product was their annual Christmas cup, such as the one displayed here:
However, in November 1969 the Solo Cup Company changed leadership and the decision was made to try broadening the market for the cups. In an attempt to do so, it was decided that the company should drop the strong Christmas message and simply go with a plain red cup. No message at all meant that no one would be offended...except Christ that is. No message also meant no Christmas message, which was a soulless mistake for sure.
History has proven that this early attempt at "political correctness" destroyed the morals of the company. Today, this vessel has become an emblem, not of sacred fellowship among fellow believers, but of drunken orgies, even becoming the subject matter of a Toby Keith song that mentions alcohol, "testicles," and uses profanity.
2. Apple, Inc.
Apple was founded in 1976 to develop small computers. The original logo featured Sir Isaac Newton and was a good image that represented the discovery and ingenuity the company was after. However, it was a rather boring and complex logo, so later that year they changed it. Most historians will tell you that the change looked something like this:
However, most historians forget there was an intermediate step in the design process. For about a month the Apple logo actually looked like this:
The text in the red bar is an obvious reference to Genesis 2 and 3 when Adam and Eve are commanded not to eat of the forbidden fruit. In one company memo it states that the text was placed on a bar of red to represent the blood of Christ that the first sin cost, and the whole apple is colored in a rainbow to remind consumers of the grace Noah received in the covenant of the rainbow. This background also explain why the apple in the logo has a single bite taken out of it--it is the bite Adam and Eve took.
In this original context, the logo was to serve as a warning against human pride and faith in knowledge, something a computer company could easily fall into and a reality the Newton logo failed to warn against. Sadly, one of the founders (it is unclear whether it was Jobs, Wayne, or Wozniak) rebelled against this demonstration of faith and insisted the company stay away from religious overtones. Thus, the scripture reference was removed, leaving a rainbow apple without context. One also can't help but wonder if it was this lack of context that led to the homosexual revolution with this rainbow being co-opted for "gay pride." Perhaps Apple's lack of religious boldness is the reason why gay marriage is now legal.
3. McDonald's
We all know America is a Christian nation. So naturally all businesses within America are really Christian businesses. It is embedded within their nature. They cannot escape it. One company that realized and embraced this was McDonald's. In 2003, when McDonald's launched their "I'm lovin' it" slogan, they simultaneously launched another ad series--"I'm lovin' him." The "him" was intended to refer to Jesus.
Sadly, the ad campaign was dropped after 6 months. The official reason given was that too many people were confused by the "him" and didn't know to whom it was referring. According to company statements: "Although the slogan was written to point people to our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, we fear that misinterpretation is happening and we might accidentally lead our customers to love another man, such as Buddha, Joseph Smith, or Mohamed. Or for our male customers, they may become gay."
On the surface level, this public statement seems to be acceptable. However, after further thought one realizes that the matter could have easily been cleared up by adding a clear Christian image (such as a cross or an American flag) to the slogan. The darker truth is that someone in the company was likely ashamed of the Gospel and pressured marketers to scrub away the Christian message. This is most likely what happened as there have been no more positive, messages about Jesus coming from the company since the retraction.
4. Trojan
The final company that used to hold strong Christian leanings was Trojan. It may seem strange that a condom company was once Christian since the church throughout much of history has been skeptical about birth control, but it's true. Trojan realized the uphill battle of being a Christian company making condoms, but they were driven by the conviction that sex is a gift from God and is meant to be enjoyed. And, what better way to enjoy it than without the risk of children materializing?
So, to unite these two passions--faith and sex--designers for the company decided to include a Bible verse about sex on each of their condoms. They started flipping through the Bible to find such a verse and found what they were looking for there on page 1--"Be fruitful and multiply." This verse was immediately included on the package design.
But, the designers' eagerness got the best of them. Several months later, a customer pointed out a discrepancy to the company. While the Bible verse references making love to produce offspring, the product itself is designed to prevent offspring.
Embarrassed by the lapse in judgment (and experiencing pressure from many churches who opposed the idea of a Christian company talking so openly about sex) Trojan decided to drop the Scripture references from its products. But, as we have seen over and over again in these examples, the loss of a Christ-centered message on their products ultimately led to the loss of a Christian identity within the company itself. Today, a Trojan product is just as likely to be used in a lustful one-night-stand as in the bonds of holy matrimony.
So Starbucks is not alone
This Christmas season we should not be shocked at Starbucks and their loss of a Christian identity. They are simply the latest in a long line of Christian commercial failures. The battle is raging and we are losing. Perhaps all we can do now is pray for the rapture to come quickly and deliver us from this mess. Merry Christmas!
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Before you re-post this to expose these companies, please make sure you realize this is satire. But of course, I'm not going to stop you from posting even if you don't realize it, so go for it!
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