I just saw on CNN Headline news that the Southern Baptist Convention had voted to lift their 8 year ban/boycott on Disney.

I'm a member of a Southern Baptist church and I've pretty much not agreed with this since the start.

It's rediculous for them to want us to boycott a certain company, when many other companies do the same type of things. I understand the whole "Disney is a supposed to be family oriented", but Viacom owns Paramount Parks and they also own MTV and I don't agree with all that goes on at MTV, does that mean I'm going to stop going to Carowinds? No.

There are ways to make your voice heard and ways to share your beliefs, and this in my opinion was not the way to do it.

Now I can go to Disney next year without being ashamed.

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Can you explain exactly what they disagreed with?

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ThrillNetwork Moderator
The user formerly known as WildeFyre
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Did the Southern Baptists have nothing better to do with their time than put together a completely ridiculous boycott of Disney in hopes of closeting gays associated with the company? Kudos to Disney ignoring the warnings and continuing to operate in the same manner.

Personally, I think Disney should now boycott Southern Baptist!

The short version is that they were boycotting Disney because Disney claimed to be a family company producing family films etc. While at the same time they own Miramax which produces mostly PG-13 and R rated films.

I found that part to be rediculous. I think Miramax produces some of the best arthouse type movies today. If it weren't for them, many of the British movies would never be seen in America.

It really wasn't about the Gay Days or any of that at the parks, it was really more about the whole Miramax thing if I recall correctly.

Wildmouse I hear ya. It really became a running joke, even among Christians (there's a hillarious song by Mark Lowry that has a line about it).

Like I said earlier, there are ways to voice your beliefs, this was not one of them.

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I thought that the boycott was due to Disney allowing their benefits to extend to partners of gay employees. As a Christian, I found that utterly ridiculous. I also found it to be against scripture, and fairly embarrassing to my Christian beliefs.

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Tonight I just need my guitar

^^ I think that was part of it too.

Most major companies (mine include that I work for) offer this now.

I'm not saying that I agree with that lifestyle, but refussing people healthcare is kind of rediculous.

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Frankly, I think that's absurd. The whole issue about gay marriage and civil unions stems from that one blasted line in Vayikra (Leviticus). In other words, the entire focus comes from whether you agree with that one line or not.
As I see it, the Baptists were boycotting Disney because the company did not follow that particular verse. Yes, the issue may be more complex then that, but when you boil it down to the core, it's the matter of "You shall not lie with a man as you do with a woman' Agree or disagree?"
Now I'm by all standards a religious person. I attend synagogue regularly, follow the Torah on many respects, etc. To me, the idea of boycotting a company because they disagree with my religious beliefs is nuts. I've used this example before, and I'll use it again. It'd be like boycotting a restaurant chain because they serve pork, which is not kosher and thus, not permissible for me to eat under Jewish law.
Now, do I disagree with them for serving pork? Yes. At the same time, I understand that a lot of people do enjoy it, and deserve the right to eat it if they so desire. I also understand that the issue doesn't affect me at all, and is so trivial in the whole scheme of things it'd be hardly worth my energy to try and do something about it.
Same issue. The Baptists are free to disagree with homosexuality all they like. If they want to think it's evil and a product of the devil, they've got every right in the world to think so. At the same time, they need to understand the other side of the issue. These people have vowed to stay together. It's the same thing as a marriage, but lacking the legal weight. Can't the Baptists understand that these people have deep feelings of affection towards each other? The only difference is that the partners are two men or two women, instead of a man and a women.
Futhermore, they need to look beyond this one little thing. At last check, Disney employs 129,000 people, is estimated to be worth scores of billions of dollars, owns over 230 television networks and subsidiaries, about 4,800 radio stations, four theme park and resort complexes, and its own cruise line-to say nothing of a movie studio that has produced a whopping 1083 different film titles between now and the 1920s (including the 9th most successful film at the box office in the world), with at least another 16 on the way between now and 2007. In other words, it's a gigantic corporation. There is so much more Disney has to offer then benefits to homosexual partners. It's crazy that this one little, almost insignificant detail of the company's operation obscures everything else about it.

As for me, great job Disney! Keep it up with equality!

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Aaron Cedoras: Thrillnetwork Story Editor
"Dead men tell no tales..."

^^ Aaron I couldn't agree with you more (on everything you said).

My last boss was gay, but that didn't stop me from working with him just like I would with anyone else.

My impression is that the Southern Baptist Convention is still run by the "old school" (fire and brimstone type stuff) but the younger generation will soon be taking over for better or worse and you probably won't hear about as many silly things like this.

My whole argument has been if you don't like Disney, then just don't support them. Support someone else and stop whining about it. lol

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To hell with the Southern Baptists! This sector of the christian religion is simply hipocritical. As a religious sector that worships god and his people, they bash and condemn anything that is different in society or strays what is stated in the Bible...gays, alcohol, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, evolution... In the Chrisitian religion, God does not differentiate or condemn people based on their differences, he's suppose to love everyone and probably creates all these differences (if you believe in creation) for his own enjoyment. I just feel this sector is a purely prejudice sector of religion that probably started from a bunch of white rednecks who couldn't accept or make an edjucated explainion of the differences that exist between people in society. So they made a religious pact that used God to condemn the different people of society and instilled the fear of God and eternal damnation to those who did not conform to their beliefs (and made money off of it too).

Should you boycott Disney because they employ gays and provide them a means to live comfortably? Should you ban Busch Gardens because they are owned by Anheuser-Busch and serve alcohol? Should you ban every park out there because they host fright fests for Halloween (the day of the devil according to the Southern Baptists)? The Southern Baptists don't necessarily ban the latter two things mention but strongly discourage their members from attending these parks because of these issues.

Theme parks are made for family fun! Enjoy them for that purpose and remember that these companies are only trying to create entertainment and support peoples lives.

BGWFreak...I'm glad that as a Southern Baptist you take this ban lightly. As a young member of the church, take some action to change the extreme conservative views of the church and promote the true purpose of church which is to gather and share your love for God and all people regardless of their differences.

Aaron, I know you know better than to think that ALL Baptists share that viewpoint. Actually, you're lashing out at the leaders who made the silly boycott.

As someone who spent several years in a baptist church with serious issues, I have my own set of problems with that particular church myself, yet I don't want to do a wholesale slam of the faith.

That being said, for any Christian, any Christian group or its leaders to shun homosexuals is quite simply not Christlike. Whether or not someone takes Leviticus 18:22 literally, or interprets it some other way, it is wrong.

If anyone wants my belief on that subject backed up with scripture, just ask.

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Tonight I just need my guitar

Personally I think that you should have no say in euthanasia, abortion, or gay marriage, unless it's DIRECTLY affecting you, such as if it was your children or father or something. If it has nothing to do with you, mind your own damn business and leave other people the hell alone. If they wanted your opinion they'd ask for it.


I think another part of the ban might have had to do with the supposed "phallus symbol" in The Little Mermaid, and the "sex in the sky" part of the lion king.

http://www.eeggs.com/cgi-bin/img.cgi?eid=14&type=full

^That's the Lion King link, personally I think it looks like SFK, because the side of the "X" is straight.

http://www.animatedpagecannotbedisplayed.net/WB/images/coverart01.jpg

^That's about the phallus in the Little Mermaid, it's their, but I don't think it's on purpose.

^ I thought the Lion King thing was rediculous. Who in their right mind sits around trying to find words like Sex in animated movies anyway?

Actually (and this is a bit embarassing) the Southern Baptist denomination was started by Southern Baptists who felt like it was ok to keep slaves, while the "Northern" Baptists said that slavery was a sin (which it was). I belive that is accurate, I heard it a few years ago or read it somewhere.

And on the other quote, while I do feel that God loves everyone and loves his creation, the Bible does have clear cut rules and such. Does that mean I hate gays? No. Obviouslly not, considering that the Bible basically preaches love the sinner, hate the sin. I'm not saying that to get an arguement started about what some consider right, and others consider wrong. I just state it to say that I try my best to love every person that comes along my path in life and treat them equally with respect. Do I mess up some times? Sure. Well a lot of the time really lol j/k

I think the "church" as a whole has given the wrong message to society over the past few decades. Instead of caring about people, they care more about their morals. But that has been changing, of course it won't happen at once, but it is changing.

I should have known better than to start a religion thread again. I will never keep up with the email notifications now!!! lol

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RESPECT! That's what everyone deserves and in general, not just Southern Baptists, all or most religious sectors need to do a better job providing. Thanks for not getting too offended by my post, BGWFreak. Why I respect everyones spirituality, I sometimes tend to go off on the problems I see in the churches. In general, Southern Baptists are good people. Its just some of the heads that get carried away.

No, of course not. When I said "Baptists", I was referring to the Baptist leaders who initiated the boycott, not all followers of the religion.

If they indeed based this boycott also on the supposed subliminal images in Disney films, then perhaps they shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. When I look at the dust that flies up when Simba flops down in The Lion King I see the letters "SFX", which was a special effects team. If you ask me, it seems as though people who want to see "SFX" see it, people who want to see "SEX" see that. It's opinion, not fact.

If the Baptist leadership wants to do some good in this country, there's better ways to do it.

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Aaron Cedoras: Thrillnetwork Story Editor
"Dead men tell no tales..."