
Crystal O'Connor is the co-owner of Memories Pizzeria, a family owned business in the small northern Indiana town of Walkerton, about twenty miles southwest of South Bend. Never did Crystal or the residents of the town ever dream that she would ever be the recipient of death threats and vile phone calls over a contrived situation which wasn't worth five seconds of news time. The Christian woman spoke from her heart and it was used against her like a dagger through that very heart.
Several days ago, a TV news reporter for a little know ABC affiliate, Channel 57 in South Bend, was looking for an angle on the story about the recently approved Religious Freedom Reform Act in Indiana and how it showed that Christians were bigoted. She wasn't doing a story; she was trying to create an issue. The reporter became frustrated when she couldn't find a story in South Bend so she went out to more rural Indiana, where Christians are more predominant and also more willing to talk to strangers. Poor Crystal O'Connor happened to be the first such person the reporter found in Walkerton, working in her pizzeria. Ms. O'Connor realized the reporter was from television and probably being a little naive she talked openly. When asked if her establishment would cater a gay wedding she truthfully said she would certainly serve gay patrons in her establishment but no, her faith would not allow her to participate in support of a ceremony that was against the tenets of her belief.
Within a very short period of time, Ms. O'Connor and her family were receiving nasty, obnoxious and even threatening phone calls. Twitter was exploding with people saying they would come to Walkerton to burn the place down. She was forced to close her business and was also suspended from her other job which she held to make ends meet while building her business. She is a good Christian woman who does not have an iota of hate in her body, but she just told what she believed were the teachings of the Bible. She has since even contemplated moving out of town, maybe even out of state with her family due to fear.
Rush Limbaugh quickly broke the story with the truth. Rush should know since he has been harassed and threatened every way possible in an attempt to knock him off the air, yet he thrives beyond belief and they can't stand it. And according to Rush, a left wing movement with deep pockets has a group of people who have developed algorithms to simulate individuals that don't even exist and flood the social media sites with comments and tweets in huge numbers. This is designed to make it look like thousands upon thousands of people are outraged when, in fact, it is a well organized and supported handful. Rush even says he knows who they are and where they are but, of course, that is not public knowledge.
I thought about it and it really makes sense. I mean, really, how could a story on a small ABC affiliate in the Midwest get this kind of coverage appearing to spark nationwide outrage in mere minutes? And that would go a long way to explaining what has been going on in the country as the left continues to push the message that there is a new normal and that makes traditional Christians and Conservative the ones who are evil. What a disaster this country finds itself in with an upside down viewpoint developing of good and evil.
And here's the other thing, who in the world has ever catered a wedding with pizza anyway? And since Memories Pizzeria has never even contemplated catering anything, the entire situation is clearly contrived and merely hypothetical.
But it doesn't stop there because why should a person of faith not be able to hold the line on their faith, particularly since in almost all instances there are many other options available? And as we saw today from work done by Steven Crowder of comedic fame, how come Muslim businesses get no flack from anyone for sticking to their guns on issues with regard to their faith?
I think the answer is that a certain segment of society just wants to silence Christians, the largest group of religious citizens in this country by a very wide margin. It is apparent that the movement is designed to break the back of a moral standard guideline for our society, which then opens us up to anything goes. Sadly, it is obvious in America today that anything goes is gaining popularity, and when standards go so does societal order.
And this bring me to the reason why I chose this topic for the day before Easter, a day on which we celebrate the Resurrection of the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ. Christians are expected by God to stand up for their beliefs and never betray their Christ. And this is a difficult thing but it is critical to the faith. Devout Christians can expect intimidation, persecution and much worse as they did back in the time of Jesus.
So the question is this: Will you stand for Jesus when you are on your own and maybe alone or will you cave like Governor Pence, and betray your Lord? That's the question and it is up to each of us to answer it but, remember, a day of reckoning in front of God will eventually be faced by all of us. Will your name be in the Book of Life or not? Your eternal future will one day depend on it.
And there's one great footnote to the O'Connor ordeal which should give strong Christians a smile. In response to her business being listed as a possible recipient for contributions on the GoFundMe.com web site (it may have been established by Dana Loesch at the Blaze, but that is uncertain), as of this evening Memories Pizzeria had garnered thousands of individual donations totaling nearly &750,000, likely more tonight. Ms. O'Connor now says she will stay and fight on since she will have the resources to do so. Folks, the Lord does truly work in mysterious ways.
I'll bet Governor Pence is having second thoughts tonight about his decision and I'll bet his campaign war chest for future use wishes it had picked up such a large contribution in a mere twenty-four hours. Get your spine on, Governor, and we'll forgive you but, remember, it is always smart to stand your ground when it comes to your faith and principles.
See, folks, this wasn't such a bad idea for an Easter weekend story after all, was it? Have a great weekend and remember what He did for all of us. It's all about the Cross. God bless.
Hat tip to Rush Limbaugh Show, The Blaze and World Net Daily