If you were paying attention to social media over the weekend, you may have seen that Hobby Lobby (and #BoycottHobbyLobby) were trending. The headlines were dramatic and seemed bad for the arts and crafts superstore that is associated with the very conservative and religious David Green family. They were called, among other things, “deceptively evil.”
In a widely circulated letter, Green said that he was keeping the stores open because his wife had a vision from God. This was widely mocked and ridiculed online, as an example of how Christians trust God over science and put poorly paid workers’ health on the line because of blind faith.
I probably don’t have to tell you that this was all concocted.
Read the letter below:
Hobby Lobby owner David Green is telling store managers to stay open despite the pandemic because his wife had a vision from god.
— Towanda the Avenger (@kendallybrown) March 22, 2020
He also warns they'll all have to "tighten their belts" soon. His net worth is $6.4 billion—hourly employees don't get paid sick leave. #COVIDIOT pic.twitter.com/4pEhivDbNy
You’ll notice that he wrote, “In her quiet prayer time this past week, the Lord put on Barbara’s heart three profound words to remind us that He’s in control. Guide, Guard, and Groom. We serve a God who will Guide us through this storm, who will Guard us as we travel to places never seen before, and who, as a result of this experience, will Groom us to be better than we could have ever thought possible before now.”
There is absolutely nothing strange in this letter. It was sent by a Christian businessman to his employees. Newsflash: the Greens believe in prayer and in God’s sovereignty. If an employee has symptoms, the website instructs them to stay at home. Common sense.
“While we do not know for certain what the future holds, or how long this disruption will last, we can all rest in knowing that God is in control,” he wrote. “The Company’s leaders are doing all they can to balance the need to keep the Company strong and the need of employees. To help ensure our Company remains strong and prepared to once again when this passes, we may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.'”
In other words, they are staying open – presumably, many people who are stuck in quarantine are using their products to pass the time with their families and children. This is not a controversy.
Libs are outraged at this, of course. Why? Because they care about the “workers” and are outraged that Hobby Lobby isn’t giving them paid leave. Okay. Fine. But they are silent about Harvard – which has a $40 billion endowment – which is laying off nearly all their dining workers. While they are making some provisions for these workers for 30 days, they are refusing to help Harvard Law School’s contracted employees.
Here’s the thing. This is an unprecedented time of life. We’re all learning how to deal with it and companies and institutions are making different choices. I know that Hobby Lobby would not hurt their workers because of a religious dream.
Let’s try not to lie about each other. Not now. Instead, let’s give each other leeway to figure out how to run their own businesses.
Image Credit: Nicholas Eckhart on Flickr