Gay marriage arguments awkward

So, the Muppets aren't eating at Chick-fil-A anymore?

That was my reaction Monday, when I read the Jim Henson Company cut its ties with Chick-fil-A, with whom it had partnered with this month to release make-your-own-puppet kits as the toy given with kids' meals. Companies sever ties every day, but this one got national attention because it involved religion.

A few days prior, Chick-fil-A officials were asked if the company was against gay marriage, and president Dan Cathy said, "Guilty as charged." Cathy noted that Chick-fil-A was a family business, and the men were all married to their first wives. He also contended there are troubles when mankind says it knows better than God what marriage should be. The Jim Henson Company responded by ending future business ties, and donating money from its prior business to GLAAD.

There will no doubt be long-lasting condemnations of both, until the weekend, when we move to the next odd argument.

But it still won't make sense, and the gay marriage argument will remain awkward. Consider the verses from Leviticus that get used in the debate:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things." (18:22, 24)

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (20:13)

Other things Leviticus frowns upon:

n That tattoo of Jesus, or your deceased relative: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." (19:28)

n Gossip (or, to be fair, newspaper reporters): Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD." (19:16)

n The barber shop: "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (19:27)

So is the Bible a Chick-fil-A menu — fruit or waffle fries, and tattoos are cool but gay marriage isn't — or is it the unflinching word of God?

Point this out, and you get some contortions. You're told the New Testament invalidates what Leviticus says about those things, but Leviticus verses that may be about homosexuality still matter, because ... why hasn't the president released his college transcripts?

It doesn't make sense.

Or maybe it does. People draw lines, and the lines blur sometimes. Chick-fil-A stays closed on Sunday to reflect biblical values. But the restaurants also offer a club sandwich with bacon. Leviticus frowns on that that too. "And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you." (11:7-8)

Chick-fil-A surely doesn't think of the club sandwich as shaking a fist at God, or they wouldn't offer it. They think of it as an item the customer wants.

I don't agree with Chick-fil-A's stance on marriage, but I don't think that makes their sandwiches any more or less tasty. Likewise, how seriously should I take the talking frog who loves a pig on social issues? I've funded both companies, and will probably continue to do so.

Maybe I don't make sense either.

Kevin Wilson is a columnist for Clovis Media Inc. He can be contacted at 763-3431, ext. 313, or by email:

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