Bible study group no longer welcome at McDonald's

By Hum
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

A Christian ministry leader was reportedly told she could no longer hold Bible studies in a New Jersey McDonald's, despite having the sessions there for the past two years.

The Christian Post reports that Dawn Martinez, 33, began the ministry to transients and drug addicts in 2010, but was told last Wednesday by a McDonald?s manager that she could no longer hold the two-weekly events.

"She didn't tell me what happened, but she said there was a complaint and that we cannot have our Bible studies there anymore," Martinez said.

After pressing for an explanation, she was told that "people are getting offended," Martinez said.

Martinez, who could not be reached for comment, believes someone of Islamic faith was at the restaurant and may have been offended enough to make a complaint. Martinez said the religion had been a brief topic of discussion last week.

Ed Baim, the McDonald's franchise owner, told FoxNews.com in an email that the content of the group's meetings had "absolutely nothing to do with their being asked to move."

Baim pointed out that the restaurant has a small seating area with signs that inform customers about its no-loitering policy.

"While we're not able to accommodate groups, these folks are always welcome to visit the restaurant as customers," he said.

Fast-food restaurants are common destinations for informal meeting groups like Alcoholic Anonymous and other counseling organizations.

Starbucks, for example, told FoxNews.com in a statement that its stores are "designed" to be gathering places.

"We take great pride in being an environment where our customers and members of the community can come to relax, visit with each other and discuss things that are meaningful to them," a statement from Starbucks on Tuesday read.

source

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

All it takes is one complaint to ruin everything. We can't offend even one person.

Oh wait, so when an airline does it to an Atheist they're just exercising their right as a business to exclude people from using their services, but the moment it's done to a Christian it's discrimination. I love how people's opinions on things like this flip flop depending on what the group being targeted by the business believes.

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Grand Master

Gone

Posted
Posted

Oh wait, so when an airline does it to an Atheist they're just exercising their right as a business to exclude people from using their services, but the moment it's done to a Christian it's discrimination. I love how people's opinions on things like this flip flop depending on what the group being targeted by the business believes.

I've been waiting for you. :|

It goes both ways, and discrimination should not occur for any reason whatsoever. I thought that tolerance would be in the United States in such a late era when I was little, however I learned that humans do not like ANYTHING different than them, unless they themselves are a unique individual.

Same thing happened back in the days with the Jim Crow laws. Religion, race, and sexual preference do not make somebody bad.

Edit: Also, really, McDonalds! Gah Taco Bell is much better!

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Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

Precisely, it shouldn't be allowed for any reasons. So why is it that people are seemingly only up in arms about it when it involves Christians? For the record I don't support discrimination against Christians.

  • Glassed Silver and ahhell
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Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

Fox News always defends Churchism

Quite so. I'm sure we'll be having Uncle Rush or Glenn Beck telling us that this is just another liberal outrage or another step towards mass persecution of Christians within a few days. Fox seem to love creating social unrest.

Grand Master

Gone

Posted
Posted

Quite so. I'm sure we'll be having Uncle Rush or Glenn Beck telling us that this is just another liberal outrage or another step towards mass persecution of Christians within a few days. Fox seem to love creating social unrest.

Hey there, I enjoy watching Glenn Beck's board of mystery. The connections just can't be missed.

The media is biased all around. ALL AROUND! The left has their media, which makes a lot of money, and the right also has their media, which probably makes more money? Either way, lets agree that the reason news is reported how it is, is to make profit and to control the population. The better (more controversial) the story, the better ratings and thus more profit.

Also, social unrest divides the country allowing easy control of the masses.

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure the leftist media is quite as crazy as Glenn, but just as biased? you have a point there, they are. I tend not to read newspapers or watch commercial news stations for that very reason in fact.

Veteran

moloko

Posted
Posted

All it takes is one complaint to ruin everything. We can't offend even one person.

I would complain too. I think it rude to do that there. go to a community center or a park. If the manager does not want you in the restaurant doing that, it is his/her right.

Grand Master

Charisma Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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I would complain too. I think it rude to do that there. go to a community center or a park. If the manager does not want you in the restaurant doing that, it is his/her right.

I don't know, I consider McDonald's a "public place", don't you? If someone got offended, it means they were basically eavesdropping on what another table was talking about. Can I get people kicked out of a restaurant because I overheard them saying I'm ugly and was offended by it? Honestly, this is no different. People need to mind their own damn business.

Grand Master

The Laughing Man

Posted
Posted

I don't know, I consider McDonald's a "public place", don't you? If someone got offended, it means they were basically eavesdropping on what another table was talking about. Can I get people kicked out of a restaurant because I overheard them saying I'm ugly and was offended by it? Honestly, this is no different. People need to mind their own damn business.

Mcdonalds of all places? Thats just weird, Isnt gluttony a sin. lol

Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

Posted
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Posted

I'm not saying that McDonalds were right or wrong in their decision. However, if the Christians don't want to be singled out then I suggest they go hold their meetings somewhere else, somewhere dedicated to their beliefs where they have the right to preach whatever they want. Now if only there were buildings specifically designed for Christians...

Grand Master

jnelsoninjax

Posted
Posted

I don't know, I consider McDonald's a "public place", don't you? If someone got offended, it means they were basically eavesdropping on what another table was talking about. Can I get people kicked out of a restaurant because I overheard them saying I'm ugly and was offended by it? Honestly, this is no different. People need to mind their own damn business.

Exactly! Whereas McDonald's may not be the best place to hold bible study, as long as they were not being loud and/or obnoxious about the whole thing, why should McDonald's give a damn? These people obviously were paying customers...

Grand Master

WelshBluebird

Posted
Posted

Tbh I doubt this has anything to do with the religious aspect of it anyway, and is probably more to do with the reasoning given by the McDonalds franchise.

Simply, it is a store that is there to serve customers. If people are hanging around and are not buying things, then I fail to see why McDonalds should have to accommodate them. And I also fail to see what the point of mentioning Starbucks is, since McDonalds are not starbucks and are free to have their own rules.

Grand Master

WelshBluebird

Posted
Posted

Exactly! Whereas McDonald's may not be the best place to hold bible study, as long as they were not being loud and/or obnoxious about the whole thing, why should McDonald's give a damn? These people obviously were paying customers...

Because I doubt they were paying customers for the entire time of the class?

Perhaps they were taking the biscuit and buying small things that take 5 minutes to eat and then hanging around for 2 hours?

Can I get people kicked out of a restaurant because I overheard them saying I'm ugly and was offended by it?

You can get kicked out if the owner decides they do not want you there, so yes you could get people kicked out for what you suggest. Not likely of course, but you could. Especially if you are say the owners friend or whatever.

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
Posted
The Christian Post reports that Dawn Martinez, 33, began the ministry to transients and drug addicts in 2010, but was told last Wednesday by a McDonald?s manager that she could no longer hold the two-weekly events.

This is an individual policy by an individual store. There was no mention in the article of whether this group was even buying food / drinks there. If they weren't then you're talking about a group of homeless people and drug addicts taking up seats, scaring away customers and not buying anything. It very likely had nothing to do with them being Christian, though that is obviously the spin that Fox News would put on it.

I had to deal with similar things when I was manager of a busy Subway store a while back. It's not a problem allowing such meetings if it's quiet, if it doesn't disturb other customers and when they may buy something - I'd often open the customer area after it had closed for town support meetings. But if such a meeting receives complaints and is an inconvenience to the store it's simply not practical to let it continue.

  • oliver182 and Ice_Blue
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Grand Master

whitebread

Posted
Posted
Fast-food restaurants are common destinations for informal meeting groups like Alcoholic Anonymous and other counseling organizations.
That's BS. I've gone to both NA and AA and meetings are NEVER held at restaurants :laugh: . They're almost always held in a church.

The only time we would ever go to a restaurant is after the meeting.

Grand Master

+Nik Louch Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted
Martinez, who could not be reached for comment, believes someone of Islamic faith was at the restaurant and may have been offended enough to make a complaint.

So, they ASSUME it was someone of Islamic faith who complained... Based upon?

Moreover, McD is a restaurant, not a meeting place. I have worked there, and not once was it used for group meetings - moreover if people were sat and not eating, they'd often be moved on.

Grand Master

neufuse Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

That's BS. I've gone to both NA and AA and meetings are NEVER held at restaurants :laugh: . They're almost always held in a church.

The only time we would ever go to a restaurant is after the meeting.

Which brings up the question, why isn't a bible study group meeting at a ummm welll church?

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