Now, this is interesting. Usually, America is inundated with Christians claiming that WalMart is A-OK in their book because of their new-found willingness to shout "Merry Christmas" at their customers (see original deision here), or their initial refusal to sell Plan-B in their pharmacy (they have since come to their senses). Today, we see that the tides have turned. It turns out that many Christian organizations are shunning WalMart because of their unfair business policies.
Local Community & Faith-Based Leaders Will Call on all Americans to 'Pray for Wal-Mart to Change for the Better, This Holiday Season'
RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 13 PRNewswire -- Local citizens, community activists, and faith-based leaders will hold a day of prayer and candlelight vigil at the Brook Road, Richmond, VA Wal-Mart Thursday, December 14, 2006, at 5:30 p.m. as part of a powerful new faith-based campaign that launches nationwide today in over 40 cities.
At the Richmond, VA event, local citizens and leaders of faith will hold a special prayer calling on Wal-Mart and CEO Lee Scott to do what is right this holiday season, end the company's anti-family policies and immoral business practices by Christmas Day, and change for the better.
Faith-based leaders and concerned supporters, including many children and families, will also light candles on behalf of the 1.39 million Wal-Mart employees and their families in the hope that Wal-Mart will see the light this holiday season and finally change into a more responsible employer. Supporters will also be distributing flyers to local citizens in the area asking them, "Are Wal-Mart's values your values?"
At the event, supporters will also be releasing a new 30-second TV ad, entitled "People of Faith." The new faith-based campaign ad is viewable at http://www.WakeUpWalMart.com beginning Thursday and is part of WakeUpWalMart.com's national 2006 "Hope for the Holidays" campaign.
Now, THAT'S a change, huh? Christians acting...Christian?
It'll be very interesting to see how this turns out. Will this get a lot of media coverage? Will WalMart be forced to change their ways? Will more people jump on the anti-WalMart bandwagon?
We can only hope. But I for one consider this an early holiday gift, and I am sure the employees feel the same.
The group should probably consider shunning this video game as well...
Liberal and progressive Christian groups say a new computer game in which players must either convert or kill non-Christians is the wrong gift to give this holiday season and that Wal-Mart, a major video game retailer, should yank it off its shelves.
The Campaign to Defend the Constitution and the Christian Alliance for Progress, two online political groups, plan to demand today that Wal-Mart dump Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a PC game inspired by a series of Christian novels that are hugely popular, especially with teens.
The series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is based on their interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation and takes place after the Rapture, when Jesus has taken his people to heaven and left nonbelievers behind to face the Antichrist.
Left Behind Games' president, Jeffrey Frichner, says the game actually is pacifist because players lose "spirit points" every time they gun down nonbelievers rather than convert them. They can earn spirit points again by having their character pray.
"You are fighting a defensive battle in the game," Frichner, whose previous company produced Bible software, said of combatting the Antichrist. "You are a sort of a freedom fighter."