Anti-God Coffee
7 May 2007 - 20 אייר 5767 by Huw
Props to Jew School for this story, but they linked to WND for the background which is, generally, about as trustworthy as a fishwife on crack withdrawal. So I googled for the story and found a real live newspaper version of the story at the Dayton Daily News. They’ve even got pictures.
Michelle Incanno was an admitted Starbucks addict.
She’d buy the company’s coffee beans every week. Whenever she’d get the chance to drop by a Starbucks, she would, placing the same order every time: a large, house brewed coffee with nonfat milk and two Splenda. When the Seattle-based chain opened a drive-through near her Springboro home, she was in java heaven.
That was until she got an unexpected jolt last week from her coffee cup.
Printed on the cup was: “Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.”
Naturally enough, she’s offended enough not to go back. Seems she’s pro-god, you know, a “Mother of three and a Catholic.”
She’s not offended by the way they drive small businesses out of place. She not offended by seeing the same logo on every freaking corner. She’s not offended by the destruction of the microbrew coffee market by the near-global presence of uniformly mediocre coffee. She’s not offended by their unfair labour practices. She’s not offended by contributing to this social injustice with her own money…
But DEAR GOD! DON’T let them try to make her think about something she doesn’t like.
Personally, I think we should all write the Daytona Daily and complain about yet another story that makes Christians look as if we’ve got our heads buried in our eclessial sands… except I think we could get sued for perjury with that “looks as if.” Sooner or later, someone is going to nail us for worshipping a deity so small we need to defend him.
BTW, WND does report an earlier event (in 2005) where the same Coffee Cup Commentary Campaign caused critical Christian conversvatives convulsions.
My nickname for Starbuck’s is “The Coffee Chain of the Antichrist.” They are big, rich, powerful, exploitive, and the rest.
Down with Starbuck’s; long live Peet’s.
And you are right on target in your response to the activists who feel the need to “defend” God against coffee-cup slurs … but say nothing against the organized injustice that the firm represents and carries out.
Lee
Lee! Howdy. I’d no idea you were out there still. Good to hear from you.
I LOVE Peet’s! I miss it out here. And I’ve recently been introduced to Tim Horton’s (which rocks for coffee… but I can’t vouch for the higher end drinks). Locally… here in NC… I’ll stick with the Sassafras Tea.