Atheism news: Should Applebee's be boycotted for firing a waitress who did a public service by exposing the Christian condition? With this being a country of religious privilege it's unlikely the establishment will apologize for the jerk move, but they have certainly angered a number of people with this latest update to a story that went viral for all the right reasons. In a Jan. 31, 2013 article on Eater.Com, a boycott has been mentioned against the restaurant franchise over their firing of a young lady by the name of Chelsea Welch. The young waitress posted a receipt on Reddit's r/Atheism page that displayed a customer's rude message in place of where a tip would have normally gone.
"I give god 10% Why do you get 18?" the receipt read.
Alois Bell, a 37-year-old St. Louis pastor, made sure she got Chelsea fired as a sort of insult added to the injury of leaving such an insulting note in place of a meager tip. Alois claims that the note was a "lapse in judgement that has been blown out of proportion," but if that were so, why would she then push for the firing of the young waitress who undoubtedly relied upon her job? Aren't Christian churches supposed to operate on the premise of forgiveness, charity and understanding of the "meek?" It certainly seems as though pastor Alois Bell has wandered astray of the entire concept of running a church in the first place. Instead, she is now being reported publicly as a bully instead of a woman-of-God. Nevermind the fact that the Holy Bible specifically speaks against women in the congregation.
Surely Alois Bell is aware of just how little waitresses make, and that they mostly live off of tips. And certainly she must be aware that tipping waitresses is not only a charitable thing to do, but is downright socially expected of you when you dine in public places. Nonetheless, Alois has proven that the Christian reality isn't necessarily the facade of charity, understanding and forgiveness -- but instead something more or less based on bullying, judgement and revenge.
Applebee's stands by their choice to fire Chelsea, but this might not be in their best interest. The atheist community might not be as large as the Christians who run the culture in this country, but they are becoming more unified. Lawsuits can be filed and are often successful with the help of atheist organizations, and Chelsea is already being looked at as a victim in this story on a massive, international level. Again, this is a young woman who was bullied by a 37-year-old pastor who is a representative of a religion -- the Christian faith. How sick is that?
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