‘For God So Loved The World’ For A $19.99 Oil Change?

Discussion in 'Religion & Philosophy' started by Bluesguy, Sep 29, 2011.

  1. Bluesguy

    Bluesguy Well-Known Member Donor

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    "PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) – A Collin County business offering customers a break on the price of an oil change is requiring a little more than just bringing in a coupon.

    Customers are being asked to quote a Bible verse, and some of them are finding out that if they won’t it will cost them.

    Resident Marshall Wei, who had been to the Kwik Kar on Custer Road in Plano before, was happy to find the coupon hanging on his door last week.

    Above the promised $19.99 price though, the coupon says customers must quote the New Testament verse John 3:16 to get the deal.

    “I think maybe I forgot exactly what it is, and I needed to go look it up online,” Wei said

    With the verse in hand, Wei drove to the store and pulled into the garage, but as he waited he started having second thoughts about the offer.

    “Why should I be compelled to quote something I do not feel comfortable to quote?” he asked.

    After a short discussion with a store manager about the verse, he declined to recite it, and ended up paying more than $46 for the service, more than twice what he expected.

    “I’m paying you,” Wei said. “Why can’t you treat me like others?”

    Store owner Charlie Whittington is standing by what he asking customers to do for a deal. “If I’m standing for what I believe, so be it,” he said. “Bring it on.”

    The verse is popular for containing the central beliefs of traditional Christianity:

    “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

    Whittington said he did it as a conversation starter in an effort to talk to people about what he believes.

    “It’s one thing about America,” he said. “You can go and do what you want. I’m not making you do anything and I’m tired of people making me do something.”

    Whittington may be right that he can make the offer if he wants to. The state attorney general had no comment on the issue and couldn’t point out any laws the coupon is breaking.

    Dallas attorney Andy Siegel, who has handled discrimination and denial of service cases before, said with no connection to federal funds, or federal highways, the discount appears to be within the law, though he said the conversation could have been started a different way.

    “The study of the Bible has many rewards. I’m not sure that God intended a lube discount to be among its many riches.”
    http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/09/28/for-god-so-loved-the-world-for-a-19-99-oil-change/

    I emailed "I can assure you I will never become a customer of yours, I do not tolerate religious bigotry. It is reprehensible you would seek to profit from your religious belief."

    Agree?
     
  2. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    It's his right to do what he wants to do with his business. I, for one, would quote it and get my discount. If you don't like it, don't do business with him. That's your right as well.
     
  3. Bluesguy

    Bluesguy Well-Known Member Donor

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    Is it? Can I charge Muslims more for my products? Can I refuse to sell to them or treat them differently?
     
  4. Smartmouthwoman

    Smartmouthwoman Bless your heart Past Donor

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    Doesn't sound like he's charging anybody more... just giving away free stuff to people who follow the rules. How's that different from getting into Six Flags free if you bring a can of Dr Pepper?

    The guy who got charged more was prob like me and uses synthetic oil. Mobil 1 costs me $50+ for every oil change, too, and I'd never expect to get a 'free' $19.99 oil change when I never get out that cheap.
     
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  5. saintmichaeldefendthem

    saintmichaeldefendthem New Member Past Donor

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    That's exactly the point. While it would be illegal to charge some people more because of their belief, you can discount the asking price to anyone you want, for any reason you want. The owner can even go up to a car with a fish symbol on it and offer their service for a discount or even completely free. That's his perogative and his right.
     
  6. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    People should start going in and quoting all the crazy batsh!t stuff thats in the bible. For instance:


    If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. Leviticus 20:10

    Would that be ok? Or is it only the bible quotes religious people cherry pick that fit thier beliefs?
     
  7. saintmichaeldefendthem

    saintmichaeldefendthem New Member Past Donor

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    Something tells me you'll be paying full price.
     
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  8. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    Would this beautiful quote get me the discount too?


    #1 – Psalm 137:9
    “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.”


    God must have been hitting the bottle pretty hard the night he wrote that one.
     
  9. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    Why? Isnt that the word of God himself? It says Quote a Bible verse......

    Please explain.
     
  10. JavaBlack

    JavaBlack New Member

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    If that's what he wants, he's going about it all wrong.
    By making the price of service dependent on agreeing with him, he succeeds only in making himself look like a dick and probably further souring the impression his non-evangelical customers have of such people.

    At the very least he should not be petty and punitive about it.
     
  11. saintmichaeldefendthem

    saintmichaeldefendthem New Member Past Donor

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    I bet his business starts booming.
     
  12. Smartmouthwoman

    Smartmouthwoman Bless your heart Past Donor

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    LOL, if I owned the station, he'd pay double. ;)
     
  13. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    Please tell me why Mouth? I met the criteria of quoting a bible verse...
     
  14. saintmichaeldefendthem

    saintmichaeldefendthem New Member Past Donor

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    Why do you have to act so retarded? You know the criteria was quoting a specific verse. Quit dumbing down the thread.
     
  15. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    Hm just as I thought. Only cherry picked bible quotes are OK. The ones about murdering adulterers and dashing babys skulls... No Discount for you!
     
  16. Wildjoker5

    Wildjoker5 Well-Known Member

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    He didn't say you had to believe it, just mention it. Something to get a conversation started. It is not an exclusive discount to only Christians.
     
  17. catalinacat

    catalinacat Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Oh, just let them stew: they would rather fight on a stupid point, than save themselves $26, and have more money in their pocket.

    Explains the whole process actually, from the beginning of time.:laughing:
     
  18. iJoeTime

    iJoeTime Banned

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    I'd be interested to see the reaction if this was a Muslim owned repair shop asking people to quote the Quran... I have a feeling you all would be singing a different tune.
     
  19. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Yeah, but you're forgetting it's Texas. :mrgreen:
     
  20. JavaBlack

    JavaBlack New Member

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    I don't doubt it. No publicity is bad publicity. And he'll certainly attract a large niche market, while most won't care.

    But it does little to further his goal if his goal is indeed to start meaningful conversations about the bible.

    Yeah, so, assuming you're a Christian (and if not, pretend you're one for this exercise), how would you feel about denying Christ for a coupon?
    As a former Christian (which according to another thread means I never believed in the first place), I have to say I never would have done that... and I probably wouldn't now. I'd tell him to shove his coupon (well, actually I just wouldn't show up).

    I realize to an atheist there's no threat of (*)(*)(*)(*)ation or pentence for speaking some bible verses, but doesn't it make you choke a little to say something against your beliefs to get a discount?
    Don't you feel guilty for misleading the guy into giving you a discount by misrepresenting your beliefs?

    So basically you get rewarded for either being a Christian or displaying sociopathic tendencies?
     
  21. saintmichaeldefendthem

    saintmichaeldefendthem New Member Past Donor

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    I find it amazing that some people view freedom as the right to go anywhere for an oil change while others view freedom as the right to go EVERYWHERE for an oil change.
     
  22. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    Doesn't matter if they say the quote. It's not discriminating based on religion, its promoting your own religion. I would agree that if he refused to give the discount to a Muslim that said the Bible quote, that he should be fined or whatever they do for crimes like that.

    If a Muslim wants to require a Koran quote for a discount, he should feel free to do it.
     
  23. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    Well, in this case, it reads as if the discount is only for quoting John 3:16, not just for any Bible verse.
     
  24. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    The discount was for a particular Bible verse (from the OPs article):

     
  25. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    It didn't. It said:

     

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