When it comes to in-person shopping, one of the more
frequent complaints I’ve encountered recently concerns self-checkout registers.
It seems many people despise using them. I do not. Whether Kroger, Walmart,
Lowes, Home Depot, and the like, I almost always choose the self-checkout station
over an in-person cashier. In fact, I will wait in line for the self-checkout
even when a line for an in-person cashier is unoccupied.
It’s not that I dislike human cashiers, it’s just that I
prefer being in control of the check-out process, and the typical convenience
of the self-checkout. There’s another reason that I prefer the self-checkout: I
never get solicited by a cashier at a self-checkout.
It seems that retail, fast-food, financial corporations, and
the like, are frequently in the business these days of asking their customers
to donate to one pet cause or another. If you happen to have to deal with a
cashier today, a common method of “charitable” soliciting often goes something
like this: “Would you like to round-up your purchase to support ____________
(fill in the blank)?”
My answer virtually every time: “No, thank you.” Of course,
this is not because I’m against charity, rather it’s because almost every
corporation in America today has proven itself to be quite unworthy of
stewardship over a single penny of my charitable income.
In case you haven’t noticed, one of the largest reasons
we’re currently in a “woke” war is due to the actions of corporate America. On
virtually every moral issue facing the world today, most all of corporate
America stands in opposition to the truth. Whether capitalism—yes, even
capitalism!—climate change, crime, guns, immigration, abortion, the evil LGBT
agenda, and so on, corporate America is almost always on the wrong side of the
truth.
As is the case with our schools, our government, our media, and
tragically, even our churches, our corporations are merely a reflection of the
culture at large. And as is the case with almost any American institution one
can imagine, U.S. corporations are so often on the wrong side of the truth
because there is a widespread ignorance of what is truth in America today. This
is due to the widespread rejection of Christianity that prevails in America
today.
Instead of embracing the absolute, unchanging, undeniable
truths of the universe given to us by the Author of truth Himself and living by
those truths (whether we want to or not), for decades now, much of America—increasing
numbers it seems as time moves onward—has decided to go their own way and
decide “what is truth” for themselves. In other words, many of us have rejected
God as the ultimate Authority in the universe and have decided to rule
our own world.
This secular humanist worldview dominates the thinking in
corporate America today. Thus, instead of merely quietly and subtly heeding what
is good and right, or simply acknowledging a preference to their bottom line,
U.S. corporations today are dedicated to nonsense such as the “diversity,
equity, and inclusion” (DEI) and “environmental,
social, and governance” (ESG) scams. Both DEI and ESG are dogmatic
rejections of truth that are born of modern leftist orthodoxy. Yet, corporate
America has embraced these boondoggles as a means of declaring to the world, “Look
at how much we care!”
If corporate America truly cared about the world we live in
and the human beings who occupy it, then the likes of DEI and ESG would be quickly
and enthusiastically rejected. If corporations truly had the well-being of
humanity in mind, they would realize that true charity is—or should be—far more
than words or actions that make us feel good.
Additionally, charity is about far more than
simply giving to the poor. Giving to or caring for the poor ought to be one of
the most obvious actions of a charitable person or organization. Most
importantly, charity must be rooted in truth. The most charitable person who
ever lived—Jesus Christ—makes this clear. When Jesus healed the sick, fed the
hungry, or even raised the dead, He didn’t do this only to satisfy their
physical needs—though that is indeed a good thing. The ultimate goal of all of
the good works of Jesus was to point people to a magnificent spiritual truth.
In other words, the ministry of God—feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked, healing the sick (things often deemed as “charitable”)—should
never be separated from the message of God—to repent of our sin and believe
that Jesus was who He claimed to be: the Son of God and the Savior of the
world. The ministry of God and the message of God—both together complete the
mission of God. In other words, any sound charity should ultimately help
complete the mission of God.
Thus, even if a corporation is doing what seems like legitimate
charitable work, or even if it has ties to what many conclude are legitimate
charitable organizations, given the current track record with the truth that is
prevalent in corporate America today, I will not trust corporations with my charitable
income. Instead, I choose to do my charitable giving directly myself. I
encourage you to politely do the same.
(See this column at American Thinker.)
Copyright 2023, Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.
www.trevorgrantthomas.com
Trevor is the author of the The Miracle
and Magnificence of America
trevorgrantthomas@gmail.com
