Louisiana Farm Faces Huge Backlash For Pro-Faith Post
Backwater Foie Gras farmstead in Louisiana has found itself at the center of a fierce storm after standing up for its pro-faith beliefs. Owner Ross McKnight, a devout Catholic, made a heartfelt Instagram post honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus, only to face an onslaught of backlash that has devastated his small, family-owned farm.
“The push to have every mainstream value and holiday represented in some way in our Louisiana ought to make no sense at all to any Louisianais or Louisianaise, unless recognized as a forward offensive by an ever-encroaching enemy that has sought for generations to destroy our unique culture which is so intimately tied to our Catholic identity,” the post read.
My good friend Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras is a rad trad cath farmer here in Louisiana. Ross posted this fairly innocuous post about “pride” and the month of the Sacred Heart. Within hours of posting he lost dozens of restaurant accounts in New Orleans 🧵 pic.twitter.com/QFYS4rM8OL
— Swampist (@swamp_ist) June 8, 2023
McKnight, standing on an unwavering commitment to his faith, referred to Pride Month as the “attempted coup of the month” and offered what he called “antidotes to a false pride.”
Little did the small business owner expect the firestorm of opposition that followed. The consequences of McKnight’s bold stance have been severe, with Backwater Foei Gras farmstead taking a heavy blow to its finances. Two-thirds of the restaurant business, a lifeline for the tiny operation, has been lost, leaving the farm’s future hanging in the balance.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the business revealed it recently lost two restaurant owners who are major customers with large recurring orders, due to its “Catholicism.” One of the customers is a long-standing customer, according to the post.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” McKnight shared his surprise at the magnitude of the pushback he received.
“I’ve always been vocal about my faith, so I knew there would be conflicts. But the intensity of this backlash caught me off guard,” he admitted.
But McKnight is keeping the hope and holding on to his stance. When asked about the impact of this relentless blowback on his livelihood, he replied, “We have a great deal of confidence in our faith.”
While he admitted the economic struggle is “never a good thing,” the father of five emphasized his faith in “the triumph of the Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
With a resilient spirit shining through, he addressed Christian Americans who face similar challenges to their faith. “If we’re fighting a battle, there’s no ground behind this particular battle… So we have to fight.”
The backlash faced by Backwater Foie Gras, which is just a little outside its fourth year, sheds light on the challenges encountered by conservatives in today’s society in which people are attacked for their expression of faith if it goes against woke principles.