If these Christian groups had constrained themselves to this single principled distinction for the last thirty years, I might believe them. Unfortunately they have fought gays every single step of the way. |
For all of you trying to restrict this law to providing flowers for and catering gay weddings and trying to convince yourself that is no big deal, you're missing the point. The implications of this law go way beyond that, and it's discrimination, pure and simple. |
Please elaborate on how “these Christian groups” have fought gays. First, you are lumping ALL Christian groups into a single group. Secondly, just because one believes that marriage is a holy ceremony between a man and woman does NOT mean they have “fought gays.” This is the issue that Christians who believe in traditional marriage have with those who say they are “hating.” It is not about the person - who happens to be gay - but the ceremony, which some believe to be a religious one. But, the left’s narrative is that if you are against gay marriage, you are a hater, and a bigot. There is nothing further from the truth. |
They are baking a cake that will be served at the reception, so I am not buying that part of the argument. No one is asking them to participate in the religous ceremony. In my view, their objections are against the marraige. Thus, they do not want to participate in anything that is deemed supporting the marriage - even if is not the ceremony itself. To me, that is the slippery slope. |
Ok then - why were Cons (including Christians) against the civil partnerships and civil union concept then? |
Taking you at your word that the religious nature of marriage is what is important to you, how do you feel about marriages celebrated by non-Christian religions? If a Christian baker were asked to provide a cake for Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or even atheists, would that violate your religious principles? What about a wedding in which one male and one woman were going to exchange vows before a graven image? Could a Christian baker provide a cake for that wedding? |
So essentially this is not so much about discrimination as it is about establishing an American version of Shari’a law. Shari’a law, when imposed on a population by force, makes a single religion’s teachings (often a single sect of that religion’s teachings) the law of the land. The mission is to force everyone to follow the teachings lest they be punished. Although RFRA supporters aren’t physically assaulting people, they certainly are attempting to punish those who don’t follow their own very specific interpretation of God’s teachings. |
As long as the pizza folks refrain from wearing clothing of different fabrics, touching a woman when she has her period, mixing dairy and meat, eating shellfish, touching the skin of a pig, working on the Sabbath, coveting their neighbor, or bearing false witness- I would agree they aren't selectively using passages to justify homophobic beliefs. But I'm guessing that's not the case. So they are hypocrites. Yes, I'm judging them. But that line of reasoning should apply to anyone who refuses to serve a gay wedding- don't judge them, just sell the cake or pizza or whatever. fwiw- I was a NP. There are many PPs disagreeing with your Leviticus-driven view of the world. |
Right...and don't forget that Leviticus also says that you shall not vex foreigners in your land. Seems inconsistent with some Con's view of immigration. |
I haven't read the 21 pages of this discussion….but didn't the US Supreme Court already decide this issue with the Boy Scouts of America case some years back? The BSA was allowed to reject gays because it proved that the organization was predominantly based or founded on Christian principles. Thus, any business can discriminate gays IF it is truly a religious based organization. A baker, for example, who makes anniversary and birthday cakes for all religions and even non religious events can not suddenly refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple. But if he is baking only Christian themed cakes, then his bakery is deemed a Christian bakery and he may refuse to bake cakes for gay couples.
Isn't this so? |
I literally signed a paper. So did he. No hoops |
Should the same people turn down an event by KKK? |
I don't think criminal organizations are considered a protected class. |
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a good article on this.
"If the Republican Party wants the next generation of voters to listen to our ideas and solutions to real problems, we must be an inclusive and open party, not a party of divisions. We must be the party of limited government, not the party that legislates love. We must be the party that stands for equality and against discrimination in any form." http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/03/schwarzenegger-indianas-religious-freedom-law-is-bad-for-america-and-bad-for-republicans/?tid=sm_fb |
If you are going to open a public business, then you should serve ALL of the public.
Doesn't anyone remember the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins in 1960? Those were about discrimination and refusing to serve people based on race. The same goes for ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. For 50 years, that kind of discrimination has been against the law. Now, suddenly Indiana decides that businesses should be allowed to discriminate. |