Note from KBJ: There's more at stake than freedom of religion. There's also freedom of expression. If I am required by law to affirm something I disbelieve, my First Amendment right is violated. Freedom of expression includes freedom not to be made to express. Let's apply this idea to the case of homosexual "marriage." If I bake and decorate wedding cakes for a living, then I may not be forced to express, either in, on, or though the cake, views I reject (for whatever reason, including reasons of religious conviction). The same is true of photographers, painters, and caterers, all of whom express themselves through their work.
Maybe the ACLU should be forced by law to defend conservative Christians who oppose baking homosexual wedding cakes in opposition to the same laws that force them to defend Christians. By successfully defending Christians, they may also be freeing themselves from their unwanted obligation to defend Christians. So, it's a win/win scenario. [Written of course tongue-in-cheek]
ReplyDeleteA few months ago a christian run bakery in Belfast Northern Ireland, was asked to make a cake in support of gay marriage, they refused and legal proceedings developed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ashers-bakery-gay-cake-case-end-of-the-hearing-but-not-the-debate-31106410.html
Their defense seems to be, that they would make a cake for someone of any sexuality, just not one that carries a message that goes against their beliefs, which I think is a good defense.