Could a Christian Baker Who Refused to Make Wedding Cake for a Gay Couple Really Go to Jail?

http://www.theblaze.com ^ | Jun. 7, 2013 7:54am | Billy Hallowell

[redreno]

Should bakers and other vendors be allowed to refuse service to gays and lesbians, specifically when it comes to marital ceremonies? “No,” argues one gay couple who have filed a discrimination complaint against a Colorado baker who refused to provide them with a wedding cake.

Masterpiece Cakeshop, owned by Jack Phillips and based near Denver, Colorado, is at the center of the dispute after David Mullins and Charlie Craig attempted to order the baked good from the business last summer.

Phillips, declining to provide service after learning of the couple’s sexuality, cited his Christian beliefs. But Mullins and Craig aren’t accepting Biblical arguments as a viable basis for the refusal.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

I always blame the lunch counter sit-ins of the 1950s.

I saw video of one protest of a White owned barber shop in Cleveland that refused to serve blacks. But why would blacks even want to go to white barber? Its ridiculous. The most obvious course of action would be for these blacks to take their business to a black barber who knew how to cut black hair.

Of course it has nothing to do with service, or equal treatment, or equal rights and has everything to do with dismantling of private property rights, which is the underpinning of Western Civilization. The entire "civil rights" movement was run my card-carrying Communists and New York Banksters.

[Fai Mao]

An easy way for the bakery to deal with this is to simply say.

“Our schedule is full, we don’t have the time slots available to do that job”

Then schedule that day as a vacation or something so it isn’t a lie.

A business cannot be sued for refusing a job it cannot do

[Grammy]

As a baker I would do the cake.... but since each cake is separately priced, they would be charged way over double. I would also inform them that I would be seriously praying over the cake and the wedding, and asking the Holy Spirit to be in attendance and to convict all the people there of their sin.

But I would be happy to take their money.... paid in full before the date was booked.

[Nowhere Man]

I always blame the lunch counter sit-ins of the 1950s. Once upon a time, property rights mattered. The proprietor could say, "This is my property. I don't want you here. You have to leave now."

Might be a stupid business policy that could really cut into profits, but being a business owner comes with some perks, right?

Well, that all went out the window with MLK. People became heroes for going against the wishes of the owner. Customers had rights. Individuals had rights. Property owners? Not so much.

Correct! I think at that time too, the rights of the group became more important over the individual and property owner. Yeah, perhaps in the grand scheme of things, the restraunteur who refused to serve people because they are of one group or another, is a bad thing, but it is his right, it is his property plus he pays the bills. In the long run, it would be a poor business decision, sure he might pick up a few Klan members and racists, but he is actually denying himself a lot more dollars that he could have had. This is why Barry Goldwater opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he knew it would be used as a weapon for groups to punish other individuals, property owners or other groups.

[Nowhere Man]

I’m a freelance writer, among other things. I’ve been asked to write copy for adult products and synthetic marijuana. I’ve refused. Was offered a higher pay rate. I refused, citing my religious beliefs. They found someone else to write it. Given rulings like this, do I lose the right to refuse work?

I used to do website myself freelance and I've refused work too because I suspected the potential client would use the site I would run as basically an online brothel. I just had the gut feeling. I'm a libertarian in practice on sex, as long as both parties consent and are at or above the age of consent, it's up to them along with them being responsible/accountable for their act but on a personal level, my morals are against it so I turned them down. Maybe I could have been very rich but my conscience would bug me using sex for money even in an indirect way.

[SECURE AMERICA]

In an America that has Barack Obama as President and Eric Holder running Justice the answer is YES............
This is no longer our parents America and it sure as Hell is not the America our Founders gave us.............

[glorgau]

Good point, but the Nazis called it judenrein, not judenfrei.

That's because it would be a modern, progressive nazi cake.

[Chickensoup]

Only if there is no serious pushback. Daily.

[sten]

if you cannot refuse service, you are no more then a slave doing the bidding of others

[cradle of freedom]

How about a Bible verse condemning homosexuality.

[cradle of freedom]

How about hundreds or thousands of Christians standing on the steps of city hall demanding their rights to their free speach. The homos were loud, the Christians were silent and that is why we have what we have today. The First Amendment is meant to be used.

[cradle of freedom]

Jesus knocked over the money changers tables, so he was not all passive and turn the other cheek all the time. In some circumstances you turn the other cheek at other times you speak up forcefully. The Gospel is full of passages of Jesus speaking up forcefully to the powers that be. There is a nicey-nice kind of Christianity today that comes from a misunderstanding of what turning the other cheek means. We need to speak up or forever lose our rights.

The politicians are afraid of the gays because they are loud and aggressive, they walk all over us because we do not defend ourselves.

[gitmo]

“We are all entitled to our religious beliefs and we fight for that. But someone’s personal religious beliefs don’t justify breaking the law by discriminating against others in the public sphere,” Mark Silverstein, who directs the ACLU in Colorado, said in an interview with the AP.

In other words, local ordinances trump the First Amemdment. Keep your ***** religion in your mind!

[Nemoque]

As American citizens we have to right to assemble and to address wrongs. I would encourage everyone that is opposed to homosexuality and to the destruction of traditional marriage to let our elected leaders know their views. There is nothing wrong for church leaders to express their moral views to political officials. What I fear is for the churches to say that unless you support a particular political party or a particular candidate you cannot be a Christian. Liberal denominations do this all the time by preaching political activism from the pulpit.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

If you are a white cabbie in Boston, and a black asks to be driven to Roxbury, you can refuse as long as you give up your front line spot and move to the back of the line. The black can continue with the next in line cabbie.

I've read about Muslim cabbies refusing to provide rides to blind people with dogs or people transporting alcohol because of their religions beliefs. I believe they too have that right but have to give up their front of the line spot.

So, did the homosexuals try any other bakers after the first refused?

[CORedneck]

In my opinion, they have and still have a right to refuse service to the homosexuals. Of course to cut down on persecution from the P.C. folks, play the game of ‘well sure....’ but then at the last possible minute, make up some story such as something doesn’t work in the backroom and offer to fully refund the money and hopefully be done with them for this year. Hopefully next year, they will remember how it got ****ed up and go to a different place to bother.

[CORedneck]

I was growing up at the time when a lot of changes were coming. Personally, I don’t give a rat *** who you are but want to be paid as I perform a service for you. I don’t want to have details on what you do, let me know what you need and I can get that taken care of but not any more than that. In my job, I had to take care of a gay/lesbian customer, I update the customer and what they need done with their software. Do enough to where their issue is done and then close or transfer the ticket as fast as possible and hope not to see it ever again !

Hard line to walk, help someone with their business software that I am revoltingly against. Usually on those tickets, update it to where I can kick it out of my queue at end of day and hopefully not see it again !

[houeto]

.”Accidentally” mistake the jar of salt for sugar and give them a cake they'll never forget.

My mom, bless her heart, did that more than once. She never was a good cook, still isn't, but she tries. Never could make gravy without lumps. One year she forgot to boil the eggs for Easter. Oh Lord, what a mess we made!

She's up in her seventies now and has learned where to buy good food like HoneyBaked Hams and such. She's my love! Funny too.

[rfreedom4u]

Since the baker runs a PRIVATE business that I assume does not cross state line the feds have no say.

(that whole interstate commerce thing....)