Posted on 07/29/2014 8:14:09 AM PDT by xzins
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Imagine being ordered to go against your religious beliefs, and if you refuse, you could be arrested, fined, or sued.
That happened to the Christian owner of a Colorado bakery who now must make wedding cakes for gay couples.
However, the owner is standing his ground and his action is inspiring people around the world.
Discriminating Accusation
The sign on the door reads "Celebrating 20 Years of Great Cakes!" For two decades, Masterpiece Cakeshop has created art in the form of baked goods that keeps customers coming back.
From cookies and cupcakes to signature cakes, Jack Phillips and his daughter Lisa have transformed their bakery into a studio. Phillips said it's all inspired and motivated by his faith in Jesus Christ.
"It's the most important thing that I think about throughout the day. When I wake up, when I go to work, I want to know that what I'm doing is pleasing to Him, that I honor Him and His Word because that's the most important thing," Phillips said.
But Phillips' Christian faith landed him in trouble with the law. His crime: adhering to his biblical belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
In 2012, a homosexual couple sued the baker after he declined to make a cake to celebrate their marriage. An administrative law judge ruled against him, and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission agreed.
The commission stated Phillips' refusal went against the state's public accommodation law. It requires businesses to serve customers regardless of their sexual orientation.
In a public statement, one member of the Civil Rights Commission said, "I can believe anything I want, but if I'm going to do business here, I'd ought to not discriminate against people."
"I didn't discriminate against anybody," Phillips countered. "Like Nicolle (his attorney) said, I've chosen not to make cakes for same-sex weddings. I told David and Charlie when they came in that I would sell them cookies and brownies and birthday cakes and shower cakes. I just don't do the same-sex wedding cake. So I did not discriminate against them, just that event I've chosen not to participate in."
His attorney Nicolle Martin said the Commission violated his First Amendment rights. She's taken the case to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Conform to Comply
The Civil Rights Commission's order requires Phillips and his staff to make cakes for same-sex celebrations if asked.
He must also re-educate his staff about Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act. Under that law, artists must endorse all views.
The order also requires him to put in place new policies to comply with the Commission's order.
In addition, he will submit quarterly "compliance" reports to the government for two years.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom, the reports must include the number of customers declined a wedding cake or any other product. They must also include why it was declined "so to ensure he has fully eliminated his religious beliefs from his business."
"The government has chosen which message it favors in this case; I think the state has made it very clear," Martin said.
"Jack's First Amendment rights, Jack's freedom to express himself or more importantly, not express himself, must bow to the complainants' message," she said. "And all I can say is what that looks like to me is something very frightening, and that's nothing more than diversity through conformity, and that's not diversity at all," she added.
First Amendment Disappearing?
Phillips' case is one of a handful in which complainants sued private businesses for refusing to accommodate gay couples getting married.
It also helped lead to controversial proposals in several states allowing businesses to decline service based on the religious beliefs of owners.
"This case is not about and it has never been about the young men that came in here almost two years ago asking Jack to design and create their cake," Martin said. "This case has always been about the message that that cake expresses, what that cake communicates."
"It's surprising," Phillips said. "This is not what they taught us in civics class... they could do this to you. They do this in other countries, not here."
"So Jack stands on the First Amendment. In this case, we're going to learn whether the First Amendment has a future in America," Martin said.
In a country founded on freedom of religion and speech, that's a future important to all Americans
I agree. Those and freedom of religion are the real gross violations here.
I’m trying to imagine one of the founding fathers walking into a bakery and demanding they bake a gay wedding cake and arguing that it’s all about equality.
(Walking into a pacifist Quaker blacksmith shop and demanding they make a sword)
Never would have happened
Thank you...it would be my pleasure..if anyone is interested in donating him, please visit his website, there is a donation link. masterpiececakes.com
Why would you think it would be anything other than Christian with the Gov. we have?.... the overall thuggery happening is not just with Christians.....IRS comes to mind.....land grabs and environmentalist attacks on industry...the list is endless.
“While I don’t agree with the decision, I don’t understand why the shop owners don’t make a hidious cake for these customers. “
Ditto. More subtle ways to handle these situations:
1. “When do you need that cake? Let me check my book. Uh oh, I’m booked up and won’t be able to get that cake out for a couple of weeks after your wedding. Could I suggest a less busy bakery down the street?”
2. Bake the damn cake, but out of expired cake mixes from Dollar General and expired canned icing from same. Do a less than stellar job on the decorations. Cheerfully offer a full refund and profuse apologies regarding any complaints.
But upfront tells the couple that all profits will be donated to a Christian organization that provides Gay Conversion Therapy
...if you think he’s in trouble now, wait till he does something like that...
surely the queer turd bandits in the commisioners office cant force him to set prices too...
Would the Colorado Commission take Mr. Phillips to task if he refused to make a cake that had white hooded Klansmen (modeled after Grand Keagle Robert Byrd) lynching a black man? He’d be infringing on the Klan’s right to free speech
...the issue deals with so called sexual discrimination, not free speech...a better analogy would be if he would refuse to bake a cake for a guy and a girl who were publicly announcing their intention to swap spouses with six other couples after their wedding night-also a non Biblical approach to marriage...
Once homosexual behavior became enshrined as a civil right, it was all over.
You can no more refuse to take business from homosexuals than you can from Black people or Jews or Moslems.
The problem is that sexual behavior is NOT protected by the Constitution.
Only Speeech, Ancestry, and Religious Expression are protected thereby.
The fight was lost when homosexual acts were decriminalized.
Find a gay owned flower shop, for instance and order Nazi and KKK themed floral displays. Let’s see whether or not they enforce the law in this case.
...if the request could be traced back to you, you would then be arrested for inciting domestic terrorism...
Actually that’s completely legal.
Some of the other suggestions out there will open him to civil (make an ugly cake) or even criminal (bake Ex-Lax into the cake) suits.
But just saying that he’ll donate the profits to a charity that provides a service thats legal in all states but New Jersey? The only recourse to that is sputtering outrage. Which he’s already getting anyways.
***They must also include why it was declined “so to ensure he has fully eliminated his religious beliefs from his business.”***
As I’ve pointed out to atheists/homosexuals who go nuts about this, this is about religious freedom, not discrimination. (As demonstrated by your quote.)
I always ask them, “so you are in favor of forcing a Jewish kosher deli to make ham sandwiches if a customer demands it?”
They go, no that’s completely different, to which I reply, no, it’s exactly the same.
Not likely.
my tagline!
CWII Spark — You are not allowed to dissent unless that dissent is approved dissent.
“You take it up with the people who wrote the statutes by pressing the test.
Do it, make a stink about it, bring it to court if nothing else for unequal protection under the law. Make them work to justify it.”
Yeah, good luck with that. Not wasting my money pursuing a court case that every judge will toss out.
But just saying that he’ll donate the profits to a charity that provides a service thats legal in all states but New Jersey?
...certain lawyers and judges could see extortion in that premise-the vendor has no standing to force customers what organizations to support with the money he expects to collect from them...
I was born in Cook County. If David and Charlie had pull this stunt then Vinnie and Guido would have to pay them a light night visit. After the vist there would be no more issues. Sadly Christians do not handle their problems in such efficient ways.
Nice attitude. Brings Paine’s “sunshine soldier, summer patriot” to mind.
Hang on to your money and life as you know it for as long as they let you.
RIP America...
Not likely.
...your scenario would be exactly the same as burning a cross in someone’s yard...you might be prosecuted, maybe not...but remember, should one do what you suggest it is easy (given an aggressive attorney) to expose as a specific and retaliatory targeting of a particular group, for purposes of threat and intimidation, whereas the tactics of Charlie and David, underhanded and spurious as they may be, do not...
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