As more and more states in the US and in various parts of the world start to accept and legalize gay marriages, there are now laws in other parts trying to allow various private organizations and businesses to refuse serving people or activities that these entities think are "contrary to their beliefs". Of course, they word it that way so that it doesn't sound as if they are targeting gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender community. But they are.
But there is a side effect to this and everyone seems to have missed! Let's look at the case of this baker in Ireland who refused to make a silly cake:
"We just didn't want to be forced to use our creative skills to help endorse and promote a campaign message that went against our sincerely held religious beliefs," he said.
"We are just trying to be faithful to the Bible. We think it is wrong to use the law to force anyone to say something that they oppose, and we hope the court will take the same view."
OK, let's run with that, shall we? What if a Muslim person walks into this bakery, and requested a cake for "Happy Eid Fitr"? Will he also refuse to do such a cake? After all, it is "promoting" a festival of another religion, and what is more offensive to his Christian belief than the promotion of another religion that clearly claims that his belief is false?
The same can be applied to all those laws in the books in various states in the US. Are people of various religions can now refuse to serve those of the opposite religion? Keep in mind that the most serious attack on one religion is another religion, considering that each considers the others to be false! So who should you be most offended with, a GLBT person, or someone who practices another religion?
Yet, if this baker or if the laws were to say that we can refuse to serve someone just because of his or her beliefs, everyone will be up in arms and shouting religious discrimination! But that is what such beliefs and such laws allow! So why aren't people seeing and addressing that?
Zz.
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