The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Colorado baker has the legal right to refuse to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, because of his own religious objections to same-sex marriage and I understand the ruling -what might come as a surprise to many of you.
I just recently started to understand my freedom to deny business to anybody, when I asked a potential new customer to leave my workroom. I told him plain and frankly that I would not work for him -or with him- and showed him the way to the door.
- You come into my workroom armed with a weapon -I will have you removed.
- You come into my workroom dressed inappropriately -I will ask you to leave.
- You come into my workroom and use a language that I don’t approve off -I will politely show you the door.
- You come into my workroom selling bibles, vacuum cleaner or other go(o)ds -I will point to the NO SOLICITATION sign and will close the door quickly.
- You come into my workroom with a dripping ice cream cone or food items other than chocolate -I will ask you to eat outside.
- You come into my workroom drunk or high as a kite – I will help you find the exit.
- You come into my workroom asking for donations – I will point to the exit.
- If you openly show racism or a neo-nazi belief -I will ask you to never come back.
I don’t do stupid -that’s my religious belief.
I don’t like to offend people, not even the ones who are ignorant and arrogant. If I don’t want to work for you, I will find a way to deny my service without offending the ones that like to offend others. I will find a way to sadly decline, without giving out too much information about my priorities or beliefs.
“Goodness, I am booked to the end of the year already, I wish I could make room, but there is just no way,” works like a charm and is not really a lie. If you will still insist, I quote the project so high, that it will make up for the brain cells I might lose while working for you.
My business my rules. Some customers might be offended by the small safety-pin-sticker above my desk, many more might be insulted by the fact that I don’t believe in religion and I don’t listen to country music -if they would only know. Besides the safety pin, I keep my beliefs to myself and expect others to do the same. I will never abuse my right to refuse business but appreciate that I have it.
The ruling of the Supreme court was correct, I read the full decision and agree with it. Denying to bake a wedding cake cannot be seen as an act of discrimination. The decision of the Supreme Court was not anti-gay. There are other rulings to come in favor of the gay couple, I am certain.
As for the baker, refusing business because of religion is rated highly stupid in my books. The baker should from now have a questionnaire ready for all his customers. He should ask them about divorce, abortion, and of course adultery. There won’t be many customers left to serve, I am afraid.
A tussle going through the Irish courts at the moment concerns the icing on the cake. The bakers objection was to the message they were asked to display, not the cake itself. They lost, and are appealing
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You would think we have bigger problems in the world than the icing on the cake. 🙂
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🙂
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I really enjoyed reading this post. It really pays to read everything before jumping in with a half baked diatribe. The Courts decision is a good one. Great post, thank you. Off to read about the safety pin.
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I was once challenged for my age in a pub as a student in Oxford. I went back to my room and got my passport, showed it to the owner and he barred me for being ‘facetious’. I never returned. Neither did any of my friends. For whatever reason he didn’t like me. I had to accept that and take my business elsewhere. He lost quite a bit of business because of whatever it was that offended him but no-one was hurt. And that really is the thing. You are absolutely right to support this ruling. In the end people have the right to their own views. If that hurts their business (and this will undoubtedly hurt the bakers business) it is their own affair and their own making. I loved this piece. Thank you.
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Thank you for your kind word. I am glad you liked the post, it was a heartfelt plea to the ones who judge so harshly and too often without deeper knowledge.
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You are talking to a kindred spirit with that remark. And it gets worse – people have lost the ability to read and digest before they react.
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Amen to that. (Goodness, did I just type that?)
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😊 and 😂.
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Evolution – a fascinating subject 😂 xx
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Reblogged this on Praying for Eyebrowz and commented:
I get this. A great piece by nonsmokingladybug.wordpress.com.
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When I first hear the SCOTUS decision my heart sank, as I was concerned about the implication. But like you, I ended up reading the whole thing and the decision made more sense. I do think that the baker may (and I’d almost hope) suffer some loss in revenue for his position, which is largely the way I think we should resolve most issues. I know I wouldn’t be interested in his bakery. I know the Bible fairly well…my upbringing includes a very strong Evangelical education. I hope this baker also asks each person ordering a cake if they are honest and truth-telling, as well as if they “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” and we can go on for days. LOL! I’m fairly certain that is not the case. I enjoyed reading your post. You said it ALL very well!
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I agree with you. Money talks and losing business hurts. I am glad you enjoyed the post and I am thrilled to know that you too read up on the decision.
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I wonder if the CoLORADO baker I n store o an y Muslim and owner refuse to serve him because their God wasn’t his?
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That last paragraph says it all. He doesn’t like making money? As an entrepreneur? That is stupid. Doing so because of a high and mighty attitude? Even more stupid. Just my opinion, of course. 😃
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As always, I appreciate your opinion.
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I really agree with you. I think people should have a right not to serve people, regardless of whether or not I think they should do so. I also think that if someone is a bigot, then the market will run them out of business, because people will want to go elsewhere. Plus I think that KKK image says it all- I think individuals have a right to have freedom of association.
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The KKK picture is an eye opener isn’t it?
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I like that last cartoon. Please tell me what a safety pin means–is it still the allies thing…? I lose track of what goes on sometimes!
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I think this will explain the safety pin and it’s history best. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/fashion/safety-pin-ally-activism.html
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This is a tough issue and I’m sure many people will call foul on this case decision, but I agree with everything you said.
I struggled with this case because on one hand I’m deeply troubled by behaviour that is homophobic, racist, or just plain lacking in common decency. But on the other hand, if I owned a business, I would also be deeply troubled if the law forced me to serve someone who offended me … just as you demonstrated in your examples.
The line is pretty thin though. In this case, rather than be subtle about it, I suspect the baker exercised his right to be a jerk.
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Agree Joanne! This being a ‘religious freedom’ issue, and there will always be those who interpret the bible literally, it’s a tough call. Some sincerely believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and swear that they’re not homophobic. I’ve read that this particular case was decided for reasons specific to this case so who knows where others will go. 🙂
http://www.meinthemiddlewrites.com
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It’s a slippery slope isn’t it?
I expect more ruling to come as I expect more people trying to abuse the ruling.
There are always two sides to a story and I think I got my point across. 🙂
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