I am outraged that today an Oregon judge ruled against Christian bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes, who refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding. Aaron and Melissa were simply living up to their convictions—they did not want to participate in the wedding ceremony based on their belief in the biblical definition of marriage. They have been forced to move their business to their home due to harassment from gay activists, and now the fines may completely bankrupt them. I pray that they will fight this all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, and that we as freedom-loving Americans would stand behind them with our prayers and financial support.
I wondered how long it would take for Todd Starnes to weigh in on this. It’s a good thing he doesn’t even pretend to masquerade as a journalist, but Fox News allows him to pursue his Far Right “Christians are being persecuted!” agenda. What else could one surmise from this headline:
Christian bakers face government wrath for refusing to make cake for gay wedding
Right, the Big, Bad Government once again tramples the rights of good, God-fearing patriots who simply want to be left alone and allowed to hate and discriminate against who they choose.
It’s What Jesus Would Do ©, don’tchaknow??
Wow, the thought that gay people wanted to be treated just like…people is just too much for the owner a middling IQ like Starnes to process. The idea that two people love one another and simply wish to be able to celebrate their love and make a lifetime commitment is evidently enough to make his point li’l haid ‘splode, knowhutimean?
Aaron and Melissa Klein refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, and now they must pay for their crime.
An Oregon administrative law judge ruled on Jan. 29 that the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa did, in fact, discriminate in 2013 when they declined to provide a wedding cake for a lesbian couple because it would have violated their Christian beliefs against same-sex marriage….
I spoke with Aaron Klein by telephone Monday night. He told me the judge’s ruling is a miscarriage of justice and an erosion of religious liberty.
“They’re trying to push us into the closet for being Christians,” he said.
Klein said it’s time for Americans to take a stand for religious liberty.
“The Founding Fathers said we have the inalienable rights given by God — not man,” he said. “Let’s exercise those rights.”
Sorry, y’all, but those “inalienable rights given by God” don’t include discriminating against those whose sexuality you happen to disapprove of. It also doesn’t include using those “rights” to deny service to someone. That kinda went out with the end of the civil rights struggle, remember?
All the two women wanted was a wedding cake, which the Kleins happily provided on a regular basis to same-sex couples. They refused to provide the cake, citing their religious beliefs (uh, yeah…as if there’s a religious right to bigotry) as justification. The problem with doing this is that they violated Oregon law, which expressly prohibits exactly what the Kleins did. Now a judge has found them guilty, and they face a fine of at least $150,000. Predictably, the Kleins have reacted indignantly, claiming their religious liberty is being trampled. Hmm…when last I checked, there aren’t any “inalienable rights given by God” that allow for treating people like second-class citizens.
The way the law is written, there’s little doubt but that the Kleins are guilty…not that this will stop them from playing the martyrdom card, of course. Here’s the problem with their case, though: Jesus Christ never preached against homosexuality; He preached tolerance, acceptance, and kindness- something the Kleins and their defenders clearly know little about. Perhaps if they actually read Jesus’ teaching, instead of cherry-picking what fits their fears and prejudices, they might be more than just common, garden variety cafeteria Christians.
The Kleins certainly have the right to the prejudices, but couching them in the guise of “religious belief” as is cowardly as it is dishonest. They don’t have the moral courage to admit to hating gays, so they wrap in their bastardized version of Christianity so they can feel superior. The case against them is clear, and the decision should hardly come as a surprise. If you run a business in Oregon, you can’t deny your goods or services to someone who’s a member of a protected minority class.
I hope the women denied the wedding cake were able to find one and that they celebrated their commitment to one another with joy and laughter…and I hope the Kleins learn that when karma and schadenfreude collide, the result can be very unpleasant indeed.
