The owner of “Masterpiece Cakeshop” in Lakewood, Colorado, a Christian, has filed an appeal to challenge a judge’s ruling that he must bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples. Doing so violates his religious freedom because doing so would violate his conscience.
“Jack simply exercised the long-cherished freedom to not speak by declining to promote a false view of marriage through his creative work,” explained lead counsel Nicolle Martin. “It’s outrageous that the government would turn its guns on Jack and threaten him with a potential jail sentence unless he says and does what the government demands.”
Two men who had gotten a marriage license in Massachusetts filed a discrimination lawsuit against Jack Phillips when he refused to make a cake for a gay wedding because it was against his beliefs. In December of 2013, a Colorado judge ruled that his actions amounted to discrimination and is therefore not protected under the law.
The judge also rejected the claim that Phillips has the right to live his religious beliefs in his business practices. He said the state is not regulating his beliefs, only his conduct.
Phillips has no conflict baking other products for homosexual customers, but baking a wedding cake would publicly affirm same-sex marriage. But the Colorado judge is attempting to force him to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs.
“Forcing Americans to promote ideas against their will undermines our constitutionally protected freedom of expression and our right to live free. If the government can take away our First Amendment freedoms, there is nothing it can’t take away.”
Religious freedom is increasingly under direct assault. The reasoning used to deny religious freedom will one day be used also to deny other religious freedoms, such as the day of worship.
The Bible predicts that religious freedom will be overthrown. “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17
Religious freedom cannot begin with attacking worship itself, but by eroding it in relation to social issues, it will set court precedents that will justify more intrusive breaches of religious freedom.