No, it won’t
become a law but they’ve already begun conditioning people with things like the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana. This law would allow
businesses to legally use religion as a means to deny services. And believe me
I am completely aware that there are those among my friends who don’t necessarily
disagree and find justification in allowing this form of discrimination. Those
who say people should not be forced to go against their religious beliefs. But
what if I belong to a religion which states that those who have a second toe
bigger than their first are inherently immoral and allowing them to marry would
be an abomination. So here you come strolling (not sure if that’s the correct
term considering that toe of yours) into my bakery and you expect me to bake a
cake for your deviant ass. Uh no, ain’t gonna happen take your irregular digit out
of here, we don’t serve your kind. As ridiculous as that may sound that’s
exactly what this type of legislation does. Seriously, can someone point out
the biblical passage which states thou
shalt not serve the Gays because I must have missed that one in Sunday
school. And as an aside no self-respecting Gay couple is going to have some greasy
ass pizza joint cater their wedding. Their Gay cards would be revoked before
they hung up the phone.
Then there
are those of you who say just take your business elsewhere. Fine but I shouldn’t
have to worry when I walk into my local burger joint whether or not I’m going
to be denied a burger with cheese hold the tomato, based on some fundamentalist
nut ball theology and then have to search until I find an accepting one. If you open your business to the public, you must
serve the public. All the public. You're not allowed to slice and dice and pick
and choose the portion you find acceptable and not serve those you find icky. And stop with the stupid
analogies. No, if an African-American owns a print shop you cannot be forced to
print an offensive sign for the KKK.
What you can be forced to do is to
produce the same product for everyone who comes into your business. That’s not
discrimination because you’re not printing hate speech signs for others and
then refusing to do the same for the KKK.
It’s simply not the same as refusing to make somebody a cake or a pizza just
because they're Gay. You can restrict your product not your customers and if
you feel your religious beliefs are being trounced maybe you should open up a
private bakery, perhaps in your church hall. And by the way just because you’re
baking a damn cake doesn’t mean you’re participating
in the wedding. Nobody sent your dumb ass an invitation, drop off the cake and keep
it pushing.
Let’s not
forget folks that religious misinterpretation has been used for centuries as a
tool to subjugate and rule over others. Check these out, Ephesians 6:5-6 and Titus
2:9-10. White supremacy in the south had its curse of Ham roots in southern Baptist and Protestant churches
where Jim Crow laws used the Bible as
justification for their racist segregationist ideology. Today just replace
interracial marriage with Gay marriage in any anti same sex marriage conversation,
tie it up in a big pretty religious bow of intolerance, and you sound just like
George Wallace in front of a schoolhouse circa 1963 Alabama. And for those who
believe in its absolute literal interpretation just remember the Bible was
written by people who were confused and baffled as to where the sun went at
night. Take the Bible for when it was written and by whom. Anyone who would
propose killing in the name of God is absolutely wrong. That’s not God that’s
man.
