Re: July 22 guest commentary.
Jack Phillips confuses the issue in his guest commentary. He writes that he is a cake artist, that he creates cakes, not just bakes them. It is a creative design issue, he writes, not bigotry.
To be convincing here, he would need to show that the customers wanted his creative input to the design in some homosexual way that he could not relate to as an artist — that his ideas would come up dry or inappropriate. Then he might say, “I don’t think I’m the right guy to do this for you. I have issues that would not let me do my best work for you. Here’s the phone number of another shop that I think could do a better job of getting you what you want.”
However, if the customers were to come in and say, “We want the #14 from your idea book, but put two grooms on the top,” and Phillips were to refuse even that, then I would say his defense of his refusal rings hollow, that he is simply acting on religious bigotry by refusing to provide equal service to some people who don’t conform to his religious tenets.
It would be just as wrong for lumberyards to refuse to sell 2x4s to build churches of which the owner doesn’t approve, or for individual postal workers to refuse to deliver mail to other people’s churches.
Phillips’ business exists on a road built with homosexual taxes as well as heterosexual taxes. Atheists also pay the police who protect him, his family and his business. The list goes on.
Pray as you wish, believe as you must, but if you want to do business with the public, you are required to serve the entire public.
Paul Brown, Denver
Little did it occur to Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, that the religious freedom which Americans have enjoyed for generations would one day be assailed under the guise of “discriminatory” laws. That bakers, florists and photographers would be humiliated, fined or put out of business for refusing to violate their moral and religious convictions was unimaginable a decade or two ago.
Writing in The Denver Post, he explained: “Same-sex unions are not an idea I can help celebrate. And for that, the government wants to put me out of business. Wants to reject the teachings of my faith.” He added, “Thatap not just my government telling me what I can and can’t do. Thatap my government telling me what I can and can’t believe.”
It is fitting that Alliance Defending Freedom is representing Phillips in his appeal to the U.S.Supreme Court. His message deserves to be heard.
Brian Stuckey, Denver
Guest columnist Jack Phillips has found disapproval of same-sex marriage in the Bible and taken this “truth” into his heart. He cannot in good conscience use his talents to support an idea that his faith opposes. Consequently, he is forced to withhold his cake-design services from gay couples.
What should a diverse society do when one segment of society justifies their discrimination towards another segment by their religious beliefs? Fortunately, we have a template for this. It was not that long ago when disapproval of interracial marriages could also be found in the Bible. Ultimately our courts decided that the right of all our members to be treated equally took precedence over religious rationalizations of the status quo. The same is happening for our gay/lesbian members. I sympathize with Phillips’ position, but I hope that he can open his heart enough to consider the possibility that an all-loving God approves of love and marriage for all His children.
Douglas Willey, Thornton
Jack Phillips’ defense of not baking a wedding cake for a gay couple was well-written and thoughtful.
As a devout Christian, I want to respond to his opinion piece. The first thing I learned in Bible studies is what Jesus said when asked about his commandments:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So if we act out of love, we are following God’s commandments. All those old laws are in the Old Testament not to tell us how to live today but as a record of how harsh ancient laws were before Jesus came to wipe out our sins and teach us to live in love.
If Phillips has eaten pork or shellfish, he defied the Law. If he has worn clothing made from two fabrics, he broke the Law. If he fails to pay employees daily, he is breaking the Law. There are so many rules in the Old Testament. No one could possibly adhere to them all. Many are good guidelines. If we’d all refuse to steal, murder or commit adultery, the world would be a better place. But we don’t need to memorize thousands of Old Testament laws. We only need to act out of love. And (in my opinion), a loving person does not forbid anyone from buying a product like a wedding cake.
Dixie J-Elder, Longmont
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