Why do religious people want special rights to refuse service but not be refused service themselves?

Question

If religious people want to deny service to people based on their dearly held religious beliefs then I believe we have a right to refuse service to religious people based on our freedom of speech.

Answer 1

In the UK, a so called Christian couple that owned a bed and breakfast refused service to a homosexual couple. They were fined and told that they could not discriminate. They ended up selling their bed and breakfast business. Many countries have more progressive laws than the USA.

Answer 2

They aren't refusing service...that would be illegal. They are refusing to do a specific act based on their beliefs.



Like a Muslim not selling liquor...doesn't matter who is asking...black, white, asian. It is the task they are refusing not the person



if a straight person came in asking the baker to bake a cake for a gay wedding he would still refuse.....they customer is straight...its the act they object to.

Answer 3

The right to refuse service can be argued using the following..



1. freedom of religion.

2. The right to association

3. The right to property.

4. The right to contract.



Using the freedom of speech to refuse service doesn't make much sense to me. Can you explain your reasoning?

Answer 4

Since time immemorial, perhaps since prehistoric times, religion and politics have been tightly twisted together. And still today! Religion has been enormously useful for politicians to do stuff they wanted that had nothing to do with religion. It's been used to justify wars, genocide, slavery, you name it.



That's what's happening here. The American fundamentalist Christian movement has been co-opted by the Republican Party. Otherwise intelligent, well-meaning Christians don't understand where religion leaves off and politics begins. They've been sold a political bill of goods as religious tenets.



And they've been carefully taught to believe their rights are being abridged, their 'religious freedom' is under attack. Because anger, wanting to fight for your rights, is a big political motivator. It gets people to the polls.



This is why Christians believe gays and Muslims and blacks and Jews and Muslims are 'taking over'. It's why they believe THEY should be the arbiters of our national morals, why they see this as their right and just 'the way things oughtta be'. It's why they keep picking fights over baking cakes for gay weddings, etc.



Refusing to serve Christians is the same as refusing to serve gays. It's not protected by the 1st Amendment, in fact it's the 1st Amendment that makes it illegal!

Answer 5

Looks like you're fairly uneducated.

Answer 6

Take it to R&S.

Answer 7

Religious freedom is above the law. If you come after my faith you will regret it for the rest of your life!

Answer 8

Entitlement.



Personally, I think businesses should be allowed to refuse service to anyone.



But religious people are raging hypocrites and want to be able to sue for discrimination while discriminating against homosexuals, secularists, atheists, and other group they deem "evil".

Answer 9

I'm good with repealing most of the Civil Rights Act at this point. Because that's where it comes from.



And I really don't see the damages here. If one place wants to be jagoffs I'm good with going to the thousands of others.