Straight Arrow News | by Star Parker | December 9, 2022
A majority of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court appears sympathetic to an evangelical Christian web designer who is refusing, based on her religious beliefs, to provide services to same-sex couples planning to wed. Lorie Smith is seeking an exemption from a Colorado state law that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. She claims there should be exemptions to the law depending on what type of business it is. Creative businesses like Smith’s, for instance, are different than hotels, restaurants or retailers and should be protected by the First Amendment. Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker argues Smith and others should be able to earn a living within the bounds of their faith.
And as we await the court’s decision, it’s important that all Americans realize what is at risk, because in a free country, you can be compelled to act. However, you can’t be compelled, though, to act against your own faith and have threats from government action. We’re a free country. People are able to choose how they want to live. But now we’re talking about a conflicting worldview.
Is it acceptable for the government to force anyone to promote speech they fundamentally disagree with? We can only hope the court will answer these questions this time with a resounding no. We’ll know next summer. The left will have you believe that intrusions on religious liberties are necessary to protect the LGBTQ community. Similarly, advocates have argued that refusing to subject the religious community to harsh penalties will unleash a wave of racist, sexist and homophobic hate.
This is the lie we should all reject. Both Jack and Lorie never refused services to the LGBTQ community. They just refused to endorse, promote or facilitate messages that defied their faith. America is a tolerant and loving country. We can have civil disagreements without demonizing each other. Or can we? Because this is coming to a head. Because at core, Lorie Smith and Jack Phillips are simply Christian business owners seeking to earn a living within the bounds of their faith in a free country.
They should be able to do so. They should be able to protect their religious liberties while serving their public without invoking such hatred response from the alphabet mafia that is now attempting to pass their agenda in Congress and have the president of the United States sign it into law.
Source: Parker: Web designer should not be forced to work on same-sex weddings (straightarrownews.com)
