It’s been a busy week for the U.S. Supreme Court. The nine justices heard arguments in the case of a Colorado web designer who doesn’t want to be forced to create wedding websites for homosexual couples. She says doing so violates her religious convictions. Colorado, if you remember, is where cake baker Jack Phillips claimed his religious liberties were violated by having to bake cakes for same-sex couples. He eventually won his case on a technicality.
Now, a pro-life group in Virginia that had reserved a meeting room and meals at a Richmond restaurant, had its reservation abruptly cancelled over its pro-family stances. In a column at The Federalist, Victoria Cobb says one of the owners of Metzger’s Bar and Butchery pulled the plug on the event because The Family Foundation of Virginia’s pro-life and pro-traditional marriage positions “violated the ‘basic human rights’ of women and LGBT individuals.” The event was planned weeks in advance and was scrubbed after an employee of the restaurant looked up the organization on social media.
After pointing out that the right to life is the most basic of human rights and traditional marriage the bedrock of Western civilization, Cobb said this is just another example of the gospel of woke: “The new intolerant religion controlling the left. Anyone who refuses to bow before their altar must be subdued, discriminated against, and punished. It’s a godless religion without mercy and without hope. “That Christians are being targeted should not be a surprise. Jesus warned us that the world would hate us in His name.
But there is a silver lining to this story. In a truly free society, any business owner should have the right to serve or not serve anyone they choose. Nobody should be compelled by government to offer any service, if by doing so, it would violate their religious beliefs. In other words, any business should have the right to refuse service to anyone they wish for any reason. They may eventually pay a heavy price for that decision, but it’s their decision to make. Let the free market settle these issues. The Family Foundation will have to fellowship and dine at an establishment that welcomes their stances on life and marriage. The same should hold true for homosexual couples, let them have their cakes baked by a cake maker in alignment with their beliefs.
The example I frequently use is a barber who refuses to cut your hair for whatever reason. It doesn’t matter. Why should he be obligated to cut your hair if he doesn’t want to. And why would you want your hair cut by someone who is doing it against his will. You might risk more than just a bad haircut.
We could be seeing a cultural shift toward a more libertarian view on the role of government in these kinds of disputes. Many First Amendment battles would be better solved if government were removed from the equation. Hopefully, in the coming years the High Court will be asked to rule on similar cases that will reverse the federal over-reach in this area.
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