Thread by @BryanDeanWright

Let’s tackle it, brother...

A thread on the #GayWeddingCake decision, asking a simple question:

How can a gay guy support the Christian baker?

To the thread!

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Let’s start with a scenario: I decide to get married. (Gulp)

First, I understand that society is evolving. My religion is evolving. My family is evolving.

That’s just life.

To those that reject me, I offer grace, love, & patience. In my quiet moments, I feel pangs of sorrow.

Yet a wedding only requires me, my love, & an officiant. Maybe a witness.

I don’t have the right to force anyone to join. That includes an Orthodox Jew or evangelical Christian to officiate.

My right to wed doesn’t trump their right to a sincerely held religious belief.

Meanwhile, the Gov’t must grant me a marriage license. Why?

Our republic rests on protecting unalienable rights. Life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.

A central path to happiness for most Americans is marriage. It’s the bedrock of social, financial, & emotional stability

Meanwhile, if you’re a government worker who objects to issuance, tough cookies. (I’m looking at you, #KimDavis)

While on the clock, we must faithfully execute our duties. It is not a time to evangelize or stand our religious ground.

If that’s too hard, it’s time for a new job

That leaves us, though, with the legally & morally sticky areas. Like the florists. Musicians. Photographers.

The bakers.

Should the Gov’t force them to serve folks like me or face fines / jail if they refuse?

#SCOTUS ruled in the Colorado case that, well... it depends. For this particular CO baker, they decided overwhelmingly (7-2) he was wrongly persecuted.

However, Justice #Kennedy made clear that in another case / time, it could be different.

That’s why it was a narrow ruling.

This means we must still wrestle with each case as it comes.

My view: a desire for a cake does not trump a baker’s religious beliefs. His faith is a sacred, foundational right. Our republic depends on these liberties.

My want of a cake / flowers / etc simply doesn’t come close.

None of this means I can’t find remedy with what I see as an injustice.

Maybe I start a letter campaign. Or open my own bakery.

Or maybe I buy the guy a cup of coffee. We talk. We listen. We grow.

That’s how it should be. That’s how America wrestles w/ opposing beliefs.

A line is prob crossed, however, when I can no longer find reasonable accommodation of my needs.

For instance, in my rural county, there’s only one florist.

I imagine #SCOTUS will be hearing cases like this in the future. And I suspect that the ruling will not be 7-2 but 5-4.

Bottom line: If we, as a nation, are to deny someone their #ReligiousFreedom, we better make damn sure the reason for doing so is of grave consequence to the offended.

Otherwise, we risk more than just a lost cake.

We risk the very liberties that make America so exceptional.