Let's just say for the sake of argument that what you believe in your religion is right for you. I get it. Religion is a personal thing. And let's just say that I believe you when you say that you take your religion so seriously and literally that you feel that God's instructions to you are that you should stone homosexuals to death. (Leviticus 6:66 or whatever) I'm not down with that, but I'm willing to believe that that is what you think your God is saying.
You now want to assert that if you are a baker, requiring that you to bake a cake for homosexuals, as you would for anyone else, is not allowing you the freedom to follow your religion. (We'll forget about the shellfish, bacon, virgin brides and whatnot you never seem to mention.) The reason I hear you give for this is that your bible, and they way you interpret it, commands you to Stone Homosexuals (first and foremost) and then if you have any time left over, love your neighbor, forgive others, feed the poor and so on.
Since America is founded on religious freedom — which includes the fact that you can't jail or kill someone for being of a different religion; and since we can't go around killing people right and left without trials (certain conditions apply); then we can both agree that it is unlikely that you are going to get permission to pick up a stone and kill a homosexual with it. Even if he did ask for fondant, that's just not gonna happen here in America circa 2015.
Mike Pence's law doesn't give you permission to stone people. (We will forget the bloody fantasies of the California bullet-to-the-head-of-gays ballot initiative for sake of rational argument.)
My question is: Where exactly in your bible does it say “thou shalt not bake cakes for homosexuals”?
What chapter and verse is that? Because I've read the bible (granted, a long time ago) and I didn't see that part. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered it because I love cake and I'm gay.
Nor do I remember the verse about not selling flowers to gays. Or refusing service to lesbians. All I remember is stoning and that you shouldn't lie with a man as you would with a woman — which, let's face it, men lie to women all the time. But lying to your buddies is just stupid cause they end up not trusting you. (Women don't trust you to begin with.)
Anyway, back to the cake thing: Are you trying to say that “not selling a cake” to someone is equivalent to stoning them to death? If so, why do we have these expensive death row prisons and confusion as to what drugs to use to execute someone? It would be easier to just say “Hey, he murdered someone and was found guilty — sentence him to life without cake.” No cake or cupcakes or even brownies!!! Put him on a “no buy” list. Sure he could get guns or alcohol. But the minute he tries to buy cake — gotcha. No cake for you!
Somehow, I don't think the victim's family is gonna feel that justice was done. I don't think society is gonna buy it either. Sure our criminal population won't be as hefty, but is that really a deterrent?
Refusing service to someone based on sexual orientation is not equivalent to stoning them to death. It just simply isn't.
Which means that refusing service isn't holy, or keeping with your religion — it's just mean. And it goes both ways. If you get caught in a car crash and you end up in my ER unconscious, with blood spurting out — and I notice your gold cross necklace — wouldn't it be reassuring for you to know that I'll treat you equally and fairly and with priority?
Even if it's just a bakery, wouldn't you like to know that you are going to be treated like all the other customers? Don't you deserve that? Don't we all deserve that? Not to show approval of everyone we come in contact with — but simply because we all deserve a civilized society.
So since you aren't gonna stone anyone, give the hatred a rest. It just makes you look ignorant.
And if you think “don't lie with a man” means don't go to bed with him instead of not fibbing — then don't go to bed with one! Jesus! Stop acting like everyone is interested in you in that way. It's creepy.
All I want is your god-damn cake.