I haven't had time to check in regularly the past few days, but haven't seen this aspect of these inane pieces of "legislation" and "cases" being argued before SCOTUS: How can any of these business owners know if the people they're employing, or that they're serving, or are selling items to, are violating the business owners' "religious beliefs" in ways that have nothing to so with LGBT, abortion or contraception?
I'm sure I've come into contact with people who beat their spouses or have cheated, or stolen from their parents. Probably a few child abusers, at least, maybe even a murderer or two. I've definitely worked in places where I know that some of the customers were cruel to animals and thought that illegal dumping was just fine.
All of the above are things that, last time I checked, Christianity considers sinful. But how can the owners of Hobby Lobby, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and other "Christian" business owners do business with people who would do these things? Aren't they affirming these lifestyle choices of their customers (cruelty, abuse, stealing, not being a good steward of the earth, etc.), by exchanging goods and/or services for their money?
I've often thought (especially at this time of year, when I'm in the middle of doing my taxes) that I'd like to have the option of telling the government bodies taxing my income exactly where I want my tax dollars to go and where I prefer that they not go. I didn't support the conflict in Iraq, it violated my conscience to know that innocent civilians and children were being killed and maimed, that their land was being ruined, but I know that some of my tax dollars were used to support that illegal activity. It should have violated the consciences of these religious business owners and legislators, too. Yet I don't remember all kinds of legislation to help religious people to direct their tax dollars to education, children's programs, etc., instead of to the DoD for Iraq...
Yet these "religious" people, who are interpreting their bible or other scriptures to suit their purposes, want to discriminate against women and the LGBT community...