Tag: Colorado
Why the New Lawsuit Against a Cake Maker Should Terrify You
Posted on September 4, 2018 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that Jack cannot be targeted for his faith, the government in Colorado is targeting Jack for his faith. The Colorado government has decided that Jack simply should not be allowed to do business. It appears that the government has made up its mind that people of faith, people that want to live and do business according to their sincerely held beliefs, don’t belong in the pubic space.
Supreme Court Ruling was Good – But Not Good Enough
Posted on June 5, 2018 in Marriage, Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
While I appreciate the ruling and am thankful that the court recognized the unfair treatment of Jack Phillips, I want more. I want the court to recognize the principles of human productivity and the right of every business owner to discriminate.
Economics 101: Discrimination is Fundamental to a Free Market Economy
Posted on January 3, 2018 in Money, Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
There it is again: it’s not about the person, it’s about the message. Once again, this might sound like a free speech case (and there’s an element of that here) but this is about private property rights. So far Jack has proven over many years that he is willing to serve any person. However, he is not willing to promote every message. That is a value every free person holds dear. The Jewish person does not want to be forced to promote Naziism. The African-American does not want to be forced to promote white supremacy. Are you seeing the point? Every person has the right to discriminate based on his or her sincerely held convictions. Yep, you read that right, we all have the right to discriminate.
Will the Supreme Court Force the Baker to Bake a Cake?
Posted on July 13, 2017 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
One element to this story (and others like it) that continues to intrigue me is that the customers could have gone to any other cake shop to get their cake. Do they really want to force someone to make a cake for their event under threat of government penalty? Will we next begin forcing artists to paint? Or forcing musicians to sing? What would be the difference between forcing a musician to write and sing a song for your same-sex wedding and forcing a baker to bake a cake? If one can be done, can’t the other?
Did You Know the Planned Parenthood Shooter was a Pro-Life, Christian, Conservative, Republican?
Posted on December 1, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Last week a man committed a terrible act of violence at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, CO. Depending on what article you read about this incident the picture you will get of the gunman, Robert Dear, will be very different. In fact, as more details emerge about this man and his crime(s), the entire story becomes very troubling.
Abortion activists are painting Mr. Dear as a pro-life activist and calling his crime an act of “domestic terrorism.” They are using the tragic events as an opportunity to paint pro-life activists as extremists that condone violence (a twisted sort of irony).
Gun control advocates are using the incident as an opportunity to call for stricter gun laws. They see Mr. Dear as the typical American gun owner and want to make it more difficult to own a gun.
Some even decided to be very specific with their blame by saying the shooting was the fault of “Christian, white, conservative, Republicans.” These accusations were made while the shooting was still going on and before the suspect was in custody? Either the media coverage was extremely biased and those reporters should be ashamed of themselves; or someone is trying to create an artificial picture of specific groups for a political agenda.
Why Is This Baker Allowed to Discriminate?
Posted on May 19, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Why is one baker allowed to discriminate but another is not? That’s the question being asked after two separate – but related incidents involving cake and convictions.
In one incident Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, declined to bake a cake for a gay wedding because he said doing so would violate his religious convictions. Phillips sees his business as an extension of his faith, which means participating in a gay wedding by creating a work of art would violate that faith.
Unfortunately, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission disagreed with Phillips and charged him with discrimination under Colorado’s Human Rights Act. He was found guilty and threatened with fines and imprisonment if he continued such practices at his bakery.
In fact, Phillips was ordered to go “reeducation” along with his entire staff and will be monitored to ensure such an incident doesn’t happen again. Does this sound like America – the home of the free – or more like a communist country?
In light of this disturbing account, Bill Jack, just a guy wanting to make a point, asked three different bakeries to make him two separate cakes. Todd Starnes explains the cakes Jack wanted:
The Message A Man Requested Had the Baker Saying No – Now She’s in Trouble
Posted on January 29, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I don’t even want to talk about a person calling himself a “Christian” wanting a cake with the words “God hates gays” on it; and what the cake was for. I’m angry at the fact that such a person exists and the damage to the Gospel said person is doing. The fact, however, that the cake shop refused to print the message is another story entirely. That is something we need to talk about.
Azucar Bakery in Denver, CO. was asked to print the cake for a man named Bill Jack. Jack also requested the cake to be in the shape of a Bible with an image of two men holding hands with a big X through them. The bakery refused to comply with the request saying the message was “discriminatory, and hateful.”
Who! Wait a minute. I thought business owners had no rights to refuse such requests based on their personal views. I thought “discriminating” against customers because of a business owners core convictions and beliefs was no frowned upon and illegal. Isn’t the idea that business owners are not allowed to refuse such requests at the heart of the Masterpiece Cake Shop story and Jack Phillips, the owner?
Remember the Old Nazi Re-Education Camps? It’s Happening Again – in America!
Posted on August 7, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Laugh all you want. Call me an alarmist or a conspiracy theorist, but what is happening right now in America is nothing short of the redefinition of the Constitution. The new definition includes re-education that would make any socialist or communist proud.
I can only describe the case of Jack Phillips, a baker in Colorado, as jaw-dropping and shocking. Every time I read another account of what is happening to him I shake my head and wonder what America is going to look like in 10 years.
In case you aren’t familiar with Jack’s story, here’s a quick brief. Jack Phillips owns a bakery in Colorado. He has been doing business for 20 years and is highly respected for his artwork in deliciousness. A homosexual couple came in to his shop in 2012 and wanted a cake to celebrate their same-sex union. Jack told them he would be glad to do just about anything else, but that he could not lend his talent and services to celebrate their ceremony. They sued.
A local judge and then the Colorado Civil Rights Commission found Jack guilty of sexual orientation discrimination. But as Jack has said, he isn’t discriminating against anyone:
Believe in Traditional Marriage – Go to Reeducation Camp!
Posted on July 8, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Do you think only women get pregnant?
Believe marriage is the union of a man and woman?
Hold the position that there are inherent differences between men and women?
You old-fashioned, homophobic, bigoted, discriminatory, sexist person. How dare you believe such things.
How dare you believe that only women can get pregnant. Never-mind the biology, it is absolutely sexist and gender-biased of you to think that only women can get pregnant.
And to think that marriage is the union of only a man and woman. I can’t believe any sane, rational, fair-minded person in this day and age would believe such nonsense.
And don’t get me started on gender distinctions. Anyone believing that the genders are inherently different is a product of their discriminatory environment, not an enlightened culture.
Without Freedom of Religion There’s Only Tyranny
Posted on January 22, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
“The Church is the conscience of the state.”
These words were uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many wish such an influential man would have never said such a thing, and still others are actively seeking to remove any presence of a conscience from our society. Our government, undoubtedly based upon biblical principles designed to bring blessing from God and success, is now militantly removing God from every corner. The result of this push to redefine morality in our society and banish the church from influence will be devastating.
An article at the Acton Institute blog sheds light on these results: