Is this correct in Indiana, Arkansas, etc.? If a mixed race couple comes into my bakery and they want a wedding cake, I can't?

In the 50's, southern fundamentalists fought integration with the argument that God created separate continents, thereby proving his intent to keep the races separate.

Perhaps he should've refrained from giving the white people ships, to that end. But that's neither here nor there.

What is relevant is that we already had the dispute over who can sit at the lunch counter. That God argument didn't work then, and it won't work now.

Just give it time. In fact, the state Republicans are drafting revisions right now. Thank God. Because this has been the worst week to be from Indiana ever. Sigh.

EDIT: Don't sleep through US history class, kids. It may someday result in typing very foolish things.

You'd have to be pretty mentally ill to understand it.

14th amendment: all persons within a state shall receive equal treatment under the law.

Indiana has a law saying that you can't discrimiinate against certain groups. Therefore, you can't discriminate against any. This law carves out loophole that they think the Supreme court will support because of that bizarre Hobby Lobby decision

The big problem with the law is, a business owner can refuse service to anyone at anytime, it doesn't hae to be religous beliefs related. As long as they are a equal oppurtunity discriminator, nothing can be done about it.

so you are denying thier religious freedoms to protect your own? the hatred and bigotry in america is astounding....im an atheist and i was just at my friends wedding at the weekend in a catholic church and i was nothing but happy for them...what the hell is wrong with you americans why do you have to make an issue of someones big day just because its against your religious beliefs its not about you all the time,there is a couple in the town where i live who refused to serve any immigrants and when the town heard about it they boycotted the shop.it quickly went out of business.....yur business isnt going to last long if thats the way you work

The civil rights act says you can't discriminate based on race. It doesn't prevent discrimination by sexuality, though.

Religion is protected by the constitution, which would override the civil rights act (which is just a regular federal law). Although I don't think any religion actual requires people to discriminate by race. So I don't think it's ever actually come up.

You certainly can. The law allows you to maintain any rules of your religion when it comes to discrimination.

Since there are no set of clearly defined rules for any religion and it's illegal to question your devotion to your faith, you can make up any rule you want, say that it is sincerely held and then use it to discriminate or violate any laws you want. Then claim oppression of your religious beliefs when they attempt to stop you.

One is about an old cultural bugaboo pretty exclusive to the US in the pre 70's era. No black could wed a white. That was not religion based. Nor accepted by any world wide religion. Then, as today, homosexuality--specifically the ACT--IS a sin in any religion world wide. Anyone who forwards an act of sin is himself guilty of that sin. You do not knowingly help a malignant son disrespect his parents anymore than you knowingly help a homosexual (or adulterer for that matter) do his deed.

"Your discriminating against my right to discriminate!" This is basically what conservatives in essence are really saying. Their freedom of religion ends where my freedom from religion begins, meaning that they cannot have their religion dictate the rights/lives of other people, which is exactly what happened to this gay couple. Here in American, we are finally calling the religious out on their bull**** and they have the nerve to cry persecution.

This answer to Joe (who asked a question similar to mine) draws an interesting distinction, one that could be the basis for a rational compromise:

Joe... I'm going to treat you and your question with the utmost respect, okay? I'm not going to throw insults or engage in ad hominem attacks; and I'm going to hope that you respond in kind.

You're conflating two things that must NOT be conflated: ENGAGING in an immoral act, and INTERACTING with those whom one believes to be engaging in an immoral act. These are two distinct phenomena...

Recently, Rick Santorum tried to score points, by asking what liberals would do if people from the Westboro Baptist Church came into a print shop ordering sings that say "God Hates F@gs." He thought he scored major points, but he failed, because, like you he was conflating the two positions.

If that were MY print shop, and they ordered those signs I would tell them to leave. Does THAT make me a hypocrite? No, not at all. Why?

Because, were I to print those signs it would make ME complicit in an immoral act (the same as a conscientious objector). HOWEVER, if I ran a bakery, and someone from that church came in and ordered a wedding cake, I'd say, "Sure, what flavor would you like, and what kind of icing."

Why? Because there's no sin or moral outrage in baking a cake, that's why. I'm not committing a moral felony by interacting with those who are committing immoral acts, so long as they don't ask me to be complicit in them.

Consider Jesus, who regularly consorted and dined with Tax Collectors and Harlots, and who even healed ROMAN occupiers of his land. Is HE complicit in THEIR acts of immorality because he INTERACTED with them? No, of course not. It's one thing to ACT, and another thing entirely to INTERACT. They are NOT the same, and should not be judged as such.

Can you object to gay marriage? Of course you can. But it's wrong to think that interacting with gay people in the normal course of business somehow makes you morally complicit in something you deem to be immoral. The conscientious objector is being asked to ACT in a manner he deems immoral. The guy who bakes a cake is merely being asked to INTERACT with people who he deems to be engaged in immoral behavior.

I hope you can see the difference.

--Cacoethes Scribendi

No The couple will get the ACLU and NAACP to file a lawsuit against your business.

They will protest like hell both on the social media and in person.