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Christian Family face possible legal action

(483 Posts)
NanKate Wed 09-Jul-14 22:55:32

I have just read in the paper that a Christian family who run a bakery have been threatened with legal action as they refused to bake a cake supporting gay rights.

The cake would have featured Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the slogan would have been 'Support Gay Marriage'.

What are your thoughts?

rosesarered Fri 22-May-15 19:22:12

The cake was commissioned to garner support for gay marriage in Ireland.It isn't legal there.......yet.The vote to decide comes any minute now.

JessM Fri 22-May-15 19:16:50

I think the problem comes soontobe when people with religious views start imposing them on others. e.g. bullying people outside abortion clinics.

soontobe Fri 22-May-15 19:13:52

As christians we have to act according to what we believe.
The bible bit is Romans chapter 14, verse 23.
If we dont act according to what we believe, we sin.
So if the owners of the bakery thought that God didnt want them to do it, and then they had gone ahead and done it...

Ana Fri 22-May-15 18:57:53

x posts

Ana Fri 22-May-15 18:57:21

No, I agree, that's why I changed the cake order to the same as the original one. Let's assume the bakers in question are strict muslims.

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 22-May-15 18:56:16

Yes. (In answer to ana) (so long as they got the same EU judge on the case hmm)

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 22-May-15 18:54:45

I don't think I can get my head round the muslim/cartoon thing.

Perhaps if it was a non-muslim requesting it, and it would be, then that would be contravening the rights of the non muslim customer. There is no law against producing or selling cartoon of the Phrophet. Don't think it would be breaking any equality law though.

Ana Fri 22-May-15 18:50:34

OK then, Eloethan, would a muslim business have been successfully prosecuted for refusing to supply the cake in the OP?

NanKate Fri 22-May-15 18:42:14

I agree very good point Apricot

Eloethan Fri 22-May-15 18:41:37

What equality legislation would that be contravening?

Ana Fri 22-May-15 18:38:11

Good point!

apricot Fri 22-May-15 18:36:04

As someone else put it, would a Muslim business be prosecuted for refusing to supply a cake with a cartoon of the prophet on the top?

mcem Fri 22-May-15 18:12:43

Please note that my post was not in any way belligerent nor am I proposing that you should be shouted down or pilloried. My daughter and daughter-in-law have always supported freedom of religious and political belief.
If only everyone were so broad-minded and tolerant.
However if you find their happiness offensive, so be it!

Eloethan Fri 22-May-15 18:10:12

You sound pretty belligerent to me mollie65. I guess you're not a great fan of "gay rights".

mcem Fri 22-May-15 18:07:31

mollie65 I am aware of the situation and was questioning the level of subtlety needed to make the order acceptable. It's pretty obvious that anyone ordering a cake like my daughter's is supporting gay marriage but perhaps the diff*e*rence is simply that one is expressed in words and the other in symbols. Rather nit-picking don't you think?

mollie65 Fri 22-May-15 17:57:44

now that the 'gay rights' movement have got everything they asked for and more
will they be less belligerant and accept that everyone has freedom of thought/religious belief without the 'straight' majority being shouted down and pilloried.
hmm hmm

thatbags Fri 22-May-15 17:27:06

This is a good way to look at it, I think.

GrannyTwice Fri 22-May-15 17:24:09

Ah - I see. Religious people should be allowed to discriminate against others ( and be discriminated against themselves )?

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 22-May-15 17:05:10

But who makes the law? And do they have the right to do so where something as personal as religion is concerned?

GrannyTwice Fri 22-May-15 17:00:51

Icing a slogan on a cake is not pretending to support or agree with it - it's called carrying out your business according to the law.

thatbags Fri 22-May-15 16:49:14

Some states in the US are trying to pass laws that allow Christians to discriminate in their businesses. If everyone wanted such laws we'd be back to uncivilised, intolerant societies.

thatbags Fri 22-May-15 16:45:45

The problem is solvable if everyone abides by the principle of not discriminating against people or things that are doing them no harm even though they may profoundly disagree with those people's choices. Words on a cake do not harm Christian beliefs or principles.

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 22-May-15 16:29:40

I think people should have the right to live their whole lives according to their religious principles. Their whole lives. No matter what the religion is. So long as it is doing no harm to others.

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 22-May-15 16:27:07

Yes. It is a lot of fuss about a cake. But the fuss wasn't made by the bakers. They simply refused the order.

Eloethan Fri 22-May-15 16:24:15

It's a pity that Christians aren't so devout about other Christian principles such as "thou shalt not kill", "love thy neighbour as thyself", etc. What a lot of fuss about a cake - it's hardly asking someone to commit murder is it?