More Than Wedding Cake and Pizza: Religious Freedom Laws in Perspective

     The past couple of weeks, I have been intrigued by the polarization fueled by Indiana's recent law and the subsequent backlash of business and individuals against such a policy.

     Friends and family have texted, emailed or called asking for perspective,  and some had a very valid concern. One questions has repeated itself: Does this mean Christians who have a moral issue with homosexuality will be forced to accept it against their conscience?

     Yes, and no. The Supreme Court has decided on numerous occasions that it is not in our country's best interest for business to deny access to a group of people based on an identifying trait. The days of "NO JEWS," "NO JAPS," and "NO BLACKS" are thankfully behind us, largely because our legal system circumvented hypothetical state laws that would allow for such prejudice under the guise of religious preference.

     It was not that long ago that the Bible was used as a justification FOR segregation. And, a church in the United States can still, as a tenet of faith, believe such segregation to be God ordained. We have allowed a freedom of religious expression in our country unprecedented in most of history, and just like we allow churches to still exist that preach against the mingling of the races, our country will allow churches to exist that preach against homosexuals.

     Churches, but not businesses, should be allowed that freedom.

     Any business that puts up its shingles and opens it doors in this country is inherently tied to our federal government. The foundation of our country was to help establish not only freedom of religion but freedom FROM religion, particular in matters affecting the entire country.

     It is not in the interest of the citizenry, a citizenry living in a capitalist and consumer culture, to be denied access to the goods and services of that culture. It is counterproductive, and would continue, in this case, to propel homosexuals as a disenfranchised class in our nation.

     Why has the Indiana law been such a "bid deal?" I believe it is because of an awareness of the United States' history and fear of history repeating itself. After the Civil War, after a conflict that should have decided a hopeful future for all black Americans, the Jim Crow laws were established. Neither our government or its people were able to "get ahead" of these laws, and what resulted was decades of oppression and inequality.

     The fear and the passion you are seeing from those of us that are gay is not because of cakes and pizza. Indiana's law was hastened as a response to our legal system determining Indiana had to recognize gay marriage. As this ruling and others like it will ultimately be upheld by the Supreme Court this summer, some Indiana legislators were trying to get a law on the books that would allow the capability of a wide range of discriminatory practices in business.

     The backlash against this law is not God hating liberals wanting to persecute Christians.

     On the contrary, the reaction of disdain has been because of the historical precedent of Christians in the U.S. using faith as a tool for veiled bigotry. In a nation that stands for the respect of multiple religions and standpoints, Christianity has had more sway than any other, even to the point of Christians trying to apply a sense of superiority to the country as a whole.

     However, we are still a country where Christianity is ONE of the worldviews of our people, and not the SOLE worldview. If Christians are going to participate in and benefit from commerce, it needs to be for the benefit and availability of all of the people, and not just those deemed to be acceptable through the narrow lens of a singular faith.