Not a Piece of Cake

    Jack Phillips’s life hasn’t been a piece of cake. Since he turned down a job to design a wedding cake for a homosexual couple, he’s been threatened to be shot in the head or ripped apart with a machete. That doesn’t fit with the Jack I know, a quiet baker in my neighborhood. When we needed a cake for a special birthday, I visited him at his obscure shop where Jack listened attentively to my wishes. Then he meticulously fashioned a moist carrot cake with rich cream cheese frosting that melted in our mouths. A masterpiece.
     That’s Jack’s aim - to please customers. When developing a couple’s nuptial cake, he “discusses their preferences, their personalities, and the details of their wedding to ensure that each cake reflects the couple who ordered it,” the U.S. Supreme Court noted in its decision this week regarding Jack.
     When a homosexual couple asked Jack for a wedding cake, he says he didn’t turn them down, but turned down the event. He offered to produce something for another occasion or sell them anything else in the store. Why? Because Jack is among those who - not wanting to trample on anyone’s civil rights - believe that marriage is inherently an opposite-sex union. Jack’s not alone. Millions of conservative Christians, Jews, and Muslims embrace this belief.
     Should their religious rights be squashed in the name of civil rights? The U.S. Supreme Court said “no.” The state must respect the beliefs of people of faith.
     This meshes with our forefathers’ vision of liberty and justice for all, where artists like Jack have the freedom to practice their skills and their religion as they see fit.
     There’s plenty of room for both civil rights and religious freedoms under our big, pluralistic American tent.
     ***
     Image from Masterpiece Cakeshop website with text added.