I once read about a photographer who refused hire for a gay wedding. Her thinking baffled me and I never forgot about this one little anecdote. Well, today I realized it isn't one little anecdote. There is a battle being waged out there, and good Christian business men and women are refusing to serve the gay wedding industry.
I remember reading signs as a kid "no shirt, no shoes, no service." I asked my parents about those signs. "Why do I have to have shoes to go inside the grocery store?" They'd explain the health concerns a business owner might have if people came in bare foot. I'd wonder about that woman I saw on a show once, who didn't have arms and so she used her feet as hands, those signs must make her feel bad, my young brain would conclude.
Now I imagine a different sign hanging on the door of bakeries, floral shops, and photo studios all across the country. No shirt, no shoes, no heterosexual nuptials, no service. And the watermark on this sign is a cross.
Seriously? We do this in the name of Christianity?
I get it, I do. I'll fight to the death to protect a Church's right to acknowledge marriage as they'd like. I get it, I do. Sexual relations outside of marriage between one man and one woman are a sin.
But so is passing by a beaten Jew and leaving him there to suffer -- even if you are a priest, or a Levite. I'm tired of reading news stories about my beaten brothers and sisters. If your contract to the public is that you are willing to offer your services in exchange for profit, you better not refuse someone based on their sexual desires.
Do these bakers ask to verify the commitment each married customer has to his or her spouse? How do florists know they aren't selling a dozen roses to a man who intends to give them to his mistress?
Now, I'm not arguing that the government should legally force people to provide services they don't want to provide. I realize this whole mess is a complicated one. I'd merely ask that people stop acting like jerks in the name of Christianity.
It is the 21st century, can't we stop hating in the name of Christianity? Hasn't the name of Christianity killed enough innocent lives? There are young kids out there who want to end their lives because, in the name of Christianity, we have decided to refuse them. We have decided society can add them to a long list of people who have to change in order to be accepted. We have labeled them. Sinner. We say we love them, but we hate nearly everything about the way they yearn to express love.
In the name of Christianity, I want to tell all my friends, all of them, that I will bake them a cake. It will be too ugly to display at your wedding reception, but it won't come with a clause. I won't tell you that you can't display it at your wedding reception. I will bake you a cake, and you are free to do what you like with it. Because I love you, because I am a Christian, I cannot put a clause at the end of the service I provide to you, my dear friends.
I remember reading signs as a kid "no shirt, no shoes, no service." I asked my parents about those signs. "Why do I have to have shoes to go inside the grocery store?" They'd explain the health concerns a business owner might have if people came in bare foot. I'd wonder about that woman I saw on a show once, who didn't have arms and so she used her feet as hands, those signs must make her feel bad, my young brain would conclude.
Now I imagine a different sign hanging on the door of bakeries, floral shops, and photo studios all across the country. No shirt, no shoes, no heterosexual nuptials, no service. And the watermark on this sign is a cross.
Seriously? We do this in the name of Christianity?
I get it, I do. I'll fight to the death to protect a Church's right to acknowledge marriage as they'd like. I get it, I do. Sexual relations outside of marriage between one man and one woman are a sin.
But so is passing by a beaten Jew and leaving him there to suffer -- even if you are a priest, or a Levite. I'm tired of reading news stories about my beaten brothers and sisters. If your contract to the public is that you are willing to offer your services in exchange for profit, you better not refuse someone based on their sexual desires.
Do these bakers ask to verify the commitment each married customer has to his or her spouse? How do florists know they aren't selling a dozen roses to a man who intends to give them to his mistress?
Now, I'm not arguing that the government should legally force people to provide services they don't want to provide. I realize this whole mess is a complicated one. I'd merely ask that people stop acting like jerks in the name of Christianity.
It is the 21st century, can't we stop hating in the name of Christianity? Hasn't the name of Christianity killed enough innocent lives? There are young kids out there who want to end their lives because, in the name of Christianity, we have decided to refuse them. We have decided society can add them to a long list of people who have to change in order to be accepted. We have labeled them. Sinner. We say we love them, but we hate nearly everything about the way they yearn to express love.
In the name of Christianity, I want to tell all my friends, all of them, that I will bake them a cake. It will be too ugly to display at your wedding reception, but it won't come with a clause. I won't tell you that you can't display it at your wedding reception. I will bake you a cake, and you are free to do what you like with it. Because I love you, because I am a Christian, I cannot put a clause at the end of the service I provide to you, my dear friends.
4 comments:
I agree whole heartedly!
Religion causes such trouble. Is it really worth it?
Pa
My personal thoughts on this subject... I would have a difficult time photographing a gay/lesbian couple who are kissing,etc. I do not consider myself homophobic, but I am not certain I could photograph the intimacy that goes with a wedding. If I had been the photographer I most likely would have said I would be unavailable that date and then I would not have scheduled other appointments that day either. One can find a Christ like way to handle the situation that treats both parties with respect.
Fabulous point Mom (Claudia). That's exactly my point. The government can't/shouldn't force someone to provide a service they don't want to provide, but people need to stop spreading hate under the banner of "Family Values."
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