Christian Baker Ordered to Bake Cakes for Same-Sex ‘Weddings’ Files Appeal | Christian News Network

Remember this post where Matt Barber and Peter LaBarbera were gloating about what Hobby Lobby was really about? Well it appears that Jack Phillips or should I say Alliance Defending Freedom is ready to argue that state laws do not apply to Christians when Christians disagree with said state law, "[i]n May, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission upheld Spencer’s ruling, stating that Phillips violated the state’s civil rights law."

It is just this issue that Barry Lynne of Americans United for Separation of Church and State was concerned about in regards to the Hobby Lobby case. Lynn stated that the primary concern is contraceptive coverage under the ACA; but the agenda of the Religious Right is the right to opt out of ANY federal or state law(s) they do not like because of actual or alleged violation of THEIR religious principles.

As with Elane Photography (also represented by ADF), Phillips is going to argue that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's ruling violates his First Amendment rights by compelling him to engage in "speech" he doesn't believe in. This is the tactic ADF hopes to use, a "conservative social agenda in terms of protecting religious freedom instead of enforcing “family values — a subtle but profound shift in the culture war that deliberately moves the religious right from offense to defense for the first time in decades."

With that said, all the legal mumbo jumbo aside, Phillips and the ADF are still blatantly asking to be allowed to break a law because they are special. They are asking for a special privilege because they are religionists. Even if one where to take religion out of it, they are still wanting to break the law.

"The anti-gay, anti-freedom to marry crowd, having largely lost the argument on gay people and on marriage, are resorting to a distraction argument that is aimed at tearing a hole in the longstanding protections we have in this country against public accommodation discrimination,” said Evan Wolfson, head of the pro-LGBT rights group Freedom to Marry. “Their quarrel is not really just with marriage, it’s with the whole idea of non-discrimination law that we’ve fought hard for over decades through many difficult chapters of American history.”

Entering the commercial marketplace means having to abide by its rules against discrimination. In other words, you can not offer a "limited menu" based on your preference(s). If you open a business, ALL services must be available to ALL consumers. It falls under the general purview of the public accommodation section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Adam Serwer, in his piece cited above, sums up quite well the precedent opened by the Hobby Lobby case and the agenda behind it, "Cases like these aren’t just about legal precedents, they’re about shaping how society decides which freedom it wants to protect with the force of the law—the right not to be discriminated against, or the right of individual entities to decide whom they want to serve and how."

Christian Baker Ordered to Bake Cakes for Same-Sex ‘Weddings’ Files Appeal | Christian News Network