Indiana's Religious Freedom Law

[Cratylus]

No. But I don't see that as the same thing. I'm specifically talking about racial segregation at the moment because I'm trying to understand how far your viewpoint goes.

I suppose the distinction I am trying to make is one where guaranteed freedoms (in this case, religious ones since that's essentially what the Indiana statute is about) aren't trampled upon in the name of "tolerance". I don't see race as a "religious freedom issue" if you know what I mean.

 

[Sebastian]

Well, the upside to this law is that people can once again discriminate against those lousy Papists!

It's high time we once again see signs such as "Irish and Italians need not apply" on our city streets.

 

[gourimoko]

I suppose the distinction I am trying to make is one where guaranteed freedoms (in this case, religious ones since that's essentially what the Indiana statute is about) aren't trampled upon in the name of "tolerance". I don't see race as a "religious freedom issue" if you know what I mean.

I do, I get what you're trying to say.

 

[The Oi]

The older I get, the more ridiculous I find it when someone says "they don't agree" with homosexuality.

Oh ok. Well, here's a tree. Disagree with it too.

 

[Otsego Mar]

The older I get, the more ridiculous I find it when someone says "they don't agree" with homosexuality.

Oh ok. Well, here's a tree. Disagree with it too.

Do you agree with dendrophilia?

 

[Otsego Mar]

I do, I get what you're trying to say.

I think "religious freedom" is essentially being used as a type of mask for certain intolerances or hatred.

IMHO, there isn't much of a difference between an establishment refusing to serve someone based on their religious beliefs and someone who has seperate race bathrooms at their place of business - both equally stupid if I must say so.

 

[KI4MVP]

I suppose the distinction I am trying to make is one where guaranteed freedoms (in this case, religious ones since that's essentially what the Indiana statute is about) aren't trampled upon in the name of "tolerance". I don't see race as a "religious freedom issue" if you know what I mean.

you realize many, many people in our nations history used religion to justify their racism, and before that to justify slavery, right?

Discrimination is wrong. It's wrong when it's based on race, it's wrong when it's based on sex, it's wrong when it's based on religion, it's wrong when it's based on sexual orientation.

 

[The Oi]

Do you agree with dendrophilia?

Nah, i don't like them faggots congregatin around a big piece of wood like-at.

 

[CleveRocks]

Being from the Hoosier state and considering that 90 percent of my cousins still live in the state, I think I will wait for the people of the state to determine what they want to do. Those I know well enough are as likely to give the middle finger to anyone from New York or Conneticut who would propose to influence laws in Indiana. And I dont imagine the tourism from New York to the great state of cow shit as you all describe it, is even close to the tourism dollars spent the other way..

I think the law is problematic, but I also think the opposition is problematic. I think the opposition is using Indiana to push an agenda, specific to gay rights. But this law is not only about gay rights, it is about individual rights...

Let me begin by saying corporations should not be regarded as individuals. This is a mistake made by the current courts which will be difficult to walk back, but making a company an individual creates a large class of very wealthy "citizens" who inherently lack the moral and ethical responsibility of a person. Some business ARE individuals, such as single owner LLC's which are treated as the individual owner from a tax standpoint. I think in those cases businesses are the individual. But the business does not get to vote or contribute money, only the individual does..

Businesses choose what they want to do all the time, and the truth of it in small businesses, they often choose to work for or with businesses and or people they like and trust, and not to work with those that they dont like, or trust.. Sometimes it is a moral or ethical choice such as some doctors, who own thier own medical practice, who prefer not to offer abortions. The logic of the gay wedding cake is equally applied to that doctor. But people also make business choices that are strictly preference. I know a company which is has hispanic ownership and which hires 90% hispanic... in the midwest. Nobody tries to break that up.. I also know that there are infromal networks of resellers in certain verticals which are ethnic. There are muslim networks, jewish networks, Catholic, Mormon and Baptist networks, black networks and the classic good ol boy networks and yes gay men and women networks. They exist and they offer best pricing within thier self defined community, and they try to help each other specifically, which is what communities do. I dont think it is practical to regulate who does business with whom...

The law is a response to a growing sense that what religious people can choose to do is being limited by the courts, and specifically as it relates to religion. Which is not to say its a good law, only that it is a response to a perception of the problem. I personally dont agree with not making a gay wedding cake for example, but I also dont agree with the idea that we can dictate that a business owner must take a particular job. It can be a totally rational business decision not to do business. To stay with the cake thing, if my business is built on supplying wedding cakes to baptist congregations and I am successful because I get my referrals from baptist ministers, it is completely reasonable to be concerned about those referrals if word gets out that I did a gay wedding cake, or for that matter a stripper party cake with a giant vagina on it. If I think it will hurt my brand, I am not going to touch it..

 

[KI4MVP]

^ There is a difference between refusing to sell content that you disagree with and refusing to sell to a customer because you disagree with their beliefs.

If you make cakes and a customer asks you to make a cake of a vagina, you can certainly say you don't make that sort of cake. If you never make cakes like that for anyone, there's nothing wrong with that. If you will make a cake like that for a heterosexual customer but not for a lesbian customer then there is discrimination that should not be allowed.

If a customer comes to you and orders a wedding cake you do normally make, it's wrong to make it for some people but refuse to make it for others. It's discrimination. If this sort of discrimination is illegal, how is the cake company harmed for following the law? The same law their competitors also have to follow?

Why is it so hard to see that these arguments for discrimination based on sexual orientation are pretty much identical to the arguments used for racial discrimination 45-50 years ago. Or have an understanding of some of the things I've lived through already been lost on the younger generation?

I see people arguing for discrimination based on sexual orientation and I hear many of the same words and ideas I heard growing up from people arguing in favor of descrimination based on race.

It was wrong then and it's wrong now.

This nation was founded with these words

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
​

It is an insult to those words every time anyone passes a law supporting discrimination.

 

[NasstyNate]

Religious rights end when they begin to infringe upon the rights of others. Presently, the LGBT community does not have the right to not be discriminated against. That is a shame and embarrassment. Thankfully that will change when it comes to state-sanctioned actions such as marriage this year. And I hope Congress makes a similar fix to Title II to prohibit all impermissible discrimination against the LGBT community to protect those citizens in the remaining bigoted states that do not provide protection on their own.

In 20 years, when even the church will accept homosexuality in order to survive in the 21st Century, those against it will be viewed the same as the whites shouting down school desegregation. It is a damn shame that these ignorant fools can't see that now.

 

[GreasySpread36]

I'm not trying to incite you, but, again, just to be clear; this should be legal?

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

So.. again, I just want to understand you perfectly clearly.

You are saying that you are more okay with this than the Civil Rights Act that bans these practices?

I'll grasp the nettle here. I would only be in favor of the Civil Rights Act if it was applied specifically and explicitly to African-Americans. One because AA have a unique history in this country and two because, well, quite frankly, AA need all the paternalism they can get.

Do I think the Civil Rights Act should be applied to gays, women, Hispanics, Asians, Muslims, or anyone besides AA? No, no, no, no, no and no.

I daresay that if the men that voted for the Civil Rights Act knew of the long-term ramifications of their vote- as a bludgeon to destroy freedom of association and freedom of conscience- a lot of them wouldn't have voted for it.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

DP

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

So let me get this straight... chuckle

A business owner can refuse business to people based off of their sexual preferences because of the owners' religious belief? What happened to the separation of church and state? Also, why do we need a law for this? Cant business owners refuse business to whom they please?

A private person isn't the state.

And no, they can't.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

That's not what I'm saying at all, and I'm offended at the implication that I might be in favor of the whole "separate but equal" bullshit with respect to race relations in this country.

First, the mere fact that you don't support a government prohibition on something doesn't mean you favor or support it, though there are always though who try to make that claim. I don't support a government ban on left-wing nuttery, but I sure as hell don't support it.

Second, here's what you said previously:

my contention is that if it's legal for a BUYER to discriminate on the basis for any reason he damn well chooses, then it should be equally legal for a SELLER to do the same.

If that's your position, then you have to recognize that it would permit sellers to refuse to do business with somebody because of their race or sexual orientation. That doesn't mean you support such discrimination, or believe it's morally right for someone to discriminate. But it does mean it would be legal for private citizens to discriminate. Though that obviously wouldn't affect public (government) facilities and services.