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U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Baker Who Refused to Make Cake for Gay Wedding

<p>On Monday&comma; the U&period;S&period; Supreme Cake ruled in favor of the Christian Baker from Colorado who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The baker filed a case claiming he did not get a fair hearing because of how the Colorado Civil Rights Commission treated his religion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div>&&num;8220&semi;Writing for the case&comma; Justice Anthony Kennedy said that while it is unexceptional that Colorado law &&num;8220&semi;can protect gay persons in acquiring products and services on the same terms and conditions that are offered to other members of the public&comma; the law must be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion&comma;&&num;8221&semi; writes <em>NPR&period;<&sol;em> &&num;8220&semi;He said that in this case the Colorado baker&comma; Jack Phillips&comma; understandably had difficulty in knowing where to draw the line because the state law at the time afforded store keepers some latitude to decline creating specific messages they considered offensive&period; Kennedy pointed to the Colorado commission&&num;8217&semi;s decision allowing a different baker to refuse to put an anti-gay message on a cake&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div><&sol;div>&NewLine;<div>In a 7-2 decision&comma; the justices ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated Phillips&&num;8217&semi; religious rights under the First Amendment&period;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The commission&&num;8217&semi;s hostility was inconsistent with the First Amendment&&num;8217&semi;s guarantee that our laws be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said Kennedy&period; &&num;8220&semi;The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts&comma; all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance&comma; without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs&comma; and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Back in 2012&comma; Phillips told Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins that he does not make cakes for same-sex <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;wedbio&period;com&sol;">weddings<&sol;a> because of his religious beliefs these marriages are seen as sinful&period; He then referred them to another bakery&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;I don&&num;8217&semi;t believe that Jesus would have made a cake if he had been a baker&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said Phillips on <em>ABC&&num;8217&semi;s The View&period;<&sol;em> &&num;8220&semi;I&&num;8217&semi;m not judging these two gay men&period; I&&num;8217&semi;m just trying to preserve my right as an artist to decide which artistic endeavors I&&num;8217&semi;m going to do and which ones I&&num;8217&semi;m not&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Colorado bars discrimination based on race&comma; religion&comma; gender and sexual orientation&period; So Mullins and Craig filed a complaint with the state commission on civil rights&comma; which ruled in their favor&comma; as did the state supreme court&period; The baker&comma; Jack Phillips&comma; appealed to the U&period;S&period; Supreme Court&comma;&&num;8221&semi; writes <em>NPR&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Author&&num;8217&semi;s note&colon; <&sol;strong>The Supreme Court has at least elevated religious rights to the level of gay rights&period; It&&num;8217&semi;s much different to sell something that is already made&comma; like in a convenience store&comma; versus someone being forced to make something from scratch even if it goes against your religion&period; Most artisans would refuse to make something with satanic symbols or Nazi symbols&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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