Should churches that don't perform gay marriages lose their tax-exempt status?

[Brittain33]

Should churches that don't perform interfaith weddings lose their tax-exempt status?

[Brittain33]

This is such a stupid question.

It was raised during oral argument before the Supreme Court, with the Solicitor General, arguing in favor of same-sex marriage, admitting that the tax exemptions of some religious institutions would be in question if they opposed same-sex marriage if it were legalized by court fiat.  See Roberts' dissent.  So it is nowhere near a moot point or stupid question.  There is a precident involving a university that didn't recognize opposite race relationships, too.

I'm surpised more on this website aren't in favor of revoking tax-exempt status, though.

You're conflating two issues. What's at question is whether religiously affiliated businesses and institutions can discriminate against gay and lesbian employees at hospitals and schools by refusing to provide benefits to married partners.

You're making the leap to whether refusal to conduct same-sex weddings is at question. Since clergy have freely discriminated against interfaith couples in this area despite discrimination on the basis of religion being very illegal for decades, it's obvious what the precedent is.  

[Brittain33]

This is an outrage and massive infringement on the personal freedom of these bakers! What's next, they'll be forced to bake cakes for blacks and Hispanics, because of a religiously justified opposition to their skin color!?

I wonder if people believe a baker should be allowed to close their doors to Jews looking for a cake for a bar mitzvah because of the baker's religious views.

[Brittain33]

Yet bakers must shut up, bake and deliver gay wedding cakes under penalty of law in some states.

[Brittain33]

This is an outrage and massive infringement on the personal freedom of these bakers! What's next, they'll be forced to bake cakes for blacks and Hispanics, because of a religiously justified opposition to their skin color!?

I wonder if people believe a baker should be allowed to close their doors to Jews looking for a cake for a bar mitzvah because of the baker's religious views.

I wonder if people believe a Muslim bookseller should have to sell an (Arabic) Quran to Pastor Terry Jones.  

(No, I don't really wonder, I already know they do. Same people who hate conservative Christians hate Orthodox Jews and Muslims, more often than not.)

Ok, so you are in the camp that believes that bakers should be able to discriminate against Jews if they want to use the cake in a bar mitzvah. Am I reading this correctly?

[Brittain33]

This is an outrage and massive infringement on the personal freedom of these bakers! What's next, they'll be forced to bake cakes for blacks and Hispanics, because of a religiously justified opposition to their skin color!?

I wonder if people believe a baker should be allowed to close their doors to Jews looking for a cake for a bar mitzvah because of the baker's religious views.

I wonder if people believe a Muslim bookseller should have to sell an (Arabic) Quran to Pastor Terry Jones.  

(No, I don't really wonder, I already know they do. Same people who hate conservative Christians hate Orthodox Jews and Muslims, more often than not.)

Ok, so you are in the camp that believes that bakers should be able to discriminate against Jews if they want to use the cake in a bar mitzvah. Am I reading this correctly?

I'm not aware of anyone who has a religious objection to a bar mitzvah. Maybe an Orthodox Jewish baker would object to a bat mitzvah.

It's not part of the Christian faith to have a bar mitzvah, much as it's not part of some people's Christian faith to marry someone of the same sex.

[Brittain33]

This is an outrage and massive infringement on the personal freedom of these bakers! What's next, they'll be forced to bake cakes for blacks and Hispanics, because of a religiously justified opposition to their skin color!?

I wonder if people believe a baker should be allowed to close their doors to Jews looking for a cake for a bar mitzvah because of the baker's religious views.

I wonder if people believe a Muslim bookseller should have to sell an (Arabic) Quran to Pastor Terry Jones.  

(No, I don't really wonder, I already know they do. Same people who hate conservative Christians hate Orthodox Jews and Muslims, more often than not.)

Ok, so you are in the camp that believes that bakers should be able to discriminate against Jews if they want to use the cake in a bar mitzvah. Am I reading this correctly?

I'm not aware of anyone who has a religious objection to a bar mitzvah. Maybe an Orthodox Jewish baker would object to a bat mitzvah.

It's not part of the Christian faith to have a bar mitzvah, much as it's not part of some people's Christian faith to marry someone of the same sex.

You're being willfully obtuse now, almost trollishly so. There's a vast difference between something that is not part one's own faith and something one believes is an abomination that it would be a sin to be even marginally a participant in.

I'm not being obtuse, I'm highlighting the sloppy thinking and contradictions behind that assumption. Same-sex marriage is not mentioned in the bible, to my knowledge. Selling a cake that would be used in a celebration is not mentioned, either. (Slavery is, interestingly).

I'm not being obtuse. I just don't think that a Biblical injunction against an individual engaging in same-sex sex maps to the cake sale.

[Brittain33]

I guess Jews are not allowed to have any dietary restrictions beyond the most literal reading of Leviticus?  Or maybe they don't have even that, if they are getting a bar mitzvah cake from a non-Jewish baker.

You're assuming the baker is one of the partners in the same-sex marriage again...

In any case, I know where your mind is on this. I think we can agree, it would be for the best for the Republican nominee to stand up for the right of people to deny services and products to gays and lesbians, and that this is the most important civil rights and discrimination issue in our society today. I would love to have this be a theme of the 2016 election.

[Brittain33]

But yeah, basic freedom of conscience protections are pretty damn important.

True, but I'm not sure what that has to do with this subject? We're talking about public accommodations serving customers or declining to serve customers, not engaging in religious (or sacrilegious) activities. In any case, I agree with you! This is the most important issue of our time and all of our voters (especially the young ones) need to know where our leaders stand! Let's have the Republican candidate stake out this position and run on it in 2016.