The Daily Courier originally published this article
There has been a lot of talk lately about freedom of religion. Anti-Christian beliefs, speaking specifically.
Arkansas just passed a new “religious freedom” bill.
This bill prohibits state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a compelling reason. Indiana passed a similar bill, which drew condemnation from human rights groups because, they argue, this bill would allow service owners to refuse to serve or be part of a gay wedding if their beliefs are against it.
These groups literally went from restaurant to restaurant asking owners hypothetically if they would cater a gay wedding. Finally, they found a daughter of a devoted Christian who said it would be against her beliefs.
They found what they wanted, the smoking gun proving their point.
A small, local, Christian-owned pizzeria in no-man’s-land would not cater a gay wedding. It became national news.
The left pounded so much on it that the pizzeria owners got so many death threats that they had to close their business.
This small but very vocal group, with lefty media help, applied so much pressure that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence had to sign a revision changing the law.
In Canada, Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney, a chiropractor by education, abandoned the Conservative caucus so he could speak freely about his beliefs without embarrassing anyone.
He is a devout Christian who believes the theory of evolution is wrong.
When did the left become so intolerant of Christians?
Several scientists and even physicists have proved Darwinian evolution wrong.
The latest scientific discoveries have shown that human DNA is two times closer to dolphins than monkeys. Is it safe to say that we evolved from dolphins?
Probably monkeys evolved separately?
Or probably monkeys come from a totally different mammal?
Physicians have been trying to explain what “nothing” is (a question that has tortured them for decades) and they cannot explain it without having a higher power or afterlife existence.
Albert Einstein was a believer.
The answer to both questions is, that nobody knows for certain. So, why not be open- minded to different theories?
If Lunney were a Jew or Muslim he would be allowed to express his beliefs without interference.
But being Christian is not cool these days, but bashing Christianity is.
Going back to the unlikely scenario that a business owner could use the new laws in Indiana or Arkansas to discriminate against gays by denying them service, we do not live in the 1950s or ’60s anymore where businesses can deny entrance or daily services to a specific group or race, and more importantly, we do not live in the ’80s or ’90s where businesses were booming and could deny don’t have the luxury to lose revenue for any same reason.
The world is still in a recession and especially small businesses, are struggling.
They would find it very difficult to turn down business.
But if they refuse service invoking religious beliefs, there is a great niche for an entrepreneur to market to the gay community.
Either way, what respectable gay couple would hire a caterer who thinks being gay is a sin or a photographer that does not feel comfortable taking pictures at your wedding for what you are?
Probably the food would turn out awful and the photos would be lousy.
I would not give any business to a known anti-semite.
I have better places to spend my money. In a repressed market, saturated of options and businesses fighting for every penny they can get, I feel that people who are against the Indiana and Arkansas laws are overreacting.
You cannot legislate feelings and beliefs. Let the free market take care of it.
Salomon Rayek is a Kelowna resident and former editor of the Jewish Tribune in Vancouver.
