An article in the New York Times yesterday discusses the fallout from the Indiana discrimination law that wreaked so much havoc in the state over the past few weeks. Discrimination disguised as religious freedom seems to be happening everywhere in the US now.
I shouldn't be surprised anymore, when someone makes a ridiculous, damning statement then instantly contradicts themselves, on record. But, that's just what the owner of a small bakery in tiny Martinsville, Indiana did.
Michelle Crafton, owner of the bakery, believes homosexuality is a sin, and that she hoped the new law would allow her to refuse service to any same-sex couple. She also claims to be a Christian who goes to church, though everything she says points to her being very-unchristian. She tells the New York Times that:
“I just don’t like that they say we’re intolerant,” she said Thursday from behind a counter stocked with pastel Easter cookies and red velvet cupcakes. “Because that’s not who we are.”
The very definition of intolerant is, according to the Cambridge dictionary, "disapproving of or refusing to accept ideas or ways of behaving that are different from your own." This is exactly what anyone who supported the initial Indiana bill is - intolerant of a another human being who is not doing what the person thinks they should be.
More below the cheesy poof.
The ignorance of this woman, who is cherry picking which parts of the bible she wants to believe and thus justify her actions with, is stupefying.
Her aspect of life is based on a biblical standard written down by a few men 2,500 years ago. The bible also doesn't tolerate women who run a business or do anything other than bear children and clean the house, but she is doing a job every day that the bible doesn't give her permission to do. The ten commandments say nothing about women having any rights at all. She lives in a time where women can own businesses and fulfill their dreams.
The horrible thing about these laws is that people are looking for legal ways to refuse service to someone, and then admitting to it. As a business owner, it seems to me your prime directive is serving customers, not picking and choosing who you'll serve based on some antiquated baseline of human behavior.
If you are a business owner and cannot bring yourself to serve an arbitrary subset of your customers, for whatever reason, stop being a business owner. It's as simple as that.
Drag yourself into the 21st century and become a truly compassionate human being, and treat everyone with respect no matter who or what they are, or what they look like. Dedicate your life to making your every contact with humanity a positive experience.
The one bible quote I wish everyone would listen to is from Luke 6:31, yet so many don't: And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. It's the Christian thing to do, to treat others with kindness and concern. If you're going to say you're a churchgoing Christian, then act like one.
Article in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/...