An Attack Against Religious Freedom by the Courts of Our Land?

An appellate court recently ruled against religious liberty against a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. He was willing to make anything for him but a wedding cake. He was relying on his constitutionally protected religious right to follow his Judeo-Christian values without interference from the government. Instead of protecting his constitutionally protected religious right protected under the first amendment, the Colorado Court of Appeals violated his religious rights by ruling against him in using a Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act; the courts claiming that he violated the discrimination act in refusing to bake the gay couple’s wedding cake. Such an act can lead to further discrimination against other gay couples seeking services to their same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The Colorado baker insisted that he did not discriminate by offering other items he had to sell. Because of religious conviction, he refused to participate in an unholy union between couples by selling a wedding cake for their ceremony. The baker argued that his opposition to same-sex marriage as something against his faith was not an act against their individual sexual orientation, but an act against same-sex marriage on grounds of religious conviction.

Colorado law prohibits places of public accommodation from refusing to serve people based on sexual orientation. By refusing to bake a wedding cake for the same-sex marriage ceremony, Colorado found the Colorado baker in violation of the law. The appellate court finds that same-sex marriage is closely related to sexual orientation and thus by violating one, is violating the other. By offering anything to sell but the wedding cake, the Colorado baker argued he is innocent from any discrimination based on sexual orientation. Furthermore, he believed that he was protected under the first amendment to follow his religious conviction defined by Judeo-Christian values.  

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed and enacted into law to protect people from discrimination regarding race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In addition to that, the state of Colorado in 2014 passed a marriage equality act which ensures by state law the right for gay marriage. To ensure protection for gay couples from discrimination, the first amendment protection that people of faith enjoyed for many years are now threatened and their Constitutional rights threatened. The recent finding in Colorado’s court of appeal seems to protect same-sex marriage rights from being discriminated, but failing to protect “people’s of faith” Constitutional rights in allowing them to follow their religious convictions. By ruling against the Colorado baker, the courts are discriminating against fundamental freedoms protected under the first amendment and forcing individuals to adopt the government’s view; thus, the state forcing itself against protection of religious rights which in turn, is against Separation of Church and State.

The recent ruling of the Colorado appellate court is a statement that they recognize “man’s law trumps God’s law” which is in direct violation of the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States and established laws of certain churches such as The Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church; which is recognized in the United States legal system as a legal document of authority for the peoples of the Catholic faith.  In the Code of Canon Law: Can. 22 “Civil laws to which the law of the Church yields are to be observed in canon law with the same effects, insofar as they are not contrary to divine law and unless canon law provides otherwise.” According to Colorado appellate court, man’s law (natural law) trumps Divine law; religious convictions dictated by ones’ religious faith, as it trumps Constitutional law set forth by the Congress of the United States.

We hope and pray that this unlawful discriminatory case against religious freedom is taken up by a higher court and overturned. But whether this case is taken up or not by a higher court, this issue will have to be taken up and defined by the Supreme Court under the banner of religious freedom. Not only the Colorado baker’s Constitutional freedom were discriminated against, but others, as they are targeted by gay couples using same-sex ceremonies to silence and legally nullify the opposition. Other parts of the country, people who refused to photograph, bake cakes, arrange and sell flowers, and provide other services towards servicing same-sex marriage ceremonies, are being discriminated against. The higher courts will have to face this discrimination against religious freedoms that are currently protected under the first amendment.  The courts will have to face ruling to uphold the first amendment guaranteed by the Constitution, or rule against Constitutional freedom by ruling in favor of natural law “trumping” divine law; man’s law (civil law) legally superior to God’s law.

If the Supreme Court rule in favor of man’s law being superior to divine law, the Constitutionally protected first amendment will be nullified and almost anything goes in regulating action or speech regarding the protection of same-sex relationships, same-sex marriages, and other avenues relating to homosexuality while anything defined as divine law would not be legally recognized.

God have mercy on this country; pray for America. Pray for conversions.