Contact: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191 pr@catholicleague.org
NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Bill Donohue comments on the hostile reaction to the owners of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana not to service gay weddings:
Memories Pizza is closed, at least temporarily, because of threatening phone calls. Anti-Christian comments and pictures of nude men have been sent to the owners. We need to call this for what it is—cultural fascism. It should be condemned by everyone, most especially by those who have voiced their objections to the store owners. There are serious issues at stake, and no one should be demonized for his position.
Refusing to serve a gay person in a public accommodation is morally and legally indefensible, but it is equally indefensible to mandate that the owners of a private business must violate their sincerely held religious convictions by acceding to a request to service a gay wedding. Individuals have rights, and this includes the right not to be coerced into affirming causes, as opposed to servicing individuals, that they find morally objectionable.
The American people can split the difference, even if our elites cannot. In an AP-GfK poll released in January, respondents were asked the following: "In states where same-sex couples can be married legally, do you think that wedding-related businesses with religious objections should be allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples, or not?" The result: 57 percent said, "Yes, they should be allowed to refuse service"; 39 percent disagreed, and 4 percent refused to answer.
Notice how the question was worded: it asked if it was acceptable "to refuse service." Here is another way to get at this issue: "In states where same-sex couples can be married legally, do you think that wedding-related businesses with religious objections should be forced to service same-sex couples, or not?" Worded this way, it is a sure bet that even more respondents would take the side of the businesses.
The owners of Memories Pizza deserve our support, but even those who disagree with them deserve to treat them with respect.
