It's a growing trend, unfortunately. With gay marriage being legalized in an increasing number of states, so too have "religious freedom" laws as a counter move by the far-right. These laws make it legal for companies to not offer service to those they feel are not in line with biblical teachings - namely, the LGBT community. They say forcing them to offer their services to homosexuals or gay couples is an affront to their religious freedom to believe what they want as Christians. But, as the saying goes, let's not beat around the bush, and just call these bills what they are. They're not "religious freedom" bills; they're "freedom to discriminate" bills.
These bills are bass ackwards in multiple ways. First off, there's a distinct difference between one's personal life and their professional life. These "Christians" can believe whatever they so choose. They can go to church on Sundays, can read the Bible every day before bed, can pray every morning, and can firmly believe that after they leave this earth, they'll be rewarded by joining a higher power in a paradise known as heaven. However, while they can still believe these things at work, as professionals, they still owe equal treatment and service to each and every customer. Just because a person is dressed in goth attire, another has a green mohawk, or a person is extremely overweight, doesn't give these professionals the right to refuse them service because they don't like or approve of something about them. I'm sure if they looked at each and every person closely, they could probably find something about their past of which they didn't necessarily approve, including themselves. It seems rather hypocritical to deny a person of service because they're deemed "sinful" when every person has "sinned." Also, how does it help professionally from a financial standpoint to refuse service to at least one demographic? From both a moral and professional vantage point, the move appears to be twisted.
There's been a long line of such service protections for people like those in the LGBT community in order to offset potential discrimination by businesses. African-Americans know this better than anyone. Was it right then to afford businesses the "freedom" to not serve these individuals because of their skin color? No. Would it be right to allow businesses the "freedom" to not serve women if they so chose? No. Just as such, it's not right for businesses to not offer their services to people based on their creed or orientation.
What these "religious freedom" backers seem to be missing is the fact that, regardless of where they work, they have the freedom to believe as they so choose. If they're a mechanic in Reno, Nevada, they have the freedom to be a Muslim. If they're a librarian in Pierre, South Dakota, they have the freedom to be a Christian. If they're a landscaper in Roswell, Georgia, they have the freedom to be a Buddhist. Yet when these far-right individuals pass "religious freedom" laws, what they're essentially doing is stripping others of freedom by making professional discrimination legal once again. When it comes right down to it, "religious freedom" laws aren't about religious freedom at all; they're about the freedom to discriminate.
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