The John Byrne Blog
Menu

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” 
~Blaise Pascal

Is the Masterpiece Case About Competing Rights?

12/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
I heard it on the radio this morning and I have heard it so many times before, "The Masterpiece Bakery case going before the Supreme Court is a case of competing rights."  I have heard it numerous times and having given this a lot of thought, I can't help but say, "No it's not!!!"  Let me explain why this case isn't about competing rights at all.
  1. No one has a right to demand positive rights.  There is a difference between positive and negative rights.  The gay couple who asked Jack Philips to provide them with a custom same sex wedding cake was demanding a positive right.  Positive rights demand that a person provide someone with a good or service.  This can get a little complicated when it comes to public accommodation rights, but there is an important distinction that clarifies the issue.  To make this clear let's word it this way,  No person has the right to demand that a person provides a good or service that, that person does not provide to the public in general.  This is what this gay couple was doing.  Jack does not provide all kinds of cakes to the public.  He has defined what kind of cakes he does provide by having some guidelines about the kind of cakes he does not provide.  For instance, he doesn't do cakes that carry an offensive message; he wouldn't do a cake that disparages gay people, for instance.  He doesn't do Halloween cakes, he doesn't do bachelor party cakes, he doesn't do same sex wedding cakes, he doesn't do polyamorous wedding cakes, etc.  He doesn't make those specific cakes.  In other words those are products he doesn't provide for anyone (the public).  The products in his store:  the cakes, cookies, and cupcakes are available to everyone:  gay people, transgender, strait, black, white, etc.  Public accommodation laws cover those things, but cannot compel him to create custom work he doesn't normally do.
  2. The gay couple's negative rights were not being infringed upon.  Negative rights aren't "bad" rights; negative rights simply require others to abstain from interference.  Jack Philips has never attempted to keep David and Charlie (the gay couple) from getting married, having a ceremony, or anything else.  If Jack had done that, he would have been infringing on their negative rights.  Jack actually recommended some other bakeries that he believed could help them with their request.  
  3. Jack's refusal to make a cake that conflicted with His faith convictions did not prevent David and Charlie from getting a cake.  David and Charlie actually did get a cake and get married.  Nothing Jack did or didn't do stopped them from doing what they wanted to do and Jack never had the goal of stopping them.  They accomplished their goals, why not let Jack live according to his convictions as well?  
On a personal note, Jack and Debbie are some of the most kind hearted people I have ever met.  They don't hate David and Charlie or any gay person.  They do have deeply held religious convictions by which they want to live.  If the government can compel them to violate their convictions, it can compel you to do the same.  This case isn't about forcing everyone to believe the same thing and live according to the same creed, at least not from Jack's side, this case is about tolerance, true tolerance.  It is about having a society of freedom where people can disagree and live according to their convictions.  Please pray that SCOTUS will see this for what it is and rule in Jack's favor.  

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    John Byrne is a pastor who has been spouting off his opinions his entire life (just ask his mom).  This little blog is his venue for continuing in this tradition.

    Archives

    August 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All
    Parenting

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Videos
  • JB Church Consulting
  • A Firm Foundation Devotional Blog
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Videos
  • JB Church Consulting
  • A Firm Foundation Devotional Blog