Religious Freedom Victory

Today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a baker from Colorado protecting his religious freedoms.  To sum up the story, the baker owns a cake shop in Colorado.  Two homosexual men came in to his cake shop -- masterpiece cakes (or something like that) -- and asked him to bake a cake for their upcoming "wedding".  The baker refused on grounds of doing so violating his religious beliefs.  So the two homosexual men sued him.  Now, this baker did not refuse to sell these men any cake already made in the glass case.  He told them he would sell them any cake already made if they chose to select one.  He just refused to bake and decorate them a cake for their "wedding".

I think that is why the Supreme Court sided 7-2 for the baker.  Because he was not refusing them service.  He would gladly sell them a cake.  He just didn't want to make a cake and decorate it for their homosexual "wedding".

This is a huge victory for religious freedom.  Religious freedom is being attacked more and more lately.  This decision by the United States Supreme Court is a gigantic win for religious freedom.  For protecting our First Amendment rights.

Here are a few quotes from Rush Limbaugh with his take on the situation:

"If the court had ruled that this baker was required to bake this cake for a gay couple in violation of his constitutional protections, the freedom to practice his religion, if he had lost this, you don’t think the left would be out there saying, “Well, it’s not that big a deal. It’s just pretty narrow.” They would be dancing on graves right now. This is a huge deal and don’t let anybody tell you it isn't. The left is just trying to provide solace to its lunatic, deranged base and to keep them from feeling entirely, totally defeated."

"But, you know, there’s another question here that needs to be asked, and I've asked this before. This was a fight that was provoked by the militant political gay movement. They targeted a religious baker and chose this guy to make a case. They could have gone any bakery in Colorado. They could have gone to any bakery in Denver. They could have gone up and down the interstate anywhere they wanted. They could have found somebody who would have happily baked them a cake.

"But they didn't do that. They targeted somebody that they knew wouldn't bake them the cake or thought wouldn't bake them the cake because this is how the left operates. The thing to take away from this is what the left wants. The left is anti-liberty. The left is very comfortable denying anyone who disagrees with them their freedom, including constitutional freedoms." 

"The guy’s name, by the way, the cake shop, Masterpiece Cakeshop, and one of the factors here is it was ruled that this guy is an artiste. He’s not just, you know, go getting a box of Betty Crocker and putting some flour and water in it and bake a cake. This guy is an artiste.

"As such, you could not compel, say, Degas to do a portrait of somebody he didn't want to do a portrait of. It was sort of relevant in this case where you can’t compel this baker/artist to create art for occasions he disagrees with. It really was a factor, because this is a custom bake shop. But I’m gonna… You know, where you listen to the left talk about how this is very narrow and not that encompassing. Imagine how you would feel today if it’d gone the other way, if by a 7-2 vote in the Supreme Court they had ruled that Christian religious freedom essentially doesn't exist or didn't in this case.

"I mean, the left would have been on this, and they would have been marching into every religious business they could find and challenging it, starting late this morning, certainly early this afternoon. They would have been out there doing everything they could to maximize this. So, as far as that — even though it’s just an individual case — the Supreme Court stood up for religious liberty, First Amendment in a major, major way."  -- Rush Limbaugh.com, June 4, 2018 

I think Rush Limbaugh summed it up really well.  This case isn't about refusing to sell someone a cake based on discrimination.  This is about making someone use their talents to create custom artwork against their religious beliefs.  What it's really about is taking someone's will away and forcing them to do something they don't want to do.  It's about agency.

Hmm, whose idea was it to take away our agency?  That's right, Satan.  God has given us our agency to make our own choices.  He does not compel us to be good.  He gives us our agency.  We can choose for ourselves good or evil.

Agency is such an important part of God's plan of happiness or plan of salvation, that a war in heaven was fought over it.  That's how vitally important agency is to God's plan.

We are blessed to live in a country where we have freedom to choose.  We have agency.  The divinely inspired United States Constitution guarantees us our God-given right of agency.  The First Amendment guarantees us freedom of religion.  Thankfully today, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Constitution by guaranteeing a baker's right to freedom of religion.

Despite this wicked world we live in and all of its attacks on our religion and our freedoms, today a victory was won for religious freedom. It reminds me of a favorite hymn:

Behold!  A Royal Army
Hymn number 251
Lyrics

1. Behold! A royal army,
With banner, sword, and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer
On life's great battlefield.
Its ranks are filled with soldiers,
United, bold, and strong,
Who follow their Commander
And sing their joyful song:

(Chorus)
Victory, victory,
Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

2. And now the foe advancing,
That valiant host assails,
And yet they never falter;
Their courage never fails.
Their Leader calls, "Be faithful!"
They pass the word along;
They see his signal flashing
And shout their joyful song:

(Chorus)

3. Oh, when the war is ended,
When strife and conflicts cease,
When all are safely gathered
Within the vale of peace,
Before the King eternal,
That vast and mighty throng
Shall praise his name forever,
And this shall be their song:

(Chorus)

Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
Music: Adam Geibel, 1855-1933

Today I am grateful for this victory for religious freedom.

That's my two cents.