Chef Duff Goldman tells same-sex couple he'll bake cake for free

 @catzmeow  You are right. There are reasonable explanations on how these images could have been somebody or something else. They are not proof (unless I saw it with my own eyes and then snapped the screen shot - then I could attest to the proof of the photo). To anybody who was offended: I apologize for posting the link to the inflammatory photos. I have deleted both comments which might be considered insensitive.

 

That being said, I still strongly disagree with this bakery's (owner's) stance. For one thing, do they screen everybody and hold pre-marriage counseling to make sure that all of the cakes they bake are going to couples whom they approve of and think that the marriage will last? Or did they single this couple out based on one characteristic that they didn't like?

 

Another point, they were hired to provide a service. Their service (or lack thereof) had no effect on the marriage itself. If they were being asked to officiate the ceremony, or otherwise participate in the ceremony, I could see where their individual beliefs could reasonable prevent them from doing that duty. They, however, were only asked to provide a service. Not unlike the people who sell the flowers, provide the service or chairs or any other numerous items that might be at the wedding. Bottom line, after they make the cake and sell it, they have no right to say how it might or might not be used. They are not doctors handing out medication that could prove fatal. If somebody wanted to buy a cake from them and use it in a pagan ceremony where they dance naked under the moon and eat cake, then it doesn't reflect on the baker's beliefs (just his ability to make a cake that others enjoy).

 

Finally, I STRONGLY object to "Christians" (in quotes because when I was raised a Christian and I was taught to love others) trying to claim marriage as something of their own. From everything that I've been able to read, the institution of marriage predates Christ... by quite a bit. Marriages have, and are, celebrated in many different cultures. Sometimes the marriages are sacred to a particular deity, other times they are not. There is NOT a single religion out there who can claim ownership of the idea, word, or institution of marriage. It does not belong solely to Christianity, nor to any other religion. Just because a particular belief system doesn't recognize the validity of the commitment, doesn't mean the commitment is invalid. Just as a decent human wouldn't go up to a Jew or an Indian (or anybody else) and tell them that the marriage they had, that was unique to their cultural and spiritual beliefs wasn't valid; it is just as wrong to try and tell any two individuals that their marriage isn't valid because it doesn't match your ideology.