Christian Baker May Be Sued Over SODOMITE Couple's Wedding Cake

[Mark]

Christian Baker May Be Sued Over Lesbian Couple's Wedding Cake

A Christian woman from Iowa may face legal action for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple due to her religious beliefs.

Victoria Childress, who runs a bakery called “Victoria’s Cake Cottage” from her home in Des Moines, told Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers that she was unable to make them a wedding cake because of her Christian convictions when they came to her shop for an appointment.

She had baked five cakes for the women to taste prior to knowing about their relationship. When both came in for the tasting, she asked one of them, “Is this your sister?” to which one answered, “No. This is my partner,” Fox News reported.

Childress responded by telling the couple she was unwilling to make their cake, telling them about her convictions as a Christian.

“I didn’t do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle. It is my right as a business owner. It is my right, and it’s not to discriminate against them,” Childress told KCCI 8 Des Moines. “It’s not so much to do with them, as it’s to do with me, and my walk with God and what I will answer Him for.”

“They thanked me for being honest with them,” she shared. “They were very pleasant. I did not belittle them, I did not speak rudely to them. There were no condescending remarks made, nothing.”

Though the couple initially appeared understanding, they later released a statement calling the baker a “bigot.”

Vodraska also told KCCI that the situation was “degrading.”

“It was like she chastised us for wanting to do business with her. I know Jesus loves me. I didn’t need her to tell me that. I didn’t go there for that. I just wanted to go there for a cake.”

Contrary to their remarks, however, they shared in their statement, “Awareness of equality was our only goal in bringing this to light, it is not about cake or someone’s right to refuse service to a customer. We are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received and hope that by stepping forward we have prevented someone else from experiencing the same type of bigotry.”

The couple was unsure whether they would file a civil rights complaint with the state. The Iowa Civil Rights Act, amended in 2007, prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education. Same-sex marriage was also made legal in Iowa in 2009.

In response to the incident, Childress has been flooded with hate mail, which she stopped reading.

“I’m being attacked because of my beliefs – my convictions to their lifestyle,” Fox quoted Childress.

“I’m a pretty quiet, soft-spoken person. But when I stand up for my convictions against things, I’m very strong when it comes to that.”

Childress, despite all of the criticism, has also garnered some support for her decision. “People are telling me they were proud of me for standing up for my beliefs because not many people do that these days. Business people are afraid to because they’re afraid to lose money.”

Though some have launched a boycott against Victoria’s Cake Cottage on Facebook, others are asking what they could do to support Childress’ business and her decisions.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-baker-may-be-sued-over-lesbian-couples-wedding-cake-62269/

[Kilika]

Contrary to their remarks, however, they shared in their statement, “Awareness of equality was our only goal in bringing this to light, it is not about cake or someone’s right to refuse service to a customer. We are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received and hope that by stepping forward we have prevented someone else from experiencing the same type of bigotry.”

So in other words, seeing they won't come right out and say it, the cake baker was a target from the start for the sake of "awareness". They had a pre-meditated plan to go to her asking for a cake knowing she was Christian, is what this sounds like. A setup, and they basically admit it in that statement.

Not unexpected from the militant gay lobby.

But it also shows in part why it is that maybe we Christians need to back off how much, or even simple how, we interact with the world. Buying and selling, and getting gain isn't what Jesus is calling us to do.

The thing is, the world will force her to comply with what the world ways, seeing she wanted to play in their world of commerce. Maybe she needs to reexamine why it is she was baking cakes in the first place. Her gay customers weren't the only persons wrong in the situation.

The world says you cannot discriminate. Jesus says we must discriminate between believers and unbelievers. Who are we going to side with? I say Jesus.

While we have liberty, not all things are edifying or of faith.

[Mark]

Refusal brings reward ... and retribution

Business is booming for a Des Moines cake-maker who took a stand for her faith when she was approached by a lesbian couple for a wedding cake.

Victoria Childress, owner of Victoria's Cake Cottage, tells OneNewsNow the couple arrived for a taste testing. "But at that point I just said, I have to tell you that I'm a Christian, and because of my Christian convictions I cannot do your cake," she says.
 
Childress has stated she did not belittle the couple. In fact, she tells OneNewsNow that she provided the lesbians names of some bakeries that might be willing to assist them and that they thanked her for being honest with them.
 
However, the two lesbians, Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers, told KCCI-TV afterwards they were shocked by the shop owner's refusal, reportedly describing it as "degrading."
 
According to Childress, hateful messages eventually started pouring in -- and not just from homosexuals and their supporters. "Well, actually I've gotten a lot of nasty comments from Christians who don't think that the stand I've taken is right," she shares. "They need to read the Book of Romans."
 
She says if they do, they will fully understand what God thinks of sin -- including homosexual sin.
 
"You know, Christ is very clear. We are either for him or against him; we're not supposed to be lukewarm; we're either hot or we're cold," she says. "And there was never a question in my mind how I was supposed to handle this, never -- because he's everything to me."
 
Homosexuals have launched a boycott of her shop, but Childress's business has only improved. Activists have threatened legal action, but so far no legal papers have been served.
 
Same-gender "marriage" was legalized in Iowa April 3, 2009, by a unanimous state Supreme Court decision. Three members of that court have since been ousted by voters.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1481136

[Lisa]

Deliberate targeting gos on in UK-i think the Christian B n B were targeted by Stonewall.

Im interested-I think as believers we shouldnt sue each other but would it be biblical to say counter sue (not sure they have a case but just wondered about Christians sueing non Christians is that kosher?).
L

[Kilika]

Definately not "kosher"! 

From what I read on the scriptures, the message I get is that we are to suffer, to turn the other cheek. So to me if a Christian is defrauded in someway, they should take it, and be thankful. We aren't to seek retribution. God says He will take of it...

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19 (KJB)

"And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also." Matthew 5:40 (KJB)

Counter-sue? Hmm, again, it shouldn't be in vengeance, or in looking for compensation of some kind. I'm thinking it's like Paul exercised his Roman citizenship in the matter when he was arrested and accused. He could have been set free, but he appealed to Caesar, and being a citizen, though born-again, he retained that right under Roman secular law. To me, Paul used this world, and didn't abuse it. That particular situation he felt called for it, but as a general practice, I would say believers are called to seek to resolve matters through forgiveness.

In the secular courts, you have certain rights, regardless of your religious beliefs, so the courts allow a person, and should, to defend themselves in court. You don't have to exercise that right. Trust that God will guide on what to do "in that hour".

The courts are of the world, and quite frankly we are called to "flee all appeareance of evil", so the less interaction with the world we have, the better.

The baker's problem is in being in business in the world. The big question is, why is she doing it in the first place? To get gain. To make money. And they need that money why? Because of the rest of the ties in the world they have, such as a mortgage, kids in schools, bills, loans, vehicles and licenses and insurance, movie rentals, new clothes, haircuts, health products, etc. It's because she has to pay for all those things. Or thinks she does. Jesus says He takes care of us, like the birds of the air. Not everyone believes that. According to your faith...

"Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." Matthew 9:29 (KJB)

[Mark]

Lakewood Cake Shop Refuses Wedding Cake To Gay Couple

Chick-fil-A’s president spoke out against gay marriage last week, sparking a huge uproar in the gay community, and now the issue is spilling over to a Colorado bakery.

The owner of Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood refused to bake a wedding cake for a local gay couple and now people are pushing a boycott against the owner.

Shop owner Jack Phillips probably didn’t think he was going to be wading into a civil rights debate a week ago when he told the gay couple that he would not make a cake for their wedding, but that’s exactly what has happened.

VID: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/07/28/lakewood-cake-shop-refuses-wedding-cake-to-gay-couple/?utm

Dave Mullin and Charlie Craig say they dated for nearly two years before getting engaged. They went into the Masterpiece Cake Shop thinking they’d spend a full day trying cakes for their ceremony. Instead the meeting lasted a few seconds.

“My first comment was, ‘We’re getting married,’ and he just shut that down immediately,” Craig said.

Mullin and Craig were stunned. They went online and posted their experience on Facebook. The response has been huge.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the shop on Saturday and were very angry.

It wasn’t the first time the shop turned down gay couples who wanted a cake. Phillips has received more than 1,000 angry messages about his stance.

“If gays come in and want to order birthday cakes or any cakes for any occasion, graduations, or whatever, I have no prejudice against that whatsoever,” Phillips said. “It’s just the wedding cake, not the people, not their lifestyle.”

“I support local business, I think it’s really important to our community to support local business,” protester Cate Owen said. “If it has to do with discrimination I don’t think we should support it. I think we should want to change their policies. It’s not like we want to shut them down.”

Some customers said they are now ordering cakes at the shop specifically because of the stance against gay marriage.

“We would close down that bakery before we closed our beliefs, so that may be what it comes to … we’ll see,” Phillips said.

A larger protest is scheduled to take place next Saturday.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/07/28/lakewood-cake-shop-refuses-wedding-cake-to-gay-couple/?utm

[Psalm 51:17]

Then why don't they just go to another shop to get a cake? Are their skins really that thin? Anyhow...

Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

[Kilika]

Nope, not at all. It's a planned attack. Their goal wasn't a cake, but a lawsuit. I see this as aprt of the militant gay agenda, where they go after people that they think will refuse them service, then they sue them and make a big scene crying their rights have been violated.

You would think they would go to a different baker, and they would under normal circumstances I'd say, but that isn't the goal. And no doubt there are gay bakers they could have gone to but didn't. Those are facts the judge should seriously consider. I believe this was a setup from the start.

[Mark]

Gays SODOMITES Picket Cake Shop Owned by Christian Baker


The owner of a Colorado bakery said in spite of picket lines and online petitions he will not change a store policy against baking wedding cakes for homosexual couples – a policy that critics call hateful and bigoted.

More than 4,200 people have signed an online petition calling on the Masterpiece Cake Shop to ends its policy banning gay wedding cakes. Over the weekend, several dozen people picketed the privately-owned store in Lakewood, Colo.

“Everyone has the same rights,” one protestor told television station KDVR. “A gay wedding cake, a straight wedding cake – it’s the same thing.”

Jack Phillips, the owner of the cake shop, said his ban on making cakes for gay weddings is a result of his religious beliefs.

“I’m not going to change my business because of a petition,” he told the Denver Post. “I’m just going to do the best I can do to honor Jesus Christ.”

“By denying service to gay couples, they are essentially slapping us all in the face, and I simply cannot stand idly by while such shameful behavior is allowed to continue,” said Macklin MacKenzie, a Denver resident who started the petition.

“I am not sure how the cakes taste, but I know bigotry and hate tastes disgusting,” MacKenzie said.

Phillips found himself in the middle of a controversy several weeks ago when David Mullins and Charlie Craig asked the bakery to make a rainbow cake for their wedding reception.

“He quickly informed us that his business did not provide cakes for gay weddings,” Craig said in a statement. “This moment was offensive, dehumanizing, awkward and quite painful.”

Mullins then cursed the owner, “f*** you and your homophobic cake shop.”

The couple then posted the encounter on Facebook which spread across the nation.

“This was the first time that either of us had ever been turned away from a business because of our sexuality,” Craig said. “The venality of a cake shop denying a loving couple a wedding cake is symbolic of the small thinking that permeates American society.”

But the protests have not hurt business. Phillips told local media that a number of people have either called or dropped by to show their support for his ban on gay wedding cakes.

“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ and you could say it’s a religious belief but I believe the Bible teaches that’s not an okay thing,” he told television station KDVR.

REST: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/gays-picket-cake-shop-owned-by-christian-baker.html

[Mark]

Colorado Christian Baker Faces Discrimination Charges for Denying ‘Wedding’ Cake to Homosexuals

A Christian baker is facing discrimination charges before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission for declining to bake a wedding cake for two homosexual men.
 
As previously reported, Dave Mullin and Charlie Craig visited Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood last July to look for options for their upcoming same-sex ceremony, but were advised by owner Jack Phillips that he does not accommodate those types of requests.
 
“My first comment was, ‘We’re getting married,’ and he just shut that down immediately,” Craig, 31, stated.
 
Phillips told Christian News Network that he does not make cakes for such occasions because of his Christian convictions.
 
“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, and I believe that the relationship is not something that He looks favorably on,” the master pastry chef stated. “If Jesus was a carpenter, He wouldn’t make a bed for this union.”
 
Phillips, who attends a Baptist church, explained that when he informed Mullin and Craig that his bakery does not make cakes for same-sex “weddings,” the men immediately left. He stated that one of them made a comment on his way out the door that the bakery was a “homophobic cake shop.”
 
Mullin, 28, indicated to Denver Westward that is indeed what took place.

“It was the most awkward, surreal, very brief encounter,” he stated. “We got up to leave, and to be totally honest, I said, ‘(expletive) and your homophobic cake shop.’ And I may or may not have flipped him off.”
 
Phillips said that approximately twenty minutes later, the phone began ringing with complaints. Christians across the country have also contacted the baker to express support.
 
Recently, Mullin and Craig filed charges with the Colorado Human Rights Commission, which has now requested the names and sexual orientation of all of Phillips’ employees.
 
“They are also charging me with not providing a product that is for an illegal occasion. It’s against Colorado law for people of the same sex to marry,” Phillips stated. “Also, the law that I’m breaking violates my First Amendment right to practice freedom of religion.”
 
Colorado law prohibits business owners from refusing to provide services in a ”place of public accommodation” to anyone based on their sexual orientation.
 
Phillips is being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a nationally-recognized Christian legal organization that provides free representation to people of faith. He says that he is going to continue to fight the charges, even though it may be an “uphill battle.”
 
“If you back down on your faith in Christ, then you have nothing to stand for,” Phillips said. “[Business owners] need to put their trust in Jesus Christ. He demands everything from them: their lives, their business [and every aspect of what they do].”
 
Similar complaints and lawsuits are being filed across the country against Christian businesses, including florists, bed and breakfast owners and t-shirt printers. As previously reported, last June, a photographer in New Mexico was forced to pay a fine of $7,000 and advised by the New Mexico Court of Appeals that she must shoot homosexual “weddings” according to state law in spite of her Christian convictions. She had declined to assist two lesbians that were seeking her services for a same-sex ceremony.

http://christiannews.net/2013/05/20/colorado-christian-baker-faces-discrimination-charges-for-denying-wedding-cake-to-homosexuals/

[Kilika]

“[Business owners] need to put their trust in Jesus Christ.

True, but He didn't say that believers were to be buying, selling, and getting gain in the world as business owners. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon".

[Mark]

Attorney for Colorado Christian Baker: Jail Time Possible for Denying ‘Wedding’ Cake to Homosexuals

 An attorney for a Christian baker in Colorado states that her client could possibly face up to a year in jail if the district attorney’s office decides to prosecute him for declining to bake a “wedding” cake for two homosexual men.

As previously reported, Dave Mullin and Charlie Craig visited Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood last July to look for options for their upcoming same-sex ceremony, but were advised by owner Jack Phillips that he does not accommodate those types of requests.

“My first comment was, ‘We’re getting married,’ and he just shut that down immediately,” Craig, 31, stated.

Phillips told Christian News Network that he does not make cakes for such occasions because of his Christian convictions.

“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, and I believe that the relationship is not something that He looks favorably on,” the master pastry chef stated. “If Jesus was a carpenter, He wouldn’t make a bed for this union.”

Phillips, who attends a Baptist church, explained that when he informed Mullin and Craig that his bakery does not make cakes for same-sex “weddings,” the men immediately left. He stated that one of them made a comment on his way out the door that the bakery was a “homophobic cake shop.”

Mullin, 28, indicated to Denver Westward that is indeed what took place.
Connect with Christian News

“It was the most awkward, surreal, very brief encounter,” he stated. “We got up to leave, and to be totally honest, I said, ‘(expletive) and your homophobic cake shop.’ And I may or may not have flipped him off.”

Recently, Mullin and Craig filed charges with the Colorado Human Rights Commission, which is now reviewing the case to determine whether Phillips broke the law in declining to provide the cake.

Attorney Nicolle Martin, who is representing Phillips, told reporter Jim Hoft with the Gateway Pundit this week that her client has done nothing wrong, since same-sex “marriage” is not recognized in Colorado.

“He’s not just following the Bible and his faith tradition. He’s actually following the public policy of the state of Colorado,” she explained. “So, it seems counter-intuitive and a bit oppressive to demand that he make the cake when the young gay couple that requested the cake can’t actually have the wedding in Colorado.”

Martin advised, however, that depending on what happens next, Phillips could possibly face jail time because his bakery does not service homosexual ceremonies.

“Colorado is one of the few jurisdictions that has a criminal statute on the books,” she outlined. “Once this is exhausted at the administrative level in the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the complainants can sue him civilly in Colorado’s regular court system, or he could potentially be prosecuted by the district attorney for up to 12 months in jail and a fine of not less than $10 and not more than $500.”

Martin also asserted that while the state recently repealed the penal statute that Phillips could be jailed under, it still could apply since it was in effect at the time of the incident.

“Now, because of this case, … that piece of the statute was repealed, because the state realized it doesn’t look very good to be threatening people with loss of liberty because they won’t bake the cake,” she stated. “Even though it’s now repealed, it was in effect when this alleged conduct occurred.”

“It’s a definite concern that’s weighing heavily upon him,” Martin said.

video: http://christiannews.net/2013/07/12/attorney-for-colorado-christian-baker-jail-time-possible-for-denying-wedding-cake-to-homosexuals/

[Kilika]

Over a stupid cake! 

I mean really? They don't have some gay friend that knows how to bake? These idiots are doing this kind of stuff on purpose, targeting people who oppose gays. That I have no doubt at all. They are a vengeful lot, and get real nasty mean when opposed.

[Mark]

Colorado Christian Baker Must Make Wedding Cake for Gay Couples, Commission Rules


The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled Friday that the state's Anti-Discrimination Act doesn't allow a Christian cake maker to refuse to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple.

Jack Phillips, a Christian who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., discriminated against a same-sex couple, David Mullins and Charlie Craig, by refusing to make a cake for their wedding ceremony in 2012, the state's seven-member Civil Rights Commission said in its decision, asking the bakery to change its long-standing policy.

"Any person doing business in Colorado has to recognize that they have to do business in an ethical and law abiding way and the law says you cannot discriminate," Denver Post quoted Raju Jairam, vice chairman of the commission, as saying.

Last December, a Colorado judge ruled that the Christian baker has to make cakes for such ceremonies as well as prove that he has done so. Attorneys of the Alliance Defending Freedom appealed the decision in January.

"Every artist must be free to create work that expresses what he or she believes and not be forced to express contrary views," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. "The First Amendment protects our freedom to speak or not speak on any issue without fear of punishment by the government."

ADF will likely appeal the decision, Tedesco told CitizenLink.

The complainants said they were humiliated by the refusal.

"What should have been a happy day for us turned into a humiliating and dehumanizing experience because of the way we were treated," kwgn.com quoted Mullins as saying. "No one should ever have to walk into a store and wonder if they will be turned away just because of who they are."

However, Phillips defended his polite refusal, saying, "I'm a follower of Jesus Christ so you can say it's a religious belief, but I believe that the Bible teaches that that's not an OK thing."

"Religious freedom is undoubtedly an important American value, but so is the right to be treated equally under the law free from discrimination," said Amanda Goad, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. "Everyone is free to believe what they want, but businesses like Masterpiece Cakeshop cannot treat some customers differently than others based on who they are as people."

"The government should not force him to choose between his faith and his livelihood," said ADF Lead Counsel Nicolle Martin, "In America, we don't separate a person's creative expression from what he believes. Jack simply exercised the long-cherished American freedom to decline to use his artistry to promote a message with which he disagrees."

"I will stand by my convictions until somebody shuts me down," Phillips told the Post.



http://www.christianpost.com/news/colorado-christian-baker-must-make-wedding-cake-for-gay-couples-commission-rules-120680/

[Mark]

Bridal Shop Bullied For Not Participating in Lesbian Wedding

The Christian owners of a bridal boutique in Pennsylvania who refused to make wedding gowns for two lesbians and bridesmaids dresses for their cross-dressing groomsmen were bullied for sticking to their religious beliefs.

Al Luschas, an attorney representing Victoria and Thomas Miller - proprietors of W.W. Bridal Boutique, which has been family owned and operated for two decades in Bloomsburg, Penn. - said they were victims of “very vicious attacks across the board” even though they did nothing illegal.

The attacks included “very, very nasty telephone messages in which people said ‘I hope you get raped,’ or ‘I hope your children get raped,’ and a whole series of violet threats,” Luschas told CNSNews.com.

In addition to the verbal threats, Luschas added, some people posted “false bad reviews online.”

“Their website was also hacked by a group, which posted on their website that they had gone out of business. Two local news stations then broadcast that they had gone out of business, so they were fielding frantic calls from girls who had ordered wedding dresses. It’s been a difficult time for these people,” he said.

According to the shop's website, customers can now be seen "by appointment only."

Luschas, who noted that the Millers have been “instructed not to comment,” declined to say whether the couple intends to pursue legal action.

However, a town spokeswoman told CNSNews.com that the Bloomsburg Town Council’s Commerce and Economic Development Committee will meet on August 26th to discuss a proposed ordinance that Luschas says would “make any discrimination against gays and lesbians illegal.”

In a Facebook post, a woman identified as G. Andrea Shay said that she had called the shop to schedule an appointment to order two wedding dresses as well as “dresses for the groomsmen.”

“I was put on hold for about 5 minutes so the lady could get her appointment book. She took me off hold and said unfortunately she would not be able to schedule an appointment for us because they currently do not service same sex couples and it’s just not something they do,” Shay reportedly said in a Facebook post.

Calling the shop “strange and rude,” she added:

"My husband and I tried to give W. W. Bridal our business, but when the management found out that we needed to order a wedding gown for my husband, and dresses for the groomsmen, they would not allow us to order from them claiming that such a thing would 'Break God's Law.' So they do not want money from people who enjoy cross-dressing. They insisted that we 'Must be gay,' since we wear clothing of the opposite sex. Very strange and rude management."

In a statement to the local newspaper, Thomas Miller, Jr. said that the shop had inadvertently accepted a prior order for a wedding dress from a same-sex couple in June.

“We faced the gay marriage issue knowingly for the first time in June of this year, when one of our employees accepted a wedding dress order from a gay couple.  When we realized what had happened, we decided that we had an obligation to follow through for them,” Miller wrote. “We will complete the order we received in June or provide a full refund.  The choice is theirs.  W.W. Bridal has never failed to honor a commitment.

“But, now we had to decide whether or not our conscience and faith would allow us to participate in future gay and lesbian weddings. To be clear, our objection is not at all directed to gays or lesbians as individuals.  We will sell our products to gay individuals.  It is our participation in the marital process between same sex couples which we concluded to be a violation of a sacred tenant of our religious faith, which is that a marriage is a commitment between a male and a female.“

“The gay and lesbian community has won a hard-fought battle to protect their liberty and rights to pursue happiness.  But, does that give gay activists the right to take our liberty and to restrain our right to pursue our religious faith as we see fit?” Miller asked.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-hollingsworth/bridal-shop-bullied-not-participating-lesbian-wedding