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12 Recent Cases Where Christians Were Punished for Their Beliefs on Marriage

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Written by Stoyan Zaimov 

The Family Research Council has compiled a reporting listing 12 cases this past decade in America where Christian business owners have been punished or threatened with punishment for holding traditional beliefs about marriage in order to comply with anti-discrimination laws regarding gay people.

The list began with the 2006 case of Elane Photography, where Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin refused to provide photography for a same-sex wedding between two women, as it went against their beliefs on marriage. They were sued for their refusal to provide the service, and although they went all the way to the New Mexico Supreme Court, the state’s anti-discrimination laws won over their religious freedom rights, and they were ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in attorneys’ fees.

As The Washington Post reported, the state human rights commission had found that the Huguenins violated the New Mexico Human Rights Act in their refusal to photograph the wedding.

“When Elane Photography refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony, it violated the NMHRA in the same way as if it had refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races,” the court argued at the time.

The full list of cases, available on the FRC website, goes all the way up to Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group, who are facing the danger of being fined up to $25,000 in damages if they refuse to provide media and film services to gay couples on their weddings — and so they filed a suit earlier this year asking Minnesota law to protect them from being compelled to violate their faith.

The other 10 cases are:

  • Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (2007)
  • Wildflower Inn – Jim and Mary O’Reilly (2011)
  • TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast – Jim Walder (2011)
  • Masterpiece Cakeshop – Jack Phillips (2012)
  • Sweet Cakes by Melissa – Aaron and Melissa Klein (2013)
  • Arlene’s Flowers – Barronelle Stutzman (2013)
  • Liberty Ridge Farm – Cynthia and Robert Gifford (2013)
  • Gortz Haus Gallery – Dick and Betty Odgaard (2013)
  • The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel – Don and Evelyn Knapp (2014)
  • Brush & Nib Studio – Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski (2016)

FRC’s report explains in its conclusion that the First Amendment is meant to protect all Americans and their right to practice their faith.

“Requiring a cake-baker, wedding photographer, or other artisan to promote a message that contradicts sincerely-held, personal beliefs certainly violates the First Amendment,” the conservative group argued.

“Compelling artists who support natural marriage to speak a particular message by forcing them to participate in a particular event violates the principles of the First Amendment and oversteps the historical use of public accommodation laws,” it added.

This article was originally posted at ChristianPost.com



Illinois Christian Businessman Fined $80k for His Faith — But There is More

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Another Christian business-owner has been persecuted for his faith. Jim Walder, owner of an Illiois bed and breakfast, has been fined $80,000 by the Illinois “Human Rights” junta (also known as the Illinois Human Rights Commission) for refusing to rent his facility to homosexual couple Todd and Mark Wathen for their civil union ceremony.

Even more outrageous, the Illinois Human Rights Commission has ordered that Jim Walder “[o]ffer the Wathens access to the facility, within one year, for an event celebrating their civil union.” You read that right. This unelected, quasi-governmental commission has mandated that Jim Walder not only pay a fine for not accepting a request that violated his religious beliefs but also to offer to violate his religious beliefs. Such a mandate clearly violates Mr. Walder’s constitutionally protected religious liberty.

Despite what cultural regressives in their profound ignorance claim, the issue is not about discrimination against persons for some behaviorally neutral trait, like race, sex, or nation of origin, but rather about discriminating among types of activities. And despite what one of the homosexual plaintiffs claim, they were not turned away because of who they are.

Walder chose not to use his property, his business, and his labor in the service of an immoral activity. Facilitating a ceremony that solemnizes and celebrates a union that God abhors would violate Walder’s religious convictions, and compelling him to facilitate such an activity violates his First Amendment protections.

**Click HERE to read an update**

Here is a news report from Reuters:

Illinois inn fined for refusing to host gay civil union ceremony

CHICAGO (Reuters) – An Illinois inn that refused to allow a same-sex couple hold their civil union ceremony on the property was fined more than $80,000 by the Illinois Human Rights Commission on Tuesday.

An administrative law judge with the commission ordered TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast to pay $15,000 each to Todd and Mark Wathen for emotional distress.

The Wathens had contacted TimberCreek in 2011 as they looked for possible locations for the ceremony.

TimberCreek owner Jim Walder had responded to the Wathens’ inquiry with an email that said “homosexuality is immoral and unnatural,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

TimberCreek, located about 100 miles south of Chicago, must also pay $50,000 in attorneys’ fees and $1,218.35 in costs.

“We are very happy that no other couple will have to experience what we experienced by being turned away and belittled and criticized for who we are,” Todd Wathen said in a statement.

A representative from TimberCreek was not immediately available to comment.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in June 2015.

(Reporting by Mark Weinraub; Editing by Bernadette Baum)