"The bakery is not a religious institution under the law." If it were, wouldn't they have religious services on Sundays and Wednesdays? [chuckle]

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COMMENTS:
*  How is anything being forced on them? They make cakes for a living.
*  OK, 3 things. 1) As a chef and restaurateur for 35 years, I can categorically state that baking a cake does not condone anything other than baking a cake. 2) Where exactly, in the Bible, does one find anything about a wedding cake? 3) The cake has nothing whatsoever to do with the wedding ceremony or the marriage, it's served at the party after the wedding.  So legal issues aside, they were simply being discriminatory for no reason at all (unless, of course, that reason is that they hate gay people).
*  ... Do you serve liars? If you say no, you're among them. Does that mean you support lying? Do you serve people who have cheated on a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend? You probably have and don't know it. Does that mean you support adultery? Do you serve people who have, somehow, hurt another person with their words and deeds? We all have, so that would be your entire customer base. Does that mean you support inflicting pain on your fellow human being?  If you refused to serve anyone because they were sinners and you didn't want to show that you supported their sins, your business would fail the second it opened. Because there isn't anyone in this world who is so perfect that they wouldn't be turned away.  So what about homosexuality makes it different? Why is it acceptable that you turn them away for their "sin," and not liars? How far are you willing to go to promote Biblical living among your customers and why does it start and end at "homosexuality"?  Something for you to think about.
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Sweet Cakes By Melissa Violated Oregon Law By Turning Away Lesbian Couple, Officials Rule
By Curtis M. Wong, February 3, 2015

The owners of an Oregon bakery who turned away a lesbian couple who sought a wedding cake violated the state's anti-discrimination laws, state officials announced Feb. 2.

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ruled that Aaron and Melissa Klein, who own Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, will have to pay the lesbian couple up to $150,000, USA Today is reporting. The final amount is set to be determined at a March 10 hearing, according to the report.

Bureau spokesman Charlie Burr said in a statement cited by Reuters that although Oregon law provides an exemption for religious institutions, it "does not allow private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot legally deny service based on race, sex, age, disability or religion."

He added, "The bakery is not a religious institution under the law."

Attorney Paul Thompson, who is advising the lesbian couple, told OregonLive that he was happy with the ruling, noting, "The entire time, I felt the law was very much on our side because the law is black and white."

Meanwhile, Anna Harmon, the Kleins' lawyer, called the ruling "wrong and dangerous," and added, "Americans should not have to choose between adhering to their faith or closing their business, but that is what this decision means."

In October, the Kleins told The Daily Signal that a large fine from the state would “definitely” be enough to bankrupt the couple and their five children. Meanwhile, footage of Melissa Klein's emotional speech about the case at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. went viral in the blogosphere around the same time.

The Kleins, who shuttered their bakery storefront in September 2013 but still takes orders online, offered the following image on the company's official Facebook page: [image not found]

At the time of the 2013 incident, Aaron Klein argued that he and Melissa were simply living in accordance with their religious beliefs by rejecting the lesbian couple's request.

"I believe that marriage is a religious institution ordained by God," Klein is quoted as saying at the time. "I'd rather have my kids see their dad stand up for what he believes in than to see him bow down because one person complained."

With more U.S. states implementing same-sex marriage legislation, bakeries have become an unlikely battleground for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in recent months.

In January, the owner of a Colorado-based bakery was slapped with a religious discrimination complaint after she refused to bake a cake decorated with anti-gay images and phrases.
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