The owners of a family farm who are being fined $13,000 for refusing to host a gay wedding ceremony are taking action in an effort to overturn the state’s ruling against them. An attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal firm, filed a petition in New York State court Thursday on behalf of Cynthia and Robert Gifford, owners of Liberty Ridge Farm. The petition asks that the “sexual orientation discrimination” ruling given by the New York State Division of Human Rights in August be reexamined.
The legal battle touched off after the Giffords, who are Christians, told Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin, a lesbian couple from Newark, New Jersey, back in 2012 that they were welcome to hold their reception on the property, but not the actual wedding ceremony, according to Religion News Service.
McCarthy and Erwin, angry over the rejection, took their grievances — and audio from their conversation with the farm owners that was reportedly secretly recorded — to New York’s Division of Human Rights, claiming that they were discriminated against as a result of their sexual orientation. A judge agreed and the farm owners were fined $10,000 plus an additional $3,000 in damages for violating anti-discrimination regulations under New York’s Human Rights Law.
The conservative legal firm’s appeal argues in Gifford v. New York State Division of Human Rights that the state “did not consider Robert and Cynthia’s constitutional freedoms and religious beliefs,” according to a press release.
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12 comments:
we have rights to practice our faith, even in business. period
What the hell ever happened to if you dont want to do business with me thats fine. I know that is how I feel because Im spending my money.
We do have those specific rights. Good for this!
Govt. Tyranny. It's here, America is not a free country.
As a devote Christian I find the Giffords an embarrassment What would Jesus do?.
Simply raise prices beyond affordability for gay ceremonies citing any number of reasons to justify the costs.
One might be, "Because the Christian religion's fundamental laws are not respected nor recognized any longer and state governments are having to pass laws to circumvent islamic religious laws so we donate our excess proceeds to support these efforts."
726 brings up a good question, and I don't thing he would hold the Giffords' decision as any embarrassment. He would most likely tell the Gay coupe to honor their Fathers and their Mothers.
Why would anyone what to hold their wedding and more importantly spend any money with a business who doesn't support them? It's crazy. You would think these gays would like to know so they don't support the business. It's as if they haven't a logical coherent thought in their heads and only concerned with showing off.
"Anonymous said...
As a devote Christian I find the Giffords an embarrassment What would Jesus do?.
October 8, 2014 at 7:26 PM"
Jesus would pray over them, for their wayward, sinful ways, then send them on their way UNMARRIED telling them to go and sin no more.
You need to find yourself an embarrassment for throwing out the WWJC when you yourself are completely clueless. You need to spend some time reading the Bible.
October 9, 2014 6:43 am to October 8, 2014 7:26 pm...BOOM!
1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
@7:26 Let's think about what would Jesus do? HMMMM in the BIBLE it clearly states:
1)Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
2)Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:32
So I ask you the same question as you state you are a DEVOTED Christian - I guess you just skip the passages that you don't like or agree with! Jesus would have attempted to CLEANSE these animals of their sins, and attempted to get them on the right Track - he would not have married them either!
These people have not had their religious liberties taken from them at all. If their religion tells them not to marry another person of the same sex, then by all means they can practice their right to do so, and not be involved in a gay relationship.
What they CAN'T do is force their religious ideologies upon other people, especially if said practices are legal. These business owners could not refuse an interracial couple citing religious reasons... same applies to homosexual couples.
And to address the articles inherent logical fallacy at the end of the article, regarding business owners being forced to sell products they don't provide... is exactly WHY the argument is logically flawed, because no one can be forced to sell products they don't provide. The only way the arguments would be similar would be if a business actively SOLD liquor or bacon, etc, and refused to sell it to someone because they were of a group they did not like. This is NOT the argument the author is making here, in fact the author is arguing the exact OPPOSITE, so the argument is a fallacious one. It's not about providing product or service, but rather, about refusing product or service.
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