If you are reading this, I ask that you please read the entire post. You are free to disagree, but I will delete any reply that I determine to be disrespectful, or in poor taste.

I’m going to try to put this as simple as I can. Laws attempting to restore religious freedoms became necessary when activist judges and courts started declaring that certain businesses must accommodate everyone’s lifestyle.

Now typically the business that have been targeted have been Christian owned. Many are simple mom and pop type places like bakeries and florists shops, and wedding photographers. The activists that tend to target these businesses want to force everyone to celebrate their new found legal right to get married.

I’m sorry to have to say this, but no one, individual or business should be forced to support or provide services against their conscience. We are not talking about things that a person can’t change, like skin color, gender, or ancestry. We are talking about chosen lifestyles. We discriminate against people every day for behaviors. Yes, many try to claim their behavior is because they were born that way. Sorry, there still has not been any evidence of a gay gene, a hate gene, an anger gene, a drunk or stoned gene, or any other gene that determines how one must choose to behave or live. So far, the only evidence has shown that a person may be born with a propensity to behave or respond in certain ways. And yet, even then, there is evidence that nurture can chance nature. Once we accept the fallacy that “I behave like this because I’m born this way,” then personal responsibility simply has to also go out the window.

Before I continue, I must clarify, that certain professions must never be permitted to refuse service, those being primarily public safety and health professionals. And a true Christian in these professions, I do not believe, would refuse to do his or her job. I also would not support a business in general, refusing to serve anyone. However, they can and should be allowed to determine acceptable behavior for their establishment. We all need flowers, groceries, pictures, and baked goods. But when you try to force someone to help you celebrate a lifestyle that they do not agree with, for whatever reason, you have crossed a line. Many of the businesses that have been the targets of these activist lawsuits have gladly done business with members of the gay and lesbian community; except when they were asked to help those individuals celebrate a gay marriage. Now my first response to this is that it just is not reasonable to want someone, no matter how good they are, to provide services for something they don’t feel they can support in good conscience. That’s like walking into a Jewish or Muslim owned meat market and demanding that they sell you pork. Or expecting a divorce attorney to represent you in a criminal case. That’s just not smart.

Bottom line, if you want to celebrate a marriage, or any event that your baker, caterer, wedding planner or photographer may be opposed to, then be civilized enough to accept that they can’t provide you with their best for that occasion, and find someone who does.

Now, to the Christians…Folks, we blew it a long time ago. It’s time we start cleaning up our own acts, and hitting our knees, instead of simply blaming the gays or politicians, or whoever else we want to blame. We have let the devil into too many of our churches. Granted, that’s been going on since the days of the early church. And we still haven’t learned. We preach against homosexuality, yet find every possible excuse to justify our own sin, divorces, extramarital affairs, lust, anger, hateful attitudes, gossip, or even stealing. It’s not even uncommon for these things to take place at the church. And we too make excuses for our own failures and sin, using the age old excuse, “I can’t help it. God made me this way.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m under conviction myself here too, so if I’m stepping on your toes, then good, because I’m also stepping on mine. I certainly have no room to simply point my finger at anyone. I too have been guilty of divorce and gossip, and even hateful attitudes. But, I’ve been forgiven for my sins, and that is not the way God expects His children to live. Daily I still have to approach God’s throne and ask for a fresh filling of his Holy Spirit. Frequently, I say or do something that the Holy Spirit convicts me of, and I repent. I may be the only Jesus someone sees today. And I do not want to be the reason that someone rejects Christ.

We also need to be very much aware of how we treat others. First, we can’t love those outside the church if we don’t love our brothers and sisters inside the church. The world will know we are Christians by our love; for each other, and for others. I certainly do not agree with the lifestyles chosen by those in the GLBT community. But I also do not believe that we have any right to be hateful toward them, any more than we have a right to be hateful to the drug addict, the drunk, the unwed mother, the prostitute, our brothers, our sisters, or anyone else. We will not win people to Christ by being hateful. If you provide a service, and yet you feel you cannot in good conscience provide it for anyone in any lifestyle or circumstance, you can still be loving in your refusal to provide the service. We all work with many different people, from many different backgrounds. Regardless how we feel about them, we still, as representatives of Christ must treat them with human dignity and respect. Hating the sin does not mean hating the sinner. Loving the sinner does not mean loving or accepting the sin. Be a friend. Be Jesus. I’m not saying it’s easy, but make the effort. And let the Holy Spirit do his job. I have been blessed to know some wonderful people whose lifestyles and behaviors I do not necessarily agree with. I am pleased to call them my family, and my friends. And I pray for them to know the transforming power of Jesus Christ. I trust that one day they will. In the meantime, I love them, and try to let Jesus shine through me. I want to see through His eyes.