• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

Gay Rights in Churches

Sucumbio

Smash Giant
Moderator
Writing Team
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
8,174
Location
Icerim Mountains
Considering states like mine now have laws on the books protecting a bakers decision to not serve gay couples I'd say it's pretty much decided where people are welcome and where they're not. It's sad, people have taken one step forward and four leaps back, but maybe boycotting will work.
 

Kaiduru Zeta

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 6, 2014
Messages
167
Location
Richmond, Texas
NNID
Kaiduru_Zeta8
3DS FC
1332-7842-2519
How I see it is that you're a business. You made this business and you pretty much have to cater to everyone. That's how I personally see it but that's just me.
 

#HBC | Red Ryu

Red Fox Warrior
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
27,486
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NNID
RedRyu_Smash
3DS FC
0344-9312-3352
My only concern with a question like this would be where a cut off for someone to be allowed to deny service would be ok.

Gender? No problem.

Sexuality? No issues.

Religious affiliation or lack there of? We cool.

But what if the KKK or neo nazis asked me to make them an IT system...I would feel very uncomfortable about doing work for them.

Where would the line be for a public business?
 

Chainz

Sleepy Chainz
Premium
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
9,496
Location
Las Vegas, NV
3DS FC
1075-1816-9029
Are churches even consider a legal business? If not, then it's pretty much up to whoever runs the church if they wanna accept gay people or not. Personally I think it's kinda messed up if they don't, churches are supposed to be accepting (don't quote me on that), that's kinda the point cause you would want to grow your church and teach/learn about whatever religion it is.

I don't really know the relationship between churches and federal laws. So can't say.

Imo, if a church doesn't want gay people in, they shouldn't be forced too, they don't need to pay a fine or anything. I know that sounds negative. But there are good churches, and there's bad ones. No matter what the religion is. If you don't agree on how someone runs the church, just find another one. I've been to plenty of churches that I had personal disputes with, solely on how they were ran/ and their attitude. And i'll say this, it would be less of a headache to just move on and go to another church.

Or do what I do, don't go anymore. lol
 

Sucumbio

Smash Giant
Moderator
Writing Team
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
8,174
Location
Icerim Mountains
Are churches even consider a legal business? If not, then it's pretty much up to whoever runs the church if they wanna accept gay people or not. Personally I think it's kinda messed up if they don't, churches are supposed to be accepting (don't quote me on that), that's kinda the point cause you would want to grow your church and teach/learn about whatever religion it is.

I don't really know the relationship between churches and federal laws. So can't say.

Imo, if a church doesn't want gay people in, they shouldn't be forced too, they don't need to pay a fine or anything. I know that sounds negative. But there are good churches, and there's bad ones. No matter what the religion is. If you don't agree on how someone runs the church, just find another one. I've been to plenty of churches that I had personal disputes with, solely on how they were ran/ and their attitude. And i'll say this, it would be less of a headache to just move on and go to another church.

Or do what I do, don't go anymore. lol
No, Churches are exempt from laws pertaining to workplace equality and patron equality. Thus why some churches can be very vigorous about their hatred ifif gays.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church
 

Chainz

Sleepy Chainz
Premium
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
9,496
Location
Las Vegas, NV
3DS FC
1075-1816-9029
No, Churches are exempt from laws pertaining to workplace equality and patron equality. Thus why some churches can be very vigorous about their hatred ifif gays.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church
Heard about Westboro, unfortunately ingorant people exist and always will, they exits on both sides.

But to answer OP's question, my opinion is that it depends on the church. It's their call to make, if they want to hold ingnorant views, that's out of anyone else's control. Like I mentioned, they're better churches out there.
 
Last edited:

#HBC | Red Ryu

Red Fox Warrior
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
27,486
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NNID
RedRyu_Smash
3DS FC
0344-9312-3352
Some churches are accepting, others are not.

Depends on sect and other factors for something like that.

~

This still goes back to my question and something I really ask.

When is it ok to draw the line and does a person have the right to refuse service in most cases?
 

Sucumbio

Smash Giant
Moderator
Writing Team
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
8,174
Location
Icerim Mountains
Honestly I think it's more a question of good business decisions. Ethical standards are something that many businesses advertise (like every other aspect of themselves) so even in terms of denying gays services in the name of "religious freedom" can be viewed through the lense of competitive values.

An interesting parallel is that of the restaurant chain Chick fil A.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-fil-A_same-sex_marriage_controversy

They also close on Sundays as Sunday is considered a day of worship. As a business they declared themselves quite strongly in the face of true equality by rallying behind the Christian Values that homophobes tout as truth.

Then again, my lesbian and gay friends still ate there and continue to do so. Why? "Cause it's some damn good chicken."

Haha

Soooo take from that what you will. Some establishments, even big chains, will stand by their principles even if it means risking patrons. But economics is economics. If enough people stopped eating at your place because you hung "God Hates ****" signs everywhere, you'd either go out of business, or take the signs down.

Another thing to consider is that businesses both large and small have to answer to the municipality they exist in. This means appeasing the city or town or county officials that preside over your building licenses and operations licensure. Some towns are staunch opponents to bigotry or restrictions. Like Cambridge, MA. Others are totally opposite, like opposed to businesses being open on Sunday like in parts of the deep South.

Then there's the people. Pretty much never will you find yourself opening your business in an ideal location where there's zero resistance to your preferred business model. There's always some measure of compromise. So where one "draws the line" really depends on the locale and its laws, its patrons and the personal preferences of the business owners themselves. In America you're sure to find every manner of establishment ready to satisfy every type of patron imaginable.
 
Top Bottom