In Monday’s class we discussed the issue of freedom of religion versus freedom of expression in the context of same-sex marriage. This is merely one of the heated debates that has divided people nationwide, so I found it worthwhile to bring up in class. As we moved from an extreme, the clergyman, to a grey area, the baker, the reactions to these situations made an impression on me.
I was surprised to hear that some people believe that a clergyman who refuses to marry a same-sex couple should be forced to do so. While I certainly think that in a business context there should be no prejudice in what customers to attend to, in such a religious setting I feel that there has to be a degree of autonomy. The entire basis of religion is the right to express one’s beliefs and share them with a community of others who believe the same. Therefore, forcing a clergyman to marry two people whose marriage he doesn’t condone would be unethical. Clergymen are supposed to be one of the most devout religious followers, and thus I think they would simply not be able to do something that goes against their religion without a guilty conscience and a poignant anger towards anyone forcing this on them against their will. On the other hand, I can sympathize with the rejection that a same-sex couple must feel in this situation as well. An aspect of one’s character that is so personal and private should not be judged by others. There definitely needs to be more understanding towards same-sex couples so that they too can thrive. I sincerely hope that our society as a whole is moving towards this by figuring out a healthy middle ground.
Hi Lexi,
I’m happy that you decided to bring up this controversial subject on our blog. I do agree that the clergyman should not be forced to perform a ceremony for a couple whose marriage he does not approve of. Religious figures often deny marriage requests for people who are of different religious backgrounds or those whom simply have not paid their church dues. Thus, I would not be surprised if they also denied the request to perform a marriage ceremony due to a couple’s sexual orientation. Although this is a form of discrimination in my eyes, religious figures often discriminate based on other factors as well, such as nationality. Priests and clergymen are awarded this privilege because they are religious figures who perform acts of personal service and therefore cannot be forced to perform a marriage ceremony for anybody since there is separation of church and state in the United States.
However, as discussed in class, I do think that in the case of the religious baker, he should have to cook a wedding cake for a gay couple. I do not see his services as being a form of creative expression. Instead I see his actions as a form of discrimination if he were to deny his services to people of the same gender. He is getting paid to make a cake so it does not matter who this cake is for. I see him denying the creation a cake for a couple based on their sexual orientation as the same thing as denying the creation of a cake for a couple based on their race. In either circumstance, he is prejudiced and should be held accountable to the laws of the state in which he resides.
I also believe that a clergyman should not be forced to officiate a wedding that he does not believe in. What I find confusing about the debate we had is as to why a same-sex couple would want to have their marriage officiated by someone who believes that their marriage should not exist. It seems that if a clergyman were forced to officiate all weddings it would be quite rude of a same-sex couple to force their beliefs upon said clergyman. In the progressive world we live in I think that religious beliefs are viewed as less legitimate than the modern socially liberal beliefs which I think is wrong. Agreeing with one’s beliefs is not necessary, but allowing them to practice what they believe as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone should be mandatory. If there is someone else who is able to officiate a same-sex marriage the job should not have to fall on someone who believes the marriage to be illegitimate. As for the baker, I am not sure how the baking industry works, but I believe that for customized cakes most bakers probably have the final word in whether or not they could make the cakes. So I also believe that a baker should not be forced into making a cake that goes against his beliefs unless it his policy to accept all orders.
I also agree with Lexi that a clergyman shouldn’t be forced to officiate a marriage that he doesn’t believe to be allowed in his religion. To respond to Evan’s statement about how he was confused as to why a same-sex couple would want to have their marriage officiated by someone who believes that their marriage should not exist, I just want to maybe make the situation a bit clearer. I think that the same-sex couple can follow whatever religion they may believe in, and I think it’s an individual’s interpretation of the sacred texts regarding same sex marriage. There might be other priests of the same religion who believe that their marriage is legitimate. I really think that it’s subjective and it was just that specific priest who was against same sex marriage according to his own interpretation of his religion, and not of the religion as a whole.