The Patriot Post® · Tolerating Radical Islam but Not Christian Bakers

At the White House Summit on Countering Religious Extremism, Barack Obama demanded we “refute the notion that groups like ISIL somehow represent Islam, because that is a falsehood that embraces the terrorists’ narrative.” He added, “No religion is responsible for terrorism,” ignoring that the aggressors in the overwhelming majority of terrorist attacks this century have had their roots in radical interpretations of Islam, whether through al-Qaida or the Islamic State.

Obama seems to hold a millennium-long grudge against all Christians for the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, but he isolates the blame for terrorist acts to a small percentage of misguided radicals (who are in no way Muslim). That minority is on the march, however, slaughtering other Muslims who don’t conform with their strict interpretation of Islam along with Jews and Christians, like the 21 Coptic Christians recently beheaded in Libya – the ones Team Obama dismissively referred to as “Egyptian citizens.”

Obama, though, hasn’t weighed in on the cultural clash occurring right here at home. In 2013, the owners of an Oregon bakery called Sweet Cakes by Melissa refused to bake a cake for a same-sex marriage ceremony because doing so conflicted with their religious beliefs. Rather than respect the owners’ religious liberty and choose another baker in the area, the lesbian couple filed a formal complaint with the state. That led to a recent ruling that the bakers denied the couple “full and equal access to a place of public accommodations.”

It’s the latest in a growing number of instances where those who believe marriage is solely between a man and a woman are being hounded by radicals demanding full recognition of same-sex “marriage.”

In Washington, a florist cited her religion in refusing to create arrangements for a same-sex ceremony – though she had previously served the couple. As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins explained, “[H]ere’s the catch. [Barronelle] Stutzman didn’t deny the men flowers, as the media wrongly suggests, but arrangements – which would have required Barronelle to use her personal artistry to express what she believes is a sinful message.”

Speaking after the state ruled against Stutzman, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Kristen Waggoner put her finger on the fundamental message of the Rainbow Mafia: “Celebrate us or else.” She warned, “The ruling basically said that if you dare to not celebrate same-sex marriage because it violates your religious convictions, that the government has a right to bring about your personal and professional ruin.”

The florist herself said, after she pays all the fines and legal fees, “There won’t be anything left. They want my home, they want my business, they want my personal finances as an example for other people to be quiet.”

Muslims call this tax on non-believers the jizya. American leftists call it tolerance.

So, while Obama tries to excuse those whose religious dogma includes the wholesale slaughter of anyone who doesn’t buy the Islamist cake, American citizens who hold sincere religious beliefs – whose actions might be inconvenient to the “victims” but certainly aren’t fatal or even dangerous – find their livelihoods destroyed by the state in the name of fighting discrimination. That’s what happens when those in government think they grant rights instead of God.

It’s worth noting that, in areas controlled by ISIL, homosexuality is punishable by death. Somehow, that makes one’s inability to purchase a customized cake or flower arrangement from a particular business seem a bit less inconvenient.