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A federal judge has affirmed a Colorado law that effectively bans business owners from freely expressing in public their religious beliefs about marriage and homosexuality.

Colorado was the loser in a similar dispute, the Masterpiece Cakeshop case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state show “hostility” to the Christian beliefs of Jack Phillips in its handling of his refusal to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. Since then, openly homosexual Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has pursued a gay-rights agenda that includes allowing people to indicate their sex on driver’s licenses according to their “gender identity” and banning counselors from helping young people who want to rid themselves of same-sex attractions.

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Now, Judge Marcia Krieger has upheld a Colorado law that barred web designer Lorie Smith and her studio 303 Creative “from publicly expressing the religious reasons she declines” to promote same-sex marriage.

Smith, defended by the Alliance Defending Freedom, filed the lawsuit against members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and Aubrey Elenis, director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

She sought preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop Colorado from enforcing provisions of a state civil rights law that prevents her from exclusively promoting traditional marriage by forcing her also to create websites for same-sex marriages against her Christian beliefs.

ADF, which will appeal the decision to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, said Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act “gags creative professionals from talking about their beliefs when explaining their business decisions.”

Krieger’s Sept. 26 ruling conflicts with federal court decisions in Minnesota and Arizona. The judge insisted the state’s Supreme Court-documented “hostility” to Christianity was of no account.

WND calls to Polis on Monday were met with nonstop ringing or a recording that said the office was “unavailable.”

“Americans shouldn’t be forced by the government to create and publish websites that promote messages or causes they disagree with. That is a quintessential freedom that the First Amendment protects,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs. “The court shouldn’t have assumed Lorie’s decision not to create objectionable websites was illegal without any analysis of that question, especially when other courts have clearly upheld free speech rights in this context.

“Colorado must allow people like Lorie the liberty to make their own decisions about which messages they will promote. Lorie is happy to design custom websites for all people; she simply objects to being forced to pour her heart, imagination, and talents into creating and publishing websites that convey messages contrary to her core convictions.”

In Minnesota, courts affirmed the right of a filmmaking company not to endorse same-sex marriage. In Arizona, the state Supreme Court and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a calligraphy company.

“Creative professionals should be free to peacefully live and work according to their faith without fear of coercion, discrimination, or intimidation by the state,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson. “Just because a multimedia artist creates expression that communicates one viewpoint doesn’t mean the government can require her to express all viewpoints, especially when that forced expression violates her religious convictions. We’re hoping that the 10th Circuit will affirm that principle just as the 8th Circuit and the Arizona Supreme Court recently did in similar cases.”

ADF explained Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act “prohibits creative professionals from expressing any views about marriage that could indicate someone is ‘unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable’ because of their sexual orientation or that suggests that the designer won’t create particular expressive works because of those beliefs.”

Since the 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2015 establishing a legal right to same-sex marriage, gay-rights activists have successfully lobbied for laws that conflict with the First Amendment rights of religious exercise and free speech.

(Excerpt from WND.)

How can you exercise your rights of freedom of religion and speech? Leave a comment.

 

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Mammie
November 9, 2019

Instead of fighting this make your business logos with a John 3:16 verse on them. Tell those who come in to destroy that you will make what they want buy you put your logo on everything and that whether a wedding cake, website, or any other thing they will need to know you will keep your logo on it all. Put the John 3:16 logo on your business cards, vehicles, anything you can just like any business does and advertise as such. It may draw the enemy to you to destroy but keep honoring the Lord. People put other things on their businesses logos so there is no reason one can’t put scripture on yours. Think about it this way, you deliver a cake to a wedding you don’t agree with but your van sits in the driveway with Scripture, all products have the scripture like any other company has there’s. We are supposed to love our enemies so let’s love them with God’s Word, kindness and lots of prayer for their salvation.

Sherry
November 8, 2019

Lord please help! I pray for boldness in speaking the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for standing on Your Word in protesting not being part of the Worldview sin nature. Lord what man tries to kill and destroy I pray Your blessing and favor over the appeal. May You be glorified, praised and worshipped by Your people boldly and many come to know Christ and get saved by our testimonies of faithfulness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Betty
November 7, 2019

I’m an Artist though not a web designer. I think this: we don’t like it but if it’s the law now, you have to obey it. Not worth a lawsuit or fine and you’d lose. Work to change the law. Do a respectable web site but don’t pull out the creative stops. Just do a classic if “boring” one, that represents your typographic skill, is readable, conservative color, do it to honor your classic design sensibility and don’t go out of your way to give it pizzazz. Be as “objective” and under stated as possible. Make it about design not personality. Ah oh, they might like it. Oh well, theyre paying you! They’re Gods children even if they don’t know it.

    RSK
    November 7, 2019

    Not sure I can totally agree. “Do all as unto the Lord” doesn’t seem to jive with doing a job “half”. Nor does that help references. But I will think/pray on it.

    Martha Kersey
    November 9, 2019

    Betty, No they are not God’s children unless they choose to be, they, all of us are made in the image or God and precious in His site, However, we are not children of God unless we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Read the gospel of John 1:12 . We who are children of God must act like it in all matters !

Karen Melton
November 7, 2019

So I think Planned Parenthood should then be required to promote saving an unborn baby’s life in all of their promotional material. Wouldn’t that be the same thing?

Mark Matta
November 7, 2019

Dear Liberty-loving people of Judeo-Christian faith: YES, we MUST continue to PRAY (our biggest “lever of influence”) for Christians / conservatives to be protected in their First Amendment right to religious liberty and free speech, BUT we must FACE THE TRUTH that these “problems” are OUR FAULT: that is, MANY Pastors and Christians have forgotten that “freedom is not free,” AND that we must PRAY, VOTE (for God-fearing leaders, Exod. 18:21), GIVE to God-fearing candidates for office, WORK / VOLUNTEER to help get them elected, and RECRUIT other Judeo-Christians to do the same. FREEDOM takes WORK!!

IF pastors FAIL to URGE their congregations to REGISTER and VOTE for God-fearing leaders (i.e., pro-life, pro-Biblical-marriage, pro-religious liberty and free speech, etc.), THEN “Colorado discrimination against Christians” is the natural “result.” EITHER Pastors and Christians will RISE UP to consistently PRAY for our leaders (I Tim. 2), REMEMBER God’s wonderful works (Ps. 111:4) in giving America a Biblical foundation and liberty, and SELECT God-fearing leaders (Exod. 18:21), OR our God-given liberty will be lost to tyrants because WE FAILED to obey these Biblical directives, and to “OCCUPY till Jesus returns” (Lk. 19:13).

The above-mentioned “works” are not partisan OR political, they are our BIBLICAL DUTY to preserve our God-given liberty!

Debbie Smith
November 7, 2019

A message of encouragement to Lorie and artists whose trust is in the Lord, ‘They cried unto Thee and were delivered:because they trusted in Thee & were not confounded’ ‘They (your enemies) are brought down & fallen, but we are risen & stand upright’ ‘…they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are NOT able to perform’ Ps 22:5, 20:8, 21:11.

Donna
November 7, 2019

No one can be forced to do this sort of thing…no one. Should we also force a gay web designer to go against their views on marriage by telling them they must publish traditional marriage websites exclusive of how they believe? No, we should not.
Free speech is just that..it’s free. We may not agree with it but if it’s going to be free, it has to be free to everyone .
We, as Christians, must stand up for our rights AND the rights of those with whom we do not agree. Otherwise we stand upon nothing.

Barbara
November 7, 2019

Jesus

M. J. McFalls
November 7, 2019

If I was Lorie , (and I am an artist so I do have a creative business ) I would do the website and just sabotage it creativity, so that it never worked properly. Passive aggressive

And yes. Turn those demonic actions back at the senders.

This makes me so angry. As per usual , the left is so far out of bounds it’s lost to reason.

Dear Father, step in to this situation for Lorie and send your mighty angels to protect her. Increase her blessings for standing up to this bully called LGBTQ+ May Lorie prosper as never before and silence the voices of the enemy. Amen

    RSK
    November 7, 2019

    Besides being against scripture/Spirit (“do all as unto the Lord”), that could open yourself to a discrimination suit. Better to “not” do which would be closer “unto the Lord”.

Debbie Smith
November 7, 2019

I am also the owner and creative director of a similar type business. I will never be gagged nor will I be forced to create in a manner I disagree with. I will serve all people but I will not express views that do not glorify G-d. Done and done.

Elaine
November 7, 2019

What I don’t understand, why is it acceptable that recording artists can forbid use of their songs if they don’t like you or agree with you (as happened to President Trump) but these other artists can be sued and incur legal fees that can bankrupt them?

Chris Lee Hambrick
November 7, 2019

Pray psalm 3 5 109 140 144
Duet 30:7 Duet 28:7 Lamentations 3:60-66
go to Demon busters .com return curses back also recommend Richard ing book spiritual warfare learn to dry up waters cut cords cutting cords come from 129:45 of psalms drying up waters come from Jeremiah 50 or somewhere in their .Do this over the names of people understand some will repent some wont Nehemiah men th ioned names David mentioned names Solomon mentioned names Paul mentioned names Peter mentioned names Pharoah showed favor to joseph pharoah in moses day didnt esau jacob cain abel . Prophet Sadu prophesied this about gays getting into postions their purpose is to do this thats why we have to pray evanelize vote

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