A same sex attracted reader wrote to me:

>>>>>>>I read through a couple articles on your website, and while I don’t agree with a lot of it, I respect it. However, I think that the items listed at http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/why_human_rights_violations.htm are poor examples. In a business type situation, you have to accept everybody regardless of gender, skin color, orientation, or whatever else. I’m sure you know of quite a few court cases in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere where a person of color was not welcome in a place of business. Some were promptly sued afterwards, and most won. Today this is included in our human rights. The same applies here. If you’re going to have a business, you have to be ready for that. The law is the law after all, right? I feel that by you having your examples there, you’re against that human right. And if you are, I sincerely hope you reconsider your beliefs. Otherwise, I just thought I’d get your take on it.

It's not about rejecting the person... it's about refusing to help forward a cause that many Christians believe is gravely injuring to those who are having gay sex... and so for instance, a Christian print shop owner doesn't want to print a poster that says... "Christians are bigots and gay sex rules." they should be allowed to refuse.
 
I don't think they should have to print something that they know is going to contribute to the spiritual degradation of the person practicing it... if someone came to me and said "I want to put up an ad on your website for gay marriage." I'd say "no I think gay marriage is very damaging for the two people getting married and I don't want to hurt them that way, so I refuse to post the ad." I should have that right.

>>Regarding the ability to refuse “helping forward a cause that […] is gravely injuring to those.” Does this mean I can refuse to provide a service for people who affiliate with a specific religion? Using your argument this is justified because the store owner probably thought that if Islam didn’t exist, the attacks on September Eleventh wouldn’t have happened (thus saving lives): http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CrgNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zHIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3737,1341781

That's bizarre reasoning. The principle is not about refusing a person, like denying them a sandwich at 2am. It's about refusing to provide a good or service that is advancing a moral wrong. That's not the case above. There is nothing wrong morally wrong with feeding someone.

However, a Christian printer should have every right to say "I can't print your Moslem pamphet on how to keep all your 10 wives happy." The western market system of demand and supply has a way of correcting itself. If there is a missing service, then someone will fill the demand. That's the beauty of western society. I don't have to provide that service. I lose the income. That is my "punishment" for standing behind my conscience, and I'm willing to lose that income to defend my principles, and some Moslem printer gets tons of business.
 
This idea that Big Brother should get into the supply/demand chain, enforcing its morals upon the religious people that gave North America the concept of Human Rights in the first place, seems quite orwillian to me. Outside of Christian culture there are no human rights. China, Russia, and the Middle East have no human rights. It is a JudeoChristian concept. The idea of a "secular society" having long term success advancing human rights is far fetched I'd say. It quickly degrads into the kind of pettiness that the Canadian Human Rights Commission is involved with. Like punishing McDonald's with costs of over $50,000 for requiring an employee to wash her hands, which actually happened.

>>I could also jump to an even better example, can I refuse service to a cigarette smoker? That’s been proven to be unhealthy. I think if I did that I’d be sued pretty soon after.

That would be an interesting case... it might make the cigarrette companies wake up, and perhaps the publicity would cause a bunch of people to give up smoking. Such a person might actually be the catalyst to save a life, or many... but in the real world, usually what happens is the person is given other duties in the business rather than sell cigarrettes. That's how it works in the real world.  Jewish orthodox people have tons of rules to follow on the Sabbath, and they simply say "I can't do this, can you do it?" A Jewish lady asked me to dial a number on her cell phone because it was her Sabbath. This was nothing immoral, so I did it no problem. If I had a job that needed me to meet an emergency on Sunday, I would go to Saturday Mass that week.  Mature judgement can tell the difference between a moral wrong and simply being petty. If you wanted to buy my CD I'd say sure, even though your gay and I don't agree with how you have sex. If you wanted me to advertise your new langerie for gay marriage, I'd say "no."

>>What if a gay couple’s car breaks down in a bad neighborhood and they run to the closest hotel, only to be kicked out. What if then some maniac murders them both? Sure, the murderer is at fault, but the hotel’s staff probably had an idea of what would happen if they kicked them out. (Nothing good, at least.) This isn’t a world I want to live in.

First off, any truely Christian hotel owner would try to help them (Good samaritan). He might say, "I'll give you 2 rooms." He might let them hang out in the lobby until the tow truck comes.
 
In the legal world, there would be absolutely no moral liability on the hotel owner. The police would have a greater liability for allowing it to happen. That's a really bizarre and far fetched scenario. Nothing like the terrible oppression of these faithful Christians who are being punished by not helping a person endanger themselves with sex.

>>The law is the law after all, right?

The law is a result of 20 years of storming psychiatric associations, lawmakers etc.. It did not come about by civil discussion. Human rights are great things but not when they conflict with a moral right ... They are making laws that you are to be arrested if you say gay sex is unhealthy, but just because it's a law doesn't make gay sex healthy. If they made a law saying jumping off a building is fine, it still wouldn't make it healthy. It's a really bad social experiment.

>>I would gladly stand next to you in front of the Capitol and protest it. Freedom of speech is far more important than anything else in this country.

You've made me a terrific offer. Are you willing to back that up? I'd be glad for you to join me in front of my Parliament of Canada to oppose Bill C250 which has been in force for 2 years. Yup if I went out on the street with a sign that says "Gay sex is wrong" I am legally able to be arrested under C250. Welcome to 1984. And it's coming to a city near you... in the US too.

I think what you are really looking for is true love and you will never be happy as long as you look for that from people before finding it in God. Love does not always say yes to every desire of the heart... because the heart is fickle. I promise you, you will not be happy in the long run if you go your current direction. There is a better way. It is a great life.
 
Anyway... you sound like a young guy who's trying to figure this all out... and that's cool... I pray you don't loose everything in your search... like I did...you remind me of myself. If you ever really want help you get free of the sex, porn etc...  I would go to great lengths to help you. But achademic sparing is not my scene, I'm a musician.
 
May God bless you. David MacDonald

>>I understand that you have a life other than getting into debates with random strangers. Thank you for your emails and thoughts.