Where should there be "The right to refuse service"?

Dunno, they're your laws :-)Also if a heterosexual, obviously married couple went to buy the cake with two gay guys on it for their friends, and were refused, what then? A lawyer's goldmine...

Put your persecution complex back in its box, the laws are protecting minorities from discrimination. They've got nothing to do with Christians or even religion - they apply to everyone regardless of belief.

It's now a certainty that Ireland has voted for same sex marriage.That was impossible to think of ten years ago. Perhaps those Catholic priests who were outed for their own buggery, have done some good afterall - albeit inadvertantly.

This is why we have secular laws, to protect society from those that would do it harm because of their personal delusions. Feel free to put the salvation of your imaginary soul ahead of the good of humanity generally, but do us a favour, quit whining about the earthly consequenes. (Which appear to be that you may possibly get to have to bake a cake for people you don't like or suffer a small fine. Crucifixion it ain't.)Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.

You're right for once Faith; religious fundamentalism really isn't a nice thing is it?Luckily in most civilised countries the arguments have been reduced to the icing of cakes not hot irons up the backside.(Although I often think people like you have some residual sadness for its loss - a feeling of persecution seems a necessary part of the belief structure.)

Christians will get by just fine living in the new world of not being able to openly discriminate against people. In fact, all over the world Christians do just that and most of them support and even draft the laws you are complaining about.Christian beliefs have changed to be compatible with the society they live in just as they always have. The things held 'true' 500 years ago are no longer seen that way now - even by you Faith.Maybe Christianity is changing to represent Jesus's real message of loving thy neighbour, turning the other cheek and do as you would be done by; if so the world is a better place for it.

Maybe not but at least he's not imaginary and has a sense of morality and decency.

In the judgement on the Northern Irish baker's case, the judge referred to the original writings of the drafters of the law for their reasoning. It said something like'It must be an expectation of those offering their services to the public for profit, that they accept the public as a whole no matter how it is constructed.'Is it really too much to ask that Christians, in modern democracies where everyone's rights are balanced against each other, that they live up to such a simple and just requirement?If you can't find room to compromise in such trivial matters then your kind of Christian needs to find a new kind of business and excercise your right to be bigots in your churches, chapels and homes.Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.