According to Burton Leiser, there is no satisfactory explanation as to why homosexuality should be considered unnatural. According to him, there is uncertainty about the meaning of nature and natural laws, and this has brought about misunderstanding and different opinions regarding gay practice. Aristotle, on the other hand, argues that every individual’s actions are always aimed at some good, and if any action is performed in accordance with appropriate excellence, then human soul exhibits excellence.
In as much as everyone has the liberty to practice their religious beliefs, it has brought about confusion, misunderstanding and double standards among believers. There is confusion on what should be deemed right and wrong among different believers, and one party is usually favored while the other is not. This has brought about controversies as religious communities are being forced to stop some practices that are deemed “unacceptable” in a society which is a real sense are not, as everyone tries to fight for what they are certain of and have their way. Trajectories of individuals have led to personal faith that has led to both positive and negative impact.
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As long as the religious activities do not pose a danger to other individuals, everyone should be left to practice what they believe. We have seen that laws that have been instituted by the government in the recent past have continuously oppressed individuals without cause. In the case of Jack Phillips, he had his own beliefs that he followed to the latter with no intent to harm anyone. He had even turned down customers in the past because of his virtues and had never been judged for them, why then reprimand him for this one case related to same-sex wedding cake?
In this scenario, he the law is in a tight spot. The gay couple has a right to exercise whatever they want, as gay marriage is acceptable in their country, but then again Jack Philips did not do anything wrong. Convicting him will mean he is not at liberty to practice his Christianity at free will, therefore, denying him his right. This is a threat to religious liberty, but then again, the same government has laws put in place to protect gay people against sexual discrimination.
Catholic churches and Catholic organizations have been the major victims of the threat to religious liberty brought about by the government instituted laws. This is because most practices are not acceptable in their religious beliefs like abortion, gay marriages, use of contraceptives and the fact that they strongly advocate against them, tends to find them in the wrong side of the law and accused of discrimination yet in the real sense they are also being discriminated for their beliefs.
Religious schools and churches are equally a target of government oppression. The government tries to force them to violate their beliefs. Some churches and schools have been forced to abandon invaluable practices because of the enforced laws. This is irrational and unfair to those forced to drop their practices. Because religion is evolving every day, new congregations are coming up each day, new practices the government should adjust their arms of law to incorporate each individual and each religious group. There have been cases of intimidation like in the case of when Texas state passed a law to protect freedom of agencies; employees were barred from traveling into that state.
This threat has also been extended to religious schools which adhere to certain beliefs that are deemed wrong by the government, to the extent that students do not get loans. This is discrimination that will cause disruption in the students’ education and otherwise brighter future. Some of the students fully depend fully on these loans, and it is not right to punish them on the basis of their religious beliefs.
Different religious communities have different opinions about gay marriages hence homosexuals tend to be discriminated in most situations as most churches haven’t accepted it fully. For example, Catholic adoption agencies place needy children only in homes with married moms and dads; this means they do not acknowledge gay marriages as legitimate marriages.
Sexual values are changing over time, religious values are changing too, and individuals are adapting to new styles. The government seems to be biased towards protecting personal interests like homosexuality. It should consider that as they legalize gay marriages, not everyone conforms to it. It should protect religious communities and movement with the same zeal it protects against discriminations. Churches should not be punished for trying to preserve life otherwise threat to religious liberty will continue, and as such individuals like Jack won’t get justice. Our understanding of religious liberty has to change so as everyone fights towards ending oppression on freedom of religious practices.
