On 4 June 2018, SCOTUS ruled in favor of the owners of the Masterpiece Cakeshop in the controversial Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission et al case. The root of this issue deals with the complex relationship between the rights of a citizen, the rights of a business owner, and the role of the government. In Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination, John Corvino, Ryan T. Anderson, and Sherif Girgis argue this essential question from different viewpoints. Below are some quotes to ponder:
“The law is not the only way to address religious liberty and discrimination. Education, including interfaith dialogue, can go a long way toward increasing sensitivity to diverse groups of citizens. The business community can and often does use its power to exert positive pressure, because it recognizes that diversity and inclusion are good for business. Customers can make choices about where to shop, as well as how to raise objections when businesses act unjustly.” – John Corvino in Chapter 2 of Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination
“It’s common to think that discrimination is always wrong. It isn’t. Discrimination in the broad sense is simply the making of distinctions, which we do all the time. It’s a necessity of life. The question is whether the discrimination is on the right basis. Discrimination based on relevant factors is good— as when we require recipients of driver’s licenses to be able to see. It’s wrong when it’s based on irrelevant factors— as when the United States once required voters to be white.” Ryan T. Anderson and Sherif Girgis in Chapter 3 of Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination
Image credit: Panorama of the west facade of United States Supreme Court Building at dusk in Washington, D.C., USA, by Joe Ravi. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
