Christian baker Jack Phillips has been under heavy attack by the far-left. Phillips, owner of the Masterpiece Cakeshop bakery, made the news back in 2012 when he refused to make a cake for a gay wedding. It is notable here that Phillips was willing to sell gay customers other items, and only refused to create something that would violate his religious beliefs. They gay couple sued him, and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission found him guilty of discrimination. The Supreme Court sided with Phillips in a 2018 decision. Although this decision helped Jack Phillips, some conservatives were worried about the Court’s reasoning for the decision. In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy pointed out how the Colorado Civil Rights Commission acted in an anti-religious manner. The Commission compared Phillips’ refusal to bake a gay wedding cake to a defense of slavery or the Holocaust. Since the state of Colorado violated its duty to remain neutral on the basis of religion, the Court decided that it had no legitimate case again Jack Phillips. Although pleased with the result of this decision, conservatives have criticized the Supreme Court for failing to defend Phillips on a 1st Amendment or freedom of association basis.
Now, Jack Phillips is being sued for refusing to make another LGBT cake. In 2017, transgender attorney Autumn Scardina wanted Phillips to make a custom cake celebrating gender transition. He refused, based on his belief that ‘God creates people male and female’. Scardina reported Phillips to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, but the organization ended up ruling in Phillips’ favor. Scardina recently took the case to a district court, and is looking for $100,000 or more from Masterpiece Cakeshop, according to The Christian Post.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) defended Jack Phillips in the past and is defending him again for this case. ADF spoke about the religious liberty aspect of Jack’s situation: “While we may disagree on certain issues, we should all be free to live and work according to our beliefs. Jack Phillips, just like every creative professional, has the right to decline to use his artistic abilities to express messages or celebrate events he disagrees with.” ADF added that the people going after Jack do not want merely a cake, but to ruin his life: “For some, it won’t be enough until Masterpiece Cakeshop closes its doors and Jack Phillips is in financial ruin. They want Jack, an average American business owner, to pay a hefty price—all because he wants to live according to his faith.” Jack Phillip’s case shows how leftists are not looking for equality but control over those who disagree with them.
