RE: Do you have a right to discriminate?
I suppose if someone truly believed they would go to hell for contributing to a gay wedding then i wouldn't want them to be obligated to do so. And I'm sure there are people who believe this (although to me it seems like God would value love and caring for one another "love thy neighbor" over... whatever value people think they're demonstrating by refusing service).
It's complicated, because I can't claim to know what people are thinking. But laws that allow businesses to discriminate on these kinds of basis are risky because they also allow people to discriminate simply because they don't like a certain group of people, and that doesn't sit right with me.
Still, if you are a gay couple trying to marry (this is the most common example so I'll run with it) you probably would prefer to work with a florist/cake maker/whomever who doesn't think they'll go to hell just for helping you with your wedding.
The problem arises when/if there isn't access to those kinds of services from non-discriminatory businesses.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment. There's certainly a lot to consider here
I totally agree with you about them truly believing they will go to hell. What I find the most ironic about religion is the ability according to the Bible to just ask for forgiveness no matter what the sin or violation in the Bible that states it's wrong. Like a killer for example, the Bible says that thou shall not kill so does that mean if someone kills somebody all they have to do is ask for forgiveness and can enter heaven. Same with thou shall not commit adultery but many men do and under religious doctrine all they have to do is ask for forgiveness. When you look at it from that aspect those who commit sins under the guise they can just ask for forgiveness probably do discriminate just because of the lifestyle and not because the Bible says a man should not be with another man or a woman with a woman. I genuinely believe though that people who find themselves losing their businesses, homes and lifelong savings to fight in court against having to create artistically for same sex weddings believe in the scripture whole heartedly. They really believe that heaven and hell exist and they adhere to the doctrine of their religion seriously. That's why I think there are so few of these cases in court, most people would just do it and ask for forgiveness, while a few take following the rules of their doctrine seriously.