The Northern Irish bakers who claimed a landmark legal victory in the “gay cake” case have urged fellow Christians to “take their stand” on religious issues.
Last week, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Ashers Baking Co in Belfast had not discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief or political opinion by refusing to decorate a cake with the message “Support Gay Marriage”.
Judges unanimously agreed the Christian bakers had objected to the message rather than the person who ordered the Sesame Street-themed cake.
Owner Daniel McArthur and his wife Amy spoke to The Christian Institute, a charity supporting Christians facing LGBT discrimination cases, about how difficult the high-profile dispute had been to deal with.
Ms McArthur said: “I would say to other Christians to not be afraid, to take your stand for God’s word because he is so faithful and he will bring you through it.”
Mr McArthur said some fellow Christians had advised them against fighting the previous legal judgments made in the courts in Northern Ireland.
“People ask you, ‘Was it worth it, going through all this?’ And I answer them, ‘Absolutely yes’.
“The hardest thing was when other Christians told you they thought you weren’t doing the right thing bringing it through the courts,” he added.
Mr McArthur also suggested the ruling would encourage Christians claiming “free speech” in similar cases. “This judgment carries so much weight because it guarantees free speech for Christians all over the UK,” he said.
On Wednesday the president of the Supreme Court Lady Hale explained the ruling would not prevent the legal protection of LGBT rights: “This conclusion is not in any way to diminish the need to protect gay people and people who support gay marriage from discrimination.” Read more