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By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of Americans believe businesses should not be allowed to refuse services based on their religious beliefs in the wake of controversies in Indiana and Arkansas over gay rights and religious freedom, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Thursday.

The poll, conducted April 6 to 8, also found that 52 percent of Americans support allowing same-sex couples to marry, far more than the 32 percent who oppose it.

The survey results suggest a split over the issue between Americans and some of the politicians who represent them.

Indiana's Republican governor, Mike Pence, triggered a firestorm in his state this month by signing a law that would allow businesses to refuse services to certain groups or people based on their religious beliefs.

Gay rights activists saw the law as discriminatory and the resulting backlash forced Indiana's state legislature to make changes to the law.

Days later, Arkansas's Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, forced his state legislature to change a similar law in order to avoid having it blow up into a controversy in his state.

The poll found solid opposition to allowing businesses to refuse services or refuse to hire people or groups based on religious beliefs.

Fifty-four percent said it was wrong for businesses to refuse services, while 28 percent said they should have that right. And 55 percent said businesses should not have the right to refuse to hire certain people or groups based on the employer's religious beliefs, while 27 percent said businesses should have the right.

The Reuters-Ipsos poll found divisions among Americans on where same-sex marriage laws should be made.

The largest grouping, 34 percent, believes same-sex marriage laws should be made by the U.S. Supreme Court declaring a nationwide constitutional right.

Another 22 percent said same-sex marriage laws should be made at the state level by voter referendum. Eleven percent said laws should be made by state legislators and 8 percent would leave it up to Congress. The poll found 24 percent did not know how best to handle it.

The poll said 55 percent want to see all states - even those that do not permit same-sex marriages - recognize such unions from states where same-sex marriage is legal.

For the survey, 892 people aged 18 years old and over were interviewed online. The Reuters/Ipsos online poll was measured using a credibility interval. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

To explore more of the poll: Apache HTTP Server Test Page powered by Linux
 

jnday

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I am not going to debate the gay argument again , but I see a double standard when it comes to Christians and Muslims. Christians are being forced to serve gays and they catch hell if they refuse. Muslims refuse service to anybody they disagree with and it is overlooked on the grounds of religious freedom. That ain't right.
 

Doomsday

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Actual headline should be:

Most Americans who answered our loaded poll questions the way we wanted side with gays in religious freedom disputes
 

jnday

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I support gays. I mean, I have too, right? You guys are all fags.

Yes, you have to support them. You will get labeled with bad names if you don't. I have actually softened my stance on the issue. I just don't give a shit anymore.
 

bbgun

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Kroger better bake me an erotic cake. I have rights you know.
 
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Muslims refuse service to anybody they disagree with and it is overlooked on the grounds of religious freedom.
Does this happen systematically? Cause I've never heard of it happening. Not saying it doesn't, I know very few "Muslim businesses."
 

bbgun

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Does this happen systematically? Cause I've never heard of it happening. Not saying it doesn't, I know very few "Muslim businesses."

[video=youtube;RgWIhYAtan4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgWIhYAtan4[/video]
 

dbair1967

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I am not going to debate the gay argument again , but I see a double standard when it comes to Christians and Muslims. Christians are being forced to serve gays and they catch hell if they refuse. Muslims refuse service to anybody they disagree with and it is overlooked on the grounds of religious freedom. That ain't right.

Muslims kill gays. Liberals apparently are ok with that.
 

dbair1967

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Only in America

Not ok- Christian baker not wanting to make gay wedding cakes

Ok- Muslims throwing gays to their death off rooftops
 
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[video=youtube;RgWIhYAtan4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgWIhYAtan4[/video]
Thanks for posting...

I'm kind of torn on this issue. On one hand, I think no business should be forced to operate with something they don't approve of. If someone came in and wanted a congratulations on your abortion cake with fake blood and mutilated dolls on it, then I think that business should have the right to refuse to serve that person.

On the other hand, IMO if you hold yourself out to be a Christian, you are to love your neighbor... and personally, I would choose to love those whose views I don't agree with and make a cake for them anyway, so long as I think they were being geniune... an abortion cake would be a no go for me.

Jesus not only loved the unlovable, he lived amongst them every day, to the point where people questioned him about it and judged him for it.

Just my 2 cents.
 

bbgun

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I'm not inclined to "love" people who bombarded me with death and arson threats, forcing me to close my business for two weeks. Keep in mind that they had no problem with serving gays in their restaurant--catering a gay wedding is above and beyond mere table service. Would we make a black-owned print shop churn out KKK handbills? Should a black attorney be forced to represent a racist client? A Jewish deli cater a skinhead organization? Should a female interior decorator who despises porn be forced to work for Larry Flynt? and so on
 

Doomsday

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Interestingly, there's no requirement for you to even have your business open, or to serve any customers at all.

Stupid is, telling anyone why you won't serve them if you choose not to do so. It's not required to tell.

We as business owners DO have the right to refuse service to anyone. We don't have to tell you why. It is private property and a private enterprise.
 

Doomsday

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On the other hand, IMO if you hold yourself out to be a Christian, you are to love your neighbor... and personally, I would choose to love those whose views I don't agree with and make a cake for them anyway, so long as I think they were being geniune... an abortion cake would be a no go for me.

Jesus not only loved the unlovable, he lived amongst them every day, to the point where people questioned him about it and judged him for it.
One of my friends posted something like this on his facebook page, but he began it with "If you don't start showing love for all like Jesus says, I won't consider you a true Christian until you do."

I replied, "To my understanding it's not our place to accept or not, or judge others' faith. It's between them and God, strictly. "Judge not..."
 

Hoofbite

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I don't see why anyone would give a shit.

Not sure how anyone's life is better or worse off based on whether or not a couple of people they don't even know exist are fucking or not

Personally, I got more important shit to do. Upload pics of my toenail clippings and shit like that.
 
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Only in America

Not ok- Christian baker not wanting to make gay wedding cakes

Ok- Muslims throwing gays to their death off rooftops

Muslims throw gays to their death off rooftops in America and get away with it?
 
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One of my friends posted something like this on his facebook page, but he began it with "If you don't start showing love for all like Jesus says, I won't consider you a true Christian until you do."

I replied, "To my understanding it's not our place to accept or not, or judge others' faith. It's between them and God, strictly. "Judge not..."

Doesn't your "judge not" statement kind of align with the goofy Christians comment you replied to?
 
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I'm not inclined to "love" people who bombarded me with death and arson threats, forcing me to close my business for two weeks. Keep in mind that they had no problem with serving gays in their restaurant--catering a gay wedding is above and beyond mere table service. Would we make a black-owned print shop churn out KKK handbills? Should a black attorney be forced to represent a racist client? A Jewish deli cater a skinhead organization? Should a female interior decorator who despises porn be forced to work for Larry Flynt? and so on
You're talking about the pizza place in Indiana right?

That was even a hypothetical situation... I've got other issues with that, like the media targeting that business for faux outrage. I don't think that hypothetical is something I can even give much weight to. If the question came up in real life in the course of their business, I suspect the answer will be dependent on the circumstances. That business didn't even do wedding catering. But if they offered wedding catering and a gay couple who frequented their restaurant wanted them to cater a wedding, I suspect they may do it. It should be their decision ultimately... but I do think the Christ-like thing to do would be to serve them.

And since there was no genuine request, there was no one denied service... the death and arson threats came from those who were just latching on to the mock outrage. Those reactions are outrageous in their own right, and I don't think they are justified. But sometimes society acts outrageously, and you have to consider that when you are responding to the request and "making your statement."

If you want to make a statement, there could be consequences. If your statement is to be accepting of everyone, then you could face consequences from your church or people who think you shouldn't serve those types. Westboro Baptist Church may come and picket your business too. If your statement is to deny service, then you could face consequences from that segment of society. Not justifying the outrageous responses, but it's something you have to consider could happen.

I just think it's sad that society in general seems to think that Christians are intolerant, judgmental, bigoted, etc. That's the opposite of what we're supposed to be.

As for the rest of your hypotheticals, I don't think those would be genuine requests. Also the KKK, racists, skinheads, and Larry Flynt aren't protected classes against whom there's a history of discrimination.
 
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Interestingly, there's no requirement for you to even have your business open, or to serve any customers at all.

Stupid is, telling anyone why you won't serve them if you choose not to do so. It's not required to tell.

We as business owners DO have the right to refuse service to anyone. We don't have to tell you why. It is private property and a private enterprise.
You can't refuse service to anyone in a protected class for a discriminatory reason... that's illegal.

Of course, proving that you aren't serving the person in the protected class solely because they are a member of the protected class is difficult. It generally has to be proven that it's a systematic and habitual course of conduct.

But technically a public business can't refuse to serve blacks just because they are black.
 
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