Particularly with the focus on same-sex marriage, attention is drawn to those businesses, particularly small individual-run businesses, who have a religious conflict with providing some services.

Most notably have been the cases from America of the florist, baker, county clerk, amongst others, who don’t feel comfortable providing their services for same-sex weddings, as this action contradicts their Christian faith.

The questions arise regarding whether your religious faith can determine who you serve in your public business.  And it’s a sticky one. I don’t pretend to fully understand the whole legal system in the US, but I have read and heard enough to get a bit of a grasp on it.

Discriminating against a customer because of their race, gender, sexuality is illegal, as it should be.  It is not OK for a business to turn away customers because of these characteristics.  However, there is a difference between turning away a customer and declining to provide a particular service, especially if that service involves the input of one’s creative talent and work.  So a baker creating a wedding cake, or a florist providing all of the flowers for a wedding, are not the same as a newsagent selling stock wedding invitations.

Remember that one particulate florist from the US has repeatedly in the past sold flowers to same-sex customers, including couples.  It was the act of the wedding that she opposed, and didn’t want to invest her creative skills into an event she didn’t agree with, regardless of the people involved.

In the past, I ran a small web design business, also producing print and social media solutions.  Consequently I encountered quite a range of businesses seeking web and print services.  As the business owner and operator, I took each project individually to determine if it was a fit for where I wanted by business positioned.  As such I turned away more than one project.  One involved the practice of Reiki, which I oppose on religious grounds. Another was for a business to sell lingerie online.  Whilst legal and legitimate, it was not the sort of project I wanted my business to be aligned with so I politely declined. And these potential customers were fine with that. Perhaps they found a solution with another business.  I don’t know. But they certainly never complained.

So, as I continue to offer my services in a lesser capacity now, for limited projects, I will continue to weigh each proposal, and decide whether it suits my business or not.  I will continue to not turn away any customers, but that doesn’t mean I won’t politely decline projects that don’t suit – for religious reasons, or not.

That’s religious freedom, and in fact personal freedom.