If a restaurant denied service to a gay or black couple, it would be shut down by hordes of screeching leftists within hours. If a restaurant denied service to a Muslim party, they would be sued, doxxed and physically attacked.
But discriminating against Christians is apparently A-OK.
Ever since Metzger Bar & Butchery in Richmond canceled our organization’s reservation an hour and a half before our guests would have arrived for dessert, we’ve received widespread support from Americans who don’t want to dine where a religious or political litmus test is applied at the door.
So, did an army of black-clad Antifa types immediately rally against this blatant discrimination? Did CNN, MSNBC, or the New York Times splash it all over their headlines?
Nope. None of those normally crusading media outlets has so much as mentioned the story. They’ve buried it deeper than Hunter Biden’s laptop.
For those unfamiliar with the disturbing incident, our organization was denied access to the restaurant because the waitstaff refused to serve us on account of beliefs.
When waitstaff at any restaurant prejudge people they’ve never met based entirely on the faith-based values of those people, it is unsettling. For many conservative Christians, the hatred and intolerance echoes experience they know all too well. They are tired of being the subject of irrational fears and hatred by the woke elites, who want them shut out of the public square and the marketplace.
For better or worse, though, Christians also live by the ethos of turning the other cheek. Unlike certain other religions, Christians can be openly discriminated against with no worries that bombs or knives will be forthcoming.
Metzger’s waitstaff was wrong, and its owners should have seized the opportunity to educate their team about customer service despite differences, rather than yielding to prejudice.
Although our guests and I could have taken great offense at being denied service and labeled “unsafe” simply for sitting down to eat, the very faith that the waitstaff find so threatening teaches us to turn the other cheek. We simply and graciously found another restaurant, without making a scene or demanding that they serve us.
But surely, they’ll pursue them with punishing lawfare?
Moreover, unlike many in the LGBT community, we do not believe it is always necessary or desirable to weaponize government against those who deny us services because they disagree with our beliefs. This was just Colorado where multiple bakeries exist. Jack Phillips will bake for anyone, any cake he or she wishes except one that violates his faith. His customers include those who are LGBT, he simply won’t bake to celebrate a same-sex wedding.
Instead, like proper adults, the hated Christians will simply take their business elsewhere and let the market speak.
When prohibited discrimination causes people harm, which can be made right by the justice system, a legal path can be a worthy solution. Yet even if a win in court here could satisfy the hurt felt by the ill-treatment of many people of faith, such a path is not our definition of living at peace with everyone as far as it concerns us. As Metzger is far from the only restaurant in Richmond, we were able to redirect our guests elsewhere. In this instance, Metzger has been tried in the court of public opinion.
The lesson for other businesses could not be more clear: discriminate against people of faith and find yourself shamed on a national stage. It is not a recipe for success. Metzger needs to learn that.
More importantly, the Christians are leading by example when it comes to tolerance.
A pluralistic society must have room for all viewpoints. Those who shout “tolerance” the loudest need to practice it, even against those they deem the most unworthy. I contend that their tolerance of people of faith might not be as difficult as they think once they engage with Christians. The very faith that the waitstaff finds threatening is the faith that compels us to treat the waitstaff with charity and love.
But remember: the Christians are bigots. It’s the left who are tolerant and inclusive.
Fox News
Except when it comes to Christians.
