As in the privacy of one’s own home or place of worship, people are free to think and behave in line with their religious ideas in the public domain while exercising their Alliance Defending Freedom. It’s based on the premise that everyone should be treated with respect and that the government’s power over its citizens should be limited, as enshrined in the Constitution. These assurances must be given regardless of whether or not the subject is politically or culturally appropriate. If we want to live in a free and accepting society, we must all be prepared to grant others the same basic freedoms we want for ourselves. This may require us to be open to ideas completely at odds with our own and to listen patiently to others who hold them.

For a long time, Alliance Defending Freedom’s focus on religious freedom cases in the United States has been on marginalized religious communities. Recent governmental actions go against the tenets of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths. Like the other Abrahamic faiths, the ADF believes marriage should only include a single man and a single woman. In addition, God created men and women to be complementary equals in the eyes of our faith, and sex is a biologically determined binary category.

We are relieved that the Supreme Court has recognized that reasonable individuals may hold this position on marriage, which has solid intellectual and religious underpinnings and deserves constitutional protection. There are occasions when we represent people with such ideas but want the freedom to express them without fear of retaliation from the state. In cases like these, we have the honor of representing real individuals. Our clients always put the message first when determining whether or not to express themselves creatively or participate in spiritual rituals rather than the person who has asked them to do so.

ADF was involved in the Arlene’s Flowers case. When the government penalized her for politely declining to create unique floral arrangements for the client’s same-sex wedding and instead directing him to three other florists in the area, she had been serving the same client for almost ten years. Alliance Defending Freedom was the subject of government action in this instance.

There will always be others who disagree and feel they cannot, in good conscience, take part in the celebration because of this. This, however, is beside the point. The belief that we all have boundaries and that people should make their own choices about the kinds of art they create and the messages they send via their words and deeds is threatened in such situations. The government has no business making this kind of choice. Visit this page on LinkedIn, for related information.

More about ADF on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Defending_Freedom