Some so called Christians hide their bigotry behind their religion.
Josephus, nothing more infantile and offensive than religious ratbags such as Jehovah Witnesses banging on your door and wanting to ram their clap trap standards and beliefs down your throat. Religious nutters of all descriptions simply want to forcibly impose their moral standards on the rest of society. They think they have some god given right to do so.

If a Christian cake shop owner, in all "conscience", can refuse to sell a cake to gay people. Then an atheist hair dresser could refuse a haircut to a priest. A pacifist mechanic could refuse car service to military personnel etc etc, a white supremacist hardware shop owner could refuse to sell nails to black people. These "conscience" decisions could extend to everyone from cab drivers to landlords. When is it no longer a matter of conscience and becomes a matter of bigoted discrimination?

Is Mise the thread title, and my opening post, gay marriage, Labor party policy, compulsory, a bit of a play on things, or did it go over your head?
I wont even ask what the one issue Shooters Party policy on gay marriage is, I assume like everything else they do not have a policy, too consumed with their shooting policy.

Yes, Paul, it went over my head.

Dear Paul,

<<Then an atheist hair dresser could refuse a haircut to a priest.>>

Well he could, but then he would lose:

Instead of refusing, he told the priest "You are a holy man, I can't take money off you!"

- The next morning he found 15 silver coins on his door-step.

Then a Muslim Imam came for a haircut and the hairdresser told him the same:

- The next morning he found 15 gold coins on his door-step.

Then a Rabbi came for a haircut and again the hairdresser refused any money:

- The next morning he found 15 Rabbis on his door-step.

...

Now seriously, I went through all your examples and see nothing wrong: perhaps some of the cases are not truly a matter of conscience? even then it is wrong to force someone to do something against his/her will.

Yuyutsu "Now seriously, I went through all your examples and see nothing wrong: perhaps some of the cases are not truly a matter of conscience? even then it is wrong to force someone to do something against his/her will."

Very true Yuyutsu. Forcing women wanting abortions to continue with unwanted pregnancies or labour would fall under that category too of course?

The Labour Party deciding there is no need for a conscience vote about gay marriage are quite right in suggesting that all their members would naturally choose to follow the party line, because to deny gay people the right to marry is a form of discrimination.

The Liberal party can't really say anything against Labour's decision because the PM is forcing his party members to vote against gay marriage, whether they like it or not.

Dear Yuyutsu,

Jokes based on stereotypes may be funny to those who share those stereotypes. To those who do not share those stereotypes they are merely ugly statements of prejudice. The avaricious Jew is a common ugly prejudiced stereotype. That is how I regard your joke about the atheist hair dresser. It is an ugly statement of prejudice.

The joke is better when its politicians in the punchline.

R0bert