You're confusing what's really happening with what appears to be happening.
A tradesperson or service provider was always permitted freedom of contract
and
socio-cultural associations naturally led to a predominance of trade
and service provision within a certain sphere..and the general
dissociation from other spheres to the extent of discretionary freedom
to refuse to work with or for certain proposed clients...
Establishments were permitted to maintain an admission policy with rules of conduct
Generally these norms still apply.
EXCEPT
in key areas of enforced imposed ideology - built upon the premise
that what is permissible for some MUST BE ACCEPTED by all.
Sexual and racial equality legislation initially began to prevent overt public discrimination and social injustice.
Gradually
this form of restitutional justice became one of impositional
ideology-driven social engineering for the flagrant injustice of
'absolute equanimity'.
Where just demands for equal
pay/pensions/benefits & equal admission criteria for job entry and
equal opportunity for career progression rapidly deteriorated into the
unjust imposition of enforced positive discrimination and quotas for
women and ethnic minorities irrespective of their education, experience
and capabilities.
Multiculturalist and integrationist ideologies
enforced 'proportional equanimity' legislated after intensifying
pressure from feminist and racial activist lobbies.
On grounds of
never wishing to be accused of sexism or racism businesses and
institutions took extraordinary [even counterproductive] measures to
ensure there was 'proportionate equanimity' to avoid falling foul of
feminists and the race relations board.
Now the problem is the
modern notion of 'rights' as if they are arbitrary indiscriminate
libertarian ways of acting as an individual irrespective of the
collective.
but that's not what a right is
A right is a
concession by the state upon the individual to be permitted and
safeguarded without let or hindrance to perform certain acts within an
established legal framework - and the absolute liberty to do anything
outside what has not been legislated against..
A right permits a
person who fulfils certain criteria and conditions in certain
cirumstances the freedom to perform a specific act or licences someone
with a specific status.
Now to Catholics who must adhere to Divine
positive law - the national and international human laws they are
obliged to follow must at least conform with the natural law - anything
which promotes solidarity, subsidiarity , justice and the common good is
to be followed and promoted - but anything which diverges from this is
to be arbitrarily and discretionarily followed PROVIDING it is not an
unjust law [which must not be followed but may be remotely materially
co-operated with] or an intrinsically unjust law [which must be
absolutely opposed and in which one must never conspire]
Now the
problem with same-sex marriage is not that the legislation gives
something extra to other members of society to which they are under
divine and natural law not entitled.- in other words the state may say
it exists but it doesn't really exist...
.
Because if it were it
could be treated equally with divorced/remarried couples or cohabiting
'common law' couples - something which although we must not do ourselves
- can be endured among others and with which we may remotely materially
co-operate.
[eg have you ever heard of a Catholic registrar refusing
to witness and endorse a post-divorce 'second marriage' - or a Catholic
baker refusing to make a wedding cake for an adulterous second
marriage? - no because it's simple remote material co-operation]
These marriage laws are simply unjust - we may not follow them but we can tolerate them
No
instead same-sex marriage REMOVES something from the very definition of
marriage - the oath to exclusive mutual sexual fidelity - ie the
promise to enter into and uphold a relationship which is actually
marriage...
If it was merely two men or two women being called
married and going through an identical civil ceremony to a man and a
woman there would be no real problem...
We could dismiss it as nominalism - declare as Catholics 'no they're not married' and get on with life...
BUT what same sex marriage does is remove something from the very nature of marriage itself for everyone...
It
now redefines marriage as a NON-mutually exclusive sexual relationship -
ie sexual fidelity is now not a criteria for ANY marriage..
legislating
that marriage is not about fidelity between partners is like saying you
can have a many sides to your triangle as long as you don't have three -
it prevents marriage from being marriage - and therefore this
redefinition becomes an INTRINSICALLY unjust law - and Catholics MAY NOT
co-operate with it in any way....
same-sex marriage
[unnecessarily - it's governments which took out the fidelity criteria]
joins the list of intrinsically unjust laws with which Catholics cannot -
must not - co-operate...like abortion, euthanasia, embryonic
experimentation, unjust war, the sex trade & pornography etc etc...
BUT
The ideological tyrants of secularism are seeking to enforce universal
toleration and enforced co-operation with the legally permissible or
decriminalised - seeking to introduce legislation which determines those
who do not conform to the formal and material activities and events and
structures within the permissible - are breaking the law via some form
of visible antipathy or non-compliance or non-co-operation.
eg a doctor may not reach his final exams if he does not participate in an abortion
a midwife must assist in abortions
a
teacher must teach their students how to use contraception, explain and
promote masturbation, homosexual acts and extramarital
'experimentation' - advise how to procure an abortion and all in the
form 'non-partisan, impartial moral neutrality' - ie that which conforms
to the predominant secular ideology...
if they do not? they must reconsider their careers...
Now
you might see the conditions/circumstances of present opposition to
this secularist legal/state bullying as quite unreasonably hyperbolic
given the requests/demands are somewhat inocuous? intolerant...
Well - remember when Sunday trading was introduced and everyone was promised 'nobody will be forced to work on a Sunday!'?
tell that to anyone attempting to work in 24/7 retail or marketing
and what of a Christian's religious freedom to uphold their Sunday obligation and keep holy the Sabbath?
Well
under English law attendance at a Sunday religious service does not
constitute an obligatory criterion for being a Christian
Irrespective
of the third commandment and the Catholic Church declaring one's Sunday
obligation under pain of mortal sin? The employer can say to any worker
- i'm changing your shift to a Sunday to prevent you doing this - and
legislating Judge says your religion has nothing to do with this...??!
doesn't that unnerve you?
say for instance a Jehovah's witness
goes to the job centre and is told his benefits will be stopped if he
does not accept a job as a phlebotomist at the local Doctor's surgery -
ditto a jew or muslim being forced to work in a sausage factory
but
say for instance it was a Catholic or Muslim web designer or marketing
consultant or advertising executive who was being ordered by court
ruling under the pain of severe fine or imprisonment to accept a
contract for a new embryonic experimentation clinic?
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