You are now entering the Jewish Currents archive.

O My America: That Indiana Law

lawrencebush
April 2, 2015

by Lawrence Bush

128353141020100907clintonNU, if rightwing Christian ministers in Indiana are not allowed to abstain from officiating at same-sex marriages, and if Indiana churches are not allowed to refuse to host a same-sex marriage, what happens the next time a rabbi refuses to officiate at an interfaith marriage and a synagogue refuses to host it?

It’s something that happens every day. Rabbis refuse. On religious grounds.

Florists, caterers, photographers, hotels, etc.: They should have no choice. They’re involved in interstate commerce, and the federal government has every right to regulate it by banning discrimination, as it did with racial discrimination.

But clerics... it’s a dilemma, no?

Lawrence Bush edits Jewish Currents.