Equal baking

The prosecution of a baker in Northern Ireland for declining to produce a cake promoting same-sex “marriage” (your report, 20 May) is an outrage against freedom of conscience.

The double standard is glaringly obvious: are gay bakers now forced to make cakes bearing any slogan offensive to their views?

Do Muslims have to print offensive cartoons of Mohammed?

Recently a printer in Scotland declined to print materials for the Scottish Christian Party because they disagreed with the views therein.

Even if the Scottish Christian Party made melodramatic claims about feeling humiliated and victimised by this as Christians (a category also protected by equalities legislation), no judge would have been willing to prosecute.

Interestingly, Gerry Adams fully supported this aggressive imposition of secular liberal orthodoxy, entirely against Catholic teaching.

So much for the Northern Ireland conflict being between religious factions.

Richard Lucas

Broomyknowe

Edinburgh

That Northern Irish Ashers Baking Company has been found to have discriminated by refusing to make a marriage equality cake brings up some interesting issues.

It could be argued that a private company should not be forced to take on any customers it doesn’t want. What if a paramilitary group had asked for a cake?

However, the judge seemed to draw a distinction between political ideas and the protection the law rightly provides against discrimination because of who you are.

Equality is not someone’s personal idea, it is a basic human right.

Religious belief has no special privilege to break the law.

Neil Barber

Edinburgh Secular Society

Saughtonhall Drive

Edinburgh