The Christian bakers, who were taken to court for refusing to make a cake promoting same-sex 'marriage', have said that their decision was motivated by "love for God, to obey Him".
Daniel McArthur and his wife Amy, who work at the family-owned Ashers Baking Co. in Northern Ireland, were told by a judge last May that refusing to bake the cake was ‘discrimination’ on grounds of sexual orientation.
The couple will challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal in Belfast today, supported by The Christian Institute.
Despite the challenges they have faced, the McArthurs have spoken of feeling blessed and supported throughout, encouraging other Christians to take a stand for their faith in public life.
'Discrimination' ruling
The couple first faced threats of legal action in 2014, after their bakery refused to bake a cake featuring the slogan "support gay marriage" and the characters Bert and Ernie, from Sesame Street.
LGBT activist Gareth Lee had ordered the cake, requesting that it also feature the logo of pressure group QueerSpace, where he volunteered.
Ashers bakery declined to bake the cake, as promoting same-sex 'marriage' would compromise the owners' Christian beliefs.
Mr Lee, backed by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said that this amounted to discrimination.
Judge Isobel Brownlie, sitting at Belfast Court on 19 May last year, ruled that the bakery had “directly discriminated” against the customer, on grounds of sexual orientation.
The McArthurs decided to appeal the judgment. Daniel McArthur said at the time:
"Our hope and prayer would be that an appeal will allow us and other Christians to live out their faith in Jesus Christ in every part of their lives, including their workplace."
Decision made 'out of love for God'
Daniel explained that the couple’s refusal to bake the cake was motivated by love for God.
"It was clear we did not hate anyone. We didn’t want to discriminate against anyone. We did what we did because of our Christian beliefs. It’s done out of love for God, to obey Him," he said.
He said that he had found the Equality Commission to be “very one sided” in the way they handled the case.
'Our faith affects every part of our lives'
The McArthurs went on to say that they felt it was “impossible” to leave their Christian beliefs out of the workplace.
Speaking of the ruling against them, Daniel said:
"For us, I think it means you have to leave your Christianity at your house and in your church, once you go out the door in the morning you can forget about your Christian beliefs.
"It is impossible for us not to bring it with us during the day."
He added: "It is our human right to live according to those beliefs and we can’t do something that goes against those beliefs, we can’t be forced to do it."
Amy also said that she could not confine her faith to the four walls of a church building:
"It is my life. It isn’t just something I just do at church.
'If they think it’s unfashionable, if they think it’s culturally irrelevant, that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that I live my life as best I can according to God’s commands and His word."
'God has strengthened our marriage'
Mr and Mrs McArthur spoke of the support they experienced from the Christian community, in the midst of their difficulties.
Daniel said, "It has been overwhelming the amount of people who have gone out of their way either to write letters or visit our shops to support us in a whole variety of ways."
Amy added:
"This case has been a blessing in our marriage. God has used this to strengthen our marriage and our relationship with God. We have to trust in him and we have seen him answer our prayers time and time again."
They also stated that they had no regrets in standing for biblical principles and encouraged other Christians to do likewise.
"If you came to me and you said: would we go through it again? I would say yes," said Daniel.
"And I would say to other Christians facing pressure at work or in public life: don’t be afraid to take your Christian stand because we’ve learned God is with you in all of it and he gives you the grace to stand against these trials and challenges."
Related News:
Christians face litigation over 'gay marriage' cake
Related Coverage:
Ashers: 'Case has bolstered our marriage and faith in God' (Christian Institute)
It's like a science fiction nightmare, say Christian bakers in gay marriage cake case (Telegraph)