Is this the right question?

[rlvaughn]

ThinkProgress is touting a new survey that claims Christians disagree with the religious right on refusing to serve LGBTQ people. More detail on the survey is HERE.

61 percent of the people surveyed did not believe a business owner should be allowed to refuse to provide products or services to homosexuals, based on the business owner's religious beliefs. Here was the question:

Do you favor or oppose allowing a small business owner in your state to refuse to provide products or services to gay or lesbian people, if doing so violates their religious beliefs?

Does this question properly distinguish the real issue in order to get a good poll of what people really think about this?

 

[Revmitchell]

I would like to know more about these "Christians" before I could deem the study realistic.

 

[Covenanter]

Depends what sort of products.

Obviously Christians should be free to refuse to supply a "wedding" cake or printed invitations, etc, with explicit words - note the clause in the question:

".... if doing so violates their religious beliefs?"​

There should be no problem with general merchandise (including condoms).

LBGs should as far as possible be treated as normal people, but if they flaunt their sexuality, we should turn away.

However there are plenty of "straight" sexual sinners.

 

[rlvaughn]

Depends what sort of products.

Obviously Christians should be free to refuse to supply a "wedding" cake or printed invitations, etc...

Right. This is why I think the question is deficient. It doesn't clearly distinguish between someone walking into the store to buy a product, etc., and requiring use of creative talent that would make a person feel they are participating in something that violates his or her conscience.

I fear that the question may have deliberately blurred that distinction in order to puff the numbers. (But that's just an uninvestigated feeling.)

 

[rlvaughn]

I would like to know more about these "Christians" before I could deem the study realistic.

The PRRI web site (linked above) may explain it, but my guess is they are just anybody who self-identifies as Christian or they asked them their church affiliation. (There must be a least some of the latter, because I see they have some breakdowns of Protestant, Catholic and Mormon.)

 

[Revmitchell]

The PRRI web site (linked above) may explain it, but my guess is they are just anybody who self-identifies as Christian or they asked them their church affiliation. (There must be a least some of the latter, because I see they have some breakdowns of Protestant, Catholic and Mormon.)

One of the problems I have always had to Barna's surveys is that they are inclusive of people who never go to church and never are involved in anything meaningful in church. Likely not Christians at all.

 

[InTheLight]

1. I don't know why the question was limited to small businesses.
2. It's worded with a bias. A better way to word it might be:

Should Christian business owners be forced to provide products or services to gay or lesbians if it violates their religious beliefs?

 

[rlvaughn]

1. I don't know why the question was limited to small businesses.

I was uncertain about that as well. Maybe they are thinking large companies don't have one owner so wouldn't have a particular religious belief?

 

[Rob_BW]

1. I don't know why the question was limited to small businesses.
2. It's worded with a bias. A better way to word it might be:

Should Christian business owners be forced to provide products or services to gay or lesbians if it violates their religious beliefs?

Exactly.