The
family at the centre of the Ashers Bakery case has sent a message of
thanks to the thousands of supporters in Northern Ireland who stood with
them throughout the so-called ‘gay cake’ row.
In
a letter to churches and individual backers, Daniel McArthur, the
general manager of Ashers, wrote: “I write to say how thankful we are
for your prayerful support at this time. It has been our joy to take a
small stand for Christ and to have opportunities to witness for him in
the public spotlight and we have many people to thank for how they have
been an encouragement to us.
“Above
all, we give God thanks for how he has brought us through all our
difficulties and spread his wings over us. Despite the judgment
delivered last week, we do not feel defeated or dismayed.”
After
a protracted case sparked by Ashers’ refusal to complete an order for a
cake carrying a message supportive of same-sex marriage, a finding
against the McArthurs for discrimination was upheld by the Court of
Appeals in Belfast, despite the family citing their deeply held
religious convictions and the fact that they had served the customer in
the case on previous occasions.
The final judgement in the case brought
criticism from faith leaders and politicians and prompted calls for
changes to equality law to reflect religious beliefs.