Who is My Customer?

Imagine that you go into a restaurant.  When the host comes to seat you, he asks, "Aren't you a member of St. Boniface by the Gas Station?".

"Yes.", you respond.

"I'm very sorry.", the host says a bit sheepishly.  "We don't agree with the teachings of that church and don't serve people who are members there.  I hope you understand."

How would you feel if this actually happened to you?  Should the owner of a restaurant be allowed to refuse you service because of your religious beliefs?

Now, think about this.  Say you are an Evangelical Christian and you own a photography business.  You take pictures of weddings and other special events in people's lives.  One day, a woman comes in and asks if you will take pictures at the upcoming wedding ceremony for her and her female partner.  Would it be okay for you to deny the request because you disagree with the woman's views on marriage?  Would it make it better if you were polite with your comments.

Is there a difference between these two scenarios?  Is it wrong to deny someone service in a restaurant because they are a Christian but okay to refuse to take pictures of a life choice that you disagree with?

If the answer is that someone who owns a business must provide their goods or services to anyone who asks, are there any limits?  Don't business owners have the right to refuse service to anyone?

Here are some more examples for the photography business.  What if someone wanted to hire you to take pictures of them butchering a cow for food?  Their intention was to publish a book about butchering.  Could you say no because it would gross you out?  Is that a violation of the requestor's rights?

Now that I have asked a bunch of questions, here is a link to a page that has some factual cases about this topic.  Basically, businesses can refuse business to people who will negatively affect the services they provide to others.  For example, obnoxious people who would like to enter a formal dining restaurant.

On a personal note, I think that people who have a business, including Christians, should not deny service to people whose views are not Christian.  I know its not that simple but I think God makes allowance for this.  See 2 Kings 5:18-19.  Naaman was allowed to serve his master when he went to worship a false God.  Maybe we can serve God and others even when we disagree with them.