Colorado baker Jack Phillips reveals he was asked to make 'birthday cake' for Satan
Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, has revealed that he recently received a strange order, asking him to design and bake a cake celebrating the Satan's birthday.
In a Sept. 30 email obtained by The Daily Signal, Phillips was asked to a quote a price on a birthday cake "for a special event."
"It is a cake that is religious in theme, and since religion is a protected class, I am hoping that you will gladly bake this cake. As you see, the birthday cake in question is to celebrate the birthday of Lucifer, or as they [sic] are also known Satan who was born as Satan when he was cast from heaven by God," the email stated, as reported by The Daily Signal.
The strange request came ahead of the hearing of Phillip's appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case in June.
Phillips filed the appeal after lower courts found him guilty of violating Colorado's anti-discrimination act for declining to bake a cake for a same-sex couple in 2012.
The Colorado baker has previously told media outlets that his Christian faith not only prevents him from baking cakes celebrating same-sex unions, it also prevents him designing cakes that involve elements such as witchcraft or explicit sexuality.
Lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal organization representing Phillips in his case, said that the email is an example of the dangers presented by laws that force people in the artistic profession to create artwork that violate their beliefs.
In the email, the sender, whose name was redacted by ADF, suggested that Phillips was targeted to bake the cake celebrating Satan's birthday because of his Christian beliefs.
"I thought I would seek you out, to bake this cake since you appear to be a very moral person since you refused to bake a cake for same sex couples. And since religion is a protected class, I hope you will be willing to bake this cake, so my small group of religious friends can celebrate the birthday of Lucifer this coming November, just a few days after Halloween," the email stated.
Phillips' lawyers also noted that the baker received another request for a Satan-themed cake by phone this month, this time asking that Satan be depicted smoking a joint.
In late September, The Satanic Temple encouraged supporters to order Satan-themed cakes from bakers who religiously object to serving same-sex weddings.
The Temple contended that while bakers may refuse service to LGBTQ individuals, they may not refuse service based on someone's religion because of its status as a protected class.
Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of The Satanic Temple, argued that either religion should lose its status as a protected class or that sexual orientation should become a protected class.
Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case are expected to be heard on Dec. 5, with a decision expected next year. The Trump administration has signaled its support for Phillips by filing a friend-of-the-court brief in early September.