Bigotry masquerading as religious freedom: that, many say, was Indiana’s law allowing businesses to turn away customers they find objectionable on religious grounds. Clearly targeting gay people, the law, declared one op-ed writer, invoked religious freedom as a “veil for intolerance.” The New York Times deems the law a “cover for discrimination.” The implication is that religion was a lovely fig leaf concealing ugly malice.

As a churchgoer, it grieves me to say that this lets religion off too easily. It was not a fig leaf but rather the root, the cause of the prejudice behind the law.

It’s true that theology has conservative and liberal schools of thought, with the latter affirming the humanity of all people. But the conservative Christians backing Indiana’s law doubtless are sincere in believing homosexuality a sin, and they can cite Scripture supporting their case. Yet they’re wrong that law should protect faith-based homophobia. It shouldn’t. (And didn’t: Indiana’s leadership, bowing to business protests, hastily scrubbed their statute of its anti-gay potential, while Arkansas’s governor walked back a similar law there.)