Anyway you slice it, the Supreme Court's ruling last week backing a Colorado baker who refused to make a same-sex couple a wedding cake is going to leave a bad taste in someone's mouth.

The case pitted anti-discrimination laws up against freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression.

On June 4, the majority of the justices sided with Jack Phillips who owns the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority, said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had violated the Constitution's protection of religious freedom in its ruling against the baker, who refused to make a wedding cake for the same-sex couple.

Following the decision, the chairmen of three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committees said the decision “confirms that people of faith should not suffer discrimination on account of their deeply held religious beliefsbut instead should be respected by government officials.”

In a statement they said: “In a pluralistic society like ours, true tolerance allows people with different viewpoints to be free to live out their beliefs, even if those beliefs are unpopular with the government.”

The Mormon church issued a brief statement following the justices' ruling.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomes today's Supreme Court decision. The nation's laws can protect both religious liberty and the rights of LGBT citizens. That is the meaning of fairness for all.”

In Butler County, not all of the responses were favorable.

“I believe I am in the minority of the clergy in Butler. I am disappointed by the ruling,” said Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer of Congregation B'nai Abraham, 519 N. Main St. She stressed this was her own opinion and not that of her congregation.

“It's because while I respect peoples' religious rights, I very much respect everyone's civil rights, too,” she said.

“I know that the ruling was pretty specific,” Gray- Schaffer said.

“I was just reading an article that said it (the ruling) was phrased so it seemed to deal with this particular case. Another case might not get the same ruling.”

Gray-Schaffer said she was active in groups that support the LGBTQ community.

Pastor Joel Benson of Trinity Lutheran Church, 120 Sunset Drive, also pointed out the specificity of the justices' decision.

“The Supreme Court in their 7-2 decision ruled on a very specific element of the case and that was, that in their view, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was not respectfully neutral toward the strongly held religious beliefs of Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cake,” said Benson.

“A member of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission disparaged Mr. Phillips' beliefs and called them “despicable.” The Supreme Court ruled on a very specific point and avoided making an all-encompassing judgment that some had hoped for,” he said.

Benson added, “I see similarities in what we do in the church — we are a church that understands we are of one mind and heart when it comes to loving God and our neighbors, but not of one mind when it comes to addressing the issues we face. Therefore we ground ourselves in Christ and continue to grow into, through prayer, dialogue and listening, what it means to be lovers of our God and our neighbors.”

In a statement on behalf of the United Church of Christ's national leadership, the Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, executive for health and wholeness advocacy, emphasized that every person is a child of God, endowed by God with worth and dignity that human judgment cannot set aside.

“The United Church of Christ stands with the LGBTQ community in response to this difficult ruling. The General Synod of the United Church Christ has been unequivocal in its stand against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” Schuenemeyer said.

“Although the very narrow ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case only applies to that case, and that case only, the 7-2 decision by the Supreme Court is likely to have harmful repercussions for the LGBTQ community,” Schuenemeyer's statement continued.

“The court's decision is in conflict with itself, on the one hand saying states can pass laws that protect classes of citizens, including protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and at the same time allows discrimination in this case when the law of the State of Colorado, where the case comes from, clearly prohibits discrimination, which Justice Kennedy, who wrote the courts ruling, clearly recognized.”

Echoing the national leadership, the Rev. Lisa Griffin, pastor of St. John's United Church of Christ, 501 E. Main St., Evans City, said, “Definitely, I know our church would side with the UCC national group in that the ruling is unfair and businesses should have to serve all people.”

For some congregations, the issue hasn't been a hot topic.

“It's been talked about privately, but there hasn't been any official discussions,” said the Rev. James Kirk, pastor of Valencia Presbyterian Chruch, 80 Sterrett St., Valencia.

“This is an issue that tends to be a lighting rod,” Kirk said. “But I guess in our church it's not of prime importance.

“People do follow the news, but the church doesn't have an official position on it, not at this point,” said Kirk.

The ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission stems from the case argued before the court in December from an incident in 2012 when Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Phillips, to make a cake for their wedding reception. Phillips refused, saying his religious beliefs would not allow him to create a cake honoring their marriage.

The couple filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which decided the baker's action violated state law.

The Supreme Court ruling's opinion honed in on the argument of free speech and religious neutrality, saying the baker's refusal was based on “sincere religious beliefs and convictions” and when the Colorado Civil Rights Commission considered this case, the court said, “it did not do so with the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires.”