Kentucky Clerk To Ask Supreme Court To Keep Same-Sex Marriages On Hold
In the wake of June’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality, Davis has argued that she has a religious objection to same-sex couples’ marriages such that she should be exempted from having to put her name on those couples’ licenses.
Look, we get it. You're morally opposed to same-sex marriage. That's fine. You have every right to your beliefs. But you still have to do your job. If there are parts of your job that you can not, in good conscience, perform then you resign your position and send an open letter to your local paper explaining why. Or Facebook or whatever you kids are using these days with your long hair and your crazy rock and roll and getting all potted up on the weed and whatnot.
You want to make a courageous stand for your moral code? Great. Good for you, you do that. But why would you think that there would be no consequences? I'm no fancy big-city theologian, but I don't think that the Bible ever said that standing up for your beliefs was supposed to be easy.
Matthew 5:10-12 New King James Version (NKJV) 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 21King James Version (KJV)
12 . . . they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
So, according to Jesus who was rather an authority on the ways of Christianity, standing with Him can and will result in persecution, imprisonment, and possibly death. But hell no, I'm not gonna let you lose your job just because you refuse to do it.
You should absolutely follow your moral principles, but if that runs you afoul of actual United States laws, you face the consequences. It's called civil disobedience and it's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be an act of courage. It's supposed to be you standing tall and saying, you can throw me in prison, but you'll never make me go against my beliefs! It's not supposed to be you saying I'm standing up for what I believe and there's nothing you can do about it so ha ha ha. Because if it was that easy, everyone would do it. I would suddenly discover a religious principle that says I am forbidden from any heavy lifting. I'll do the other parts of my job, but not that. Oh, and God doesn't want me to empty the trash either.
And, ya know, you'd think it was just this one nutty lady who thinks she can refuse to do her job and not face any repercussions because she's so righteous and holy or whatever, but no. This is Kentucky, after all.
Defiant Kentucky clerk says he’s wiling to die for his right to tell LGBT people they’re going to Hell
Travis Gettys
27 Aug 2015 at 07:33 ET
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday slapped down the latest challenge filed by the Rowan county clerk, with help and encouragement from the conservative Liberty Counsel, ruling that county clerks are obligated to follow the law and not their personal beliefs.
Davis disagrees, saying his religious beliefs are more important than U.S. or state law.
He argued that the U.S. Supreme Court lacked the authority to overturn Kentucky laws that were approved by a majority of voters — and he said he was willing to become a martyr over this “travesty.”
Um. . . what? The Supreme Court lacks the authority. . . you know they've overturned a hell of a lot of state law2s in our 200+ year history, and no one has ever argued that they lack the authority since Marbury v. Madison. Oh, but I'm sure the county clerk of Butt Crack County knows more about Constitutional Law than every judge, lawyer and law professor of the last 212 years.
But at least this guy is willing to face the consequences of his actions, although he has a wildly inflated notion of what those consequences might be. Pretty sure that refusing to do part of your job is not a capital offense, even in Kentucky.
“Our law says ‘one man and one woman’ and that is what I held my hand up and took an oath to and that is what I expected,” Davis said. “If it takes it, I will go to jail over — if it takes my life, I will die for because I believe I owe that to the people that fought so I can have the freedom that I have. I owe that to them today, and you do, we all do. They fought and died so we could have this freedom and I’m going to fight and die for my kids and your kids can keep it.”
No, seriously, you won't. I promise you that you are not going to be called upon to sacrifice your life for your stupid bigoted principles. You might get fired, you might have to pay a fine. There's not going to be a standoff with the S.W.A.T. team.
“When you stand for what’s right and when you tell someone of the danger that they are in, and I think that when a person lives a lifestyle of sin whether it’s homosexuality or drunkenness or drug addiction or adultery or thievery or any kind of sin that you continue in or live in, you are endangering yourself of spending eternity in Hell,” Davis said. “So in my view of what the Bible says, when you’re truly loving someone, you stand and you lovingly tell them, ‘This is not the way to Heaven, this is not the way of right.’”
Yes. This being America, you have every right to say that. On your own time. You don't get to say shit like that when you're on the clock. Especially when you are being payed by the government which is Constitutionally not allowed to spew any religious doctrine, even if it wasn't bigoted and stupid.
He said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear should meet with the families of slain service members and then call a special session of the State Legislature to vote on whether he should be obligated to follow court orders.
Um, let me save you a little time. Yes. Yes you are. That's why they are called court orders and not court suggestions. Don't bother the governor with this nonsense, I'm sure he has bigger fish to fry - oh, right it's Kentucky . Go right ahead.
Also, what the hell do the families of slain soldiers have to do with marriage equality?
“Sit down with a man and a woman who sent their child off to war alive, hugged their neck, told them they loved them and brought them back in a pine box and get them to tell me what the price of freedom is,” Davis said.
Oh. . . I see, it's. . . no, wait. Still don't get it.
You know, maybe those dead soldiers died fighting for the freedom of same-sex couples to marry the person of their choice? Maybe some of them died fighting the Taliban and might not appreciate you adopting some of the Taliban mentality here at home?
Davis said the Bible was the ultimate authority on all matters, and he said the Book of Genesis defines marriage from the beginning. . . “Where is Adam and Eve’s marriage license recorded at and who did they go get them issued by? I’ll tell you, God issued them, God ordained it,” Davis said.
Um, I don't think marriage licenses were a thing back then.
Also, if there were only two people in the entire world, then of course those two were going to end up together.
They don't even have to like each other.
It's not as if Adam wanted to marry Brandon, but God told him "no, this license, which is totally a thing that exists in 5000BC and not something that some county clerk in Kentucky just made up, only entitles you to marry Eve. Sorry, Eve, but hey, at least he'll probably go shoe shopping with you!"
The county clerk said the court ruling that essentially legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states had made him and other Christians victims of religious persecution.
“I think that this is a war on Christianity, I think same-sex marriage just simply brought it to the surface, but it is a war on Christianity,” David said.
Sigh. . . of course you do. Of course you think that.
He told the radio host that he should be allowed to defy the law because God’s laws “supersede” U.S. laws.
“God’s placed me here so that I can tell people, ‘Hey there is a higher power that we need to answer to, and it’s not people who wear black robes, it’s the one that wears the white robe,’” Davis said.
Really? Coooooool!
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