If you take a job for the government then you should abide by the rules of the job. If you don't agree with the rules then you should resign. When the government as in Kim Davis' case makes allowances for her to exercise her religious convictions then that "seems" to be a good thing. After all we are a country of religious opinions across the board and we don't want to violate people's religious convictions. However, If you work for Caesar then you have to follow Caesar's rules. Here is something from the Bible. Mark chapter 12:13 "Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap him in a statement. (This is referring to Jesus). They came and said to Him, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and defer to no one; for you are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? "Shall we pay or shall we not pay?" But he, knowing their hypocrisy said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at. They brought one. He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this? And they said to him, "Caesar's. And, Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at him." (Mark 12: 13 – 17).
I don't think anyone should have to do something if they have moral or religious objections. However, if you are taking money from Caesar aka the government then there are some expectations. Actually, I've never worked a job that did not have expectations, guidelines and requirements, whether I liked them or not.
Personally, I would not officiate a wedding ceremony for a gay couple. This doesn't mean that I am opposed to equal rights. I am for equal rights and the equal rights of gay people. However, I don't personally support gay marriage. However, if I worked as a justice of the peace or in a governmental capacity I would feel like I had three choices: Perform the ceremony, resign or let someone else carry out the function. Essentially, this is what U.S. District Judge David Bunning has agreed to do for Kim Davis in allowing her deputies to grant the licenses.
Kim Davis has made her point. She has adamantly taken her stand for Christ. In no way has she backed down from what she says she believes. She has called attention to the importance of religious beliefs and Christian convictions. If she now tries to circumvent the clerk's office from granting licenses she has gone too far and should resign. People from Asia, India and the Middle East are flooding this country. Eventually, these people will begin to hold public office. They too have religious opinions and they aren't all Christian views. Setting a precedent for not having to obey the law today will come back to haunt us down the road.
Glenn Mollette is an American Syndicated Columnist and Author. He is the author of eleven books and read in all fifty states.
This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution or this paper or media source.
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Kim Davis, Marriage Licenses and Down The Road