Kim Davis, the elected clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, has gone to jail for contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
She is defying the U.S. Supreme Court on religious grounds.
As I understand it, most of the Republican candidates for President are standing behind her, saying its a matter of supporting her religious liberty.
Davis can't be fired. She has to be impeached by the state legislature. And apparently she also can't quit her job when her deeply held religious beliefs make it impossible for her to perform her duties.
Wow, is she in a pickle!
One of the problems is that gay people actually exist, but there's no evidence god exists, or (if he does exist) no evidence he holds opinions on any issue.
There are books, of course, that purport to speak for god on a variety of subjects, but there's no proof any of those books reliably do what they claim to do.
Kim Davis's belief that a proper marriage is between a man and a woman prevents her from marrying another woman, that's clear. But is it right her beliefs are responsible for stopping other people of whatever sexual persuasion from getting married?
If she were a Roman Catholic of a few years ago, working at McDonald's, could she refuse to sell hamburgers on Friday? And keep her job?
(Davis says she is obeying God's Law. Is that official? Does God now pay her salary?)
How is it that the woman's "religious liberty" trumps everybody else's liberty of whatever nature? Do religious notions always win out over mundane concerns? Does the imaginary just naturally triumph over the real?
Maybe.
No one will let you make up stuff and do what you want, but if you can find some ancient text and offer a "plausible" interpretation, maybe you're on your way. Be the next Jim Jones. The next David Koresh. Gather up your followers. Stockpile weapons. And don't forget lots of Kool-Aid for the inevitable show-down with earth-bound authorities.
I wonder how old the text has to be? The Bible clearly works wonders for this purpose. And the Quran. What about the Book of Mormon? Science and Health?
The Catcher in the Rye?
Protesters flock to support Kim Davis, though large numbers of them are simply anti-gay. Signs promise the Wrath of God, and so forth.
(The wrath of god is often invoked by agitated humans, but all we usually see is the wrath of the more dedicated protester. The problem with god is that he never seems to raise a hand to his "enemies." Fortunately, there are plenty of devout humans willing to step up and portray the Hand of God.)
So where do we go from here?
Davis is not the only local authority refusing to issue licenses to gay couples or perform ceremonies for those sexual rebels. Maybe the federal government will have to step up and offer special licenses.
Are we headed for a new Civil War?
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