Kim Davis, jailed for Contempt, has been released. She and some other “Christians” believe their religious liberty is being curtailed because they must obey laws of which they say their religion doesn’t approve. Interesting to note this is their personal interpretation of their sect’s belief, not necessarily written anywhere.
The notion of “Religious Liberty” is that, we are all free from any religion imposing its beliefs on us as individuals, or on our government. According to the Constitution, we are free to believe in what ever religion, or no religion, we wish to choose. We just can’t expect, or try to force anyone else to believe in our religion. There is no attempt on the part of the government or anyone else, to force Christians to change their beliefs. It is quite the opposite.
The law, upheld by the Supreme Court, says that same-sex marriage is legal. Government officials must issue same-sex couples a marriage license. It is legal, and everyone has a right to choose whomever they wish to marry. Under the law, no person has the right to prevent anyone from being married to whomever they choose. No one is asking Christianity to marry same-sex couples in their churches. It wasn’t so long ago that interracial marriage was not allowed in many states. Certain Christian religions claimed that was against their teachings. Many Christians also believed in slavery and cited the Bible as the reason.
The laws of the United States say that we are all created equal. No one can be discriminated against for any reason. If you are a government official or clerk you must follow the law. Refusing to follow the law and then forcing others to refuse is a crime. Government employees, elected or hired, do not work for God. He does not pay their salary. They work for the people of that State and/or the country. The state and God are separate employers. If a person’s personal beliefs prevent them from doing their job, and upholding the law, they should resign from holding public office.
The Constitution of the United States does not adhere to any religion. It is a set of principles and laws on which the country is founded. Neither the national government or any individual state or municipality may adopt religious beliefs into its laws. No state elected official or employee can impose his or her religious preferences on how they will perform their jobs. The Constitution does not infringe on anyone’s religion.
This country has been brainwashed by the Christian right-wing to the extent that many people have forgotten that this country is founded and built on the principle of separation of church and state. Any church, any state. The founders of the United States made a choice to exclude religion from a role in government. It appears some Christians would like to create a religious state like Iran or Saudi Arabia.
The Christian Right has been imposing their beliefs on the entire country, in an organized fashion since the 1930’s. To name a few things, there have been movements to have the Bible read in the classrooms of public schools. Christian prayers in public schools. Under President Eisenhower Christian groups got “In God We Trust” on to US currency and had “God” inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance. Presidents and politicians have been pressured into ending every speech with the words, “God Bless America.” Congress has prayer meetings. The founding fathers of this country never had a “Prayer Meeting” before they wrote the Constitution.
Judging by how they behave, Congress probably needs more prayer, but it is not part of the law that they do so.
Written by J R Martin – Documentary Filmmaker
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