Religious-right activists and politicians like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz have been scrambling over each other to proclaim their support for Kim Davis. But a new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the Kentucky clerk’s refusal, on religious grounds, to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Released this morning, the ABC News/Washington Post poll includes a couple of key questions on religion and marriage. The verdict: most Americans say one’s individual religious beliefs aren’t more important than equality under the law for all.
In general, when there’s a conflict between (someone’s religious beliefs) and (the need to treat everyone equally under the law), which do you think is more important?
Religious beliefs: 19%
Equal under the law: 74%
No opinion: 6%As you may know, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that gay and lesbian couples have the right to marry. Nonetheless a county clerk in Kentucky has refused to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, saying she objects on religious grounds. Do you think this county clerk should or should not be required to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples?
Required to issue: 63%
Not required to issue: 33%
No opinion: 4%
She needs to resign if she feels that strongly. Why would a person want to be in a place that affects her so much.
Have you noticed that when people talk about religious liberty they speak of only ONE religion? And the far right side of that.
Well, exactly. The second part of the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment is the establishment clause that says that government can’t favor a particular religion (loosely stated.)
Kim Davis is doing exactly that as a government employee invoking “God’s authority” in her role as government clerk.
So, factually, Kim Davis is in violation of the Constitution which led to her incarceration for contempt of court.
Her “deeply held religious beliefs” are moot in this case; they just don’t matter as in not material.
Finally, the whole “religious beliefs” is a smokescreen. A person could simply claim deeply held bigoted beliefs and it would be just as valid.
I support Kim Davis’ right to refuse to assist same-sex marriages if they conflict with her personal religiuos beliefs (they don’t conflict with Christianity, but that’s a different issue).
I just don’t think she has a riight to get a paycheck and have a government office even though she won’t do her job. No conscientious objector ever claimed he or she should be released from military service, but still get a soldier’s pay and benefits. No convert to vegetarianism ever expected to get a salary from the butcher shop despite refusing to touch meat.
It does conflict with Christianity. People just don’t want to accept that fact