We are about to see a war. Not a war over boundaries or land or race but a war over ideology.
We have come to a point in this country that christians feel that their own religious rights are being tread on. Why do they feel this way? It's a question with many different answers but seems to stick out more than others.
America has changed socially in the last few years. We have seen gay rights rocket to the fore front of the news and politics. Gay marriage is now legal in every state which, of course, enrages the religious right. They feel it is an unholy union and goes against everything God and the Bible stand teach, even though the Bible says nothing about gay marriage. It's even debatable whether it even says the homosexuality is wrong. It doesn't by the way.
The Right feels that by allowing gay minority the same rights as everyone else is the beginning of the end of their values and the American way. Now their new tactic is to cry foul and proclaim their religious rights are being tread upon by not allowing them to discriminate against gay people when it comes to marriage, jobs and housing.
Kim Davis, a clerk in Kentucky, will not grant marriage licenses to gay people on the basis that it goes against her religious belief that God condones marriage between a 1 man and 1 woman.
I support her right to believe this. I don't care if she stands on a street corner and preaches it until she turns blue. The problem is that she holds a public office and she took an oath to enforce the laws that dictate her job description. The law has changed and now allows gay marriage which in turn forces her to perform her duty and grant licenses to not only gays but heterosexuals as well, something that she is not doing either. She has decided to deny everyone licenses as a loop hole to satisfy her religions convictions. Now she is discriminating two fold.
The fact of the matter is, she is not being denied her right to practice her religion. She can practice it whenever, where ever she wants, except her government job, a government job that is tasked with providing services to every America citizen in her jurisdiction regardless of gay, straight, black or white. She is being denied her right to discriminate using her religious beliefs as an excuse.
She is not being jailed because of her religion. She is being jailed for not doing her job. If this job is too difficult for her to retain her beliefs than she should resign and take a career where she doesn't have to put her beliefs in jeopardy. The government has a clear definition of a separation of church and state. The government doesn't tax churches and the churches do not make laws. It's a simple agreement.
I propose if we start allowing religious persecution to determine whether or not someone can discriminate at any time than churches should start paying taxes. Obviously they want to have a hand in making laws and deciding who has rights and who doesn't. That much involvement deems they pull their own weight and pay their share in taxes. They have become a business in that the members pay a monthly fee, tithing, they receive counseling both mental and marriage, and they receive reportable income in the form of blessings. The churches tell their members that if you give it money, they will receive the money back ten fold. That's income. Income that is taxable.
The gist of the story is that you can not use your religious beliefs to discriminate against people that have a legal right to your service especially if you're a government employee. You work for ME. I pay your salary. I pay to receive the services that are promised to me. Do Your Job or Resign.
