Everyone in America has every right to practice their own religion as they desire, but within the limits of them not infringing on the same right of others. I just saw a news story this morning that touches on this point. A Georgia church held a service for a high school football team and gave the kids an "option" to go through a full immersion baptism. I personally have no issue with this on the face of it, until you realize that this is using coercion to put these kids through this. Kids wish to please the adults they like and respect. In this case, they also could have seen going through this as a way to make it more likely that they will play.
This is the issue with doing religious stuff within the school setting. The kids are impressionable, and if they think that doing things like this with either please those that they respect, or feel that doing such things will get them further, or even the peer pressure of everyone else doing it, then they are going to go through with it. It really bothers me that the coach, and even the minister that lead the service, didn't and still don't see an issue with doing this at a team practice. This, to me at least, is a clear violation of the separation of church and state, and through the employment of the coaches, this is an endorsement of a religion by the school district.
Today we also will see the next chapter in another religious freedom court battle. This is the Rowan County, KY, clerk that is refusing to issue any marriage certificates because she doesn't want to be seen as discriminating against same sex couples. Everyone is welcome to have their own views and interpretations of their religion. I don't discount that she deeply believes that if she has anything to do with a same sex marriage, she will be going to hell. If she was in any kind of private enterprise, and refused service to a same sex couple, I would be upset, but I would just send my business elsewhere. I think the pursuit of forcing private businesses to provide service to same sex marriages is a stupid thing to do, but those business should become known and boycotted letting economics take care of the business.
She is a public servant though. She is working for the government, and she has taken an oath to uphold the laws of the land. Of course, as a heathen, oaths mean a lot more to me than it does to most politicians, but even still, she did promise to uphold the laws, even in her rhetoric from the campaign. As a public servant, you give up some of your rights, religion being one of them, when you are on the clock. The courts have spoken, and the order that she issue marriage licenses again is a valid order and not likely to be changed on any appeal. She is being required to do her public servant, non-religious, job.
Today we find out what her sanctions will be for contempt of court. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be held in contempt, and there is no doubt that at some point, same sex marriage licenses will be issued out of that office. The only question I have is how long she will be advised to attempt to become a martyr. Whomever is advising her is doing her no good. She is either trying to go the route of making money out of a crowd sourced campaign to cover her legal fees, or her pro-bono lawyers are trying to raise money for their non-profit. In either case, it is wrong, but sadly it will likely happen, and they will likely make a good deal of money.
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