a rare piece of good news from texas of all places (i love my state but as a liberal democrat in republicandland i know all too well its limitations). this statement from the denton county clerk struck a remarkably balanced toneâ
âPersonally, same-sex marriage is in contradiction to my faith and belief that marriage is between one man and one woman,â the statement read. âHowever, first and foremost, I took an oath on my family Bible to uphold the law and as an elected public official my personal belief cannot prevent me from issuing the licenses as required.â
i can admire someone who understands the difference between private beliefs and public duty.
Why do I always get the feeling that the dwellers of The Red Zones would somehow reach a different conclusion about the importance of religious liberty if the matter involved an employee refusing to take Sunday shifts, or handle financial products, purchases on installment, credit card transactions, or other interest-bearing matters?
Both sabbath observance and prohibitions on usury have markedly larger histories as matters of religious obligation; but I strongly suspect that either would get you fired faster than you can say âright to work stateâ.
(The same general phenomenon has been tested in the case of pacifists during drafts; and apparently when actually important state business needs cannon fodder; youâd better be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops to demonstrate that your religious position is actually genuine and genuinely burdened by the prospect of doing a little killing. Iâm guessing that aâŚsomewhat less adversarialâŚstandard of proof will be demanded in this case.)
I donât care what they believe⌠in the privacy of their own homes. 
I keep asking, but no one has answered me:
If a county clerk has religious objections to an interracial marriage, can that person deny a marriage license to the couple?
They can, then get fired, since they didnât uphold the laws they are bound to serve and the employment contract they signed.
And since you mentioned a legally protected class, a civil suit would be launched faster than you can say civil suit.
Hereâs the confrontation I want to see; a Texan Quaker, 7DA or other Christian pacifist business owner decides that firearms are incompatible with their faith, and then fires any employee who owns a gun, and posts a sign in the window not allowing any gun owners (not just people carrying guns) in the business. Letâs see how that â1st amendment vs 2nd amendmentâ battle goes.
Ehts mah religion to dee-nah you yahr religious raights.
I 100% agree that no person should be compelled to issue marriage licences that are legal but that they disagree with. They should have total, absolute ability to say no to issuing licences they donât want to issue. They should also stop drawing a pay check the moment this occurs.
This is exactly why LGBT people need to get added to the Civil rights Act.
The right of bigotted shitheads to refuse to do their jobs and still get paid shall not be denied.
Honestly, Iâve heard of one case where the clerk did the right thing and resigned. If you honestly believe that doing your job is against your âsincerely heldâ religious beliefs, then quit. If you canât bring yourself to treat people equally under the law, then get your ass the hell out of government service.
And if you really want to live under Christia law, do it someplace else.
Put on snow shoes, cause that is a slippery slope.
So what about issuing a mortgage or loan?
Renting an apartment?
Getting a drivers license?
Applying for social security?
It is sad that some must be compelled to not act bigoted, but not everyone is enlightened (least of all me).
âŚwill have staff available and ready to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Someone needs to send her an FYI that itâs just called âmarriageâ now.
âYouâre fired. Collect your shit on the way out the door.â
I have a small amount of sympathy for the ones that donât want to perform the ceremony itself, even though a courthouse wedding really ought to be completely divorced from religion - do these people also refuse to marry people of a different religion than their own?
Issuing a license, though? Thatâs about as secular as it gets. If youâre performing that task as part of the government, your freedom of speech or your religion shouldnât have anything to do with it. Itâs just a piece of paper, people⌠get over yourself and hand it out like youâre supposed to.
How about an IRS agent who has religious objections to a Catholic couple (letâs say one or both parties are divorced) and refuses to accept their joint tax return?
Iâd be curious to see the outcome if it were a case that has essentially zero popular support; but doesnât involve a protected class; say a catholic official refusing to handle the second marriage of a previously divorced person. Doctrinally, that would be wholly consistent(though mostly overlooked because it inconveniences people); and the divorced arenât a protected class; but public support for this hypothetical brave defender of the faith would likely beâŚtepid.
Well, duh! Itâs only your religion thatâs wrong.
Iâm not particularly upset over this. It is a tempest that will pass quickly. Religious freedom does not extend to not doing your job. If your religion prevents you from doing your job, find a different job. Thatâs how it works with Quakers in wartime. They still have to serve, just not in the infantry.
A couple of these claims will be quickly smacked down in the local federal circuit and that will be the end of it.
Well, ugh, it gets messy.
Most states donât literally associate religious figures with marriage. The ones that do specify a recognized religious official must officiate and sign the docs, but they donât issue permits.
So refusing to officiate if they explicitly say it is for a protected reason civil suits become common. But if it is, âyou arenât part of our congregationâ you are kinda SOL.
Clear as mud?
Then the âChristianâ gun owner would scream they are being oppressed and the 2nd amendment is being trampled on and the circus would begin.
