OVO

Craig Gustafson: San Diego County workers may be excused from gay weddings [LINK-ZUM]

San Diego County plans to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriages but will not force employees to perform the ceremonies if they cite religious or moral objections. County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk Greg Smith, whose office issues marriage licenses, said he has informed the roughly 115 employees deputized to conduct ceremonies to tell him if they object to same-sex marriages. Smith said he needs to know if he'll have to juggle employees around or train more to handle what could be thousands of gay couples arriving at his office after the court's ruling takes effect next month. [...] County Counsel John Sansone has advised Smith to wait until the state gives direction before issuing licenses. He said the county will comply with the court ruling, it's just a matter of when it can start. Sansone also said employees cannot simply object to performing same-sex ceremonies. They must give a legitimate religious or moral reason for refusing, he said.

[Article continues at link. The state of Oregon has banned, offered, and rescinded same-sex marriage licenses. I have spoken with opponents of same-sex marriage as they campaigned. When I asked them what legal rights available only to married couples they want same-sex couples not to have, they have been either at a complete loss or state clearly that they do not want to deny any of those rights to same-sex couples. A few more questions reveal their genuine concern. They believe that their place of worship will be legally required to conduct same-sex marriages. No place of worship has ever been required to conduct any marriages. Clergy are free to decide who they will or will not conduct a wedding ceremony for. Legal recognition of same-sex marriage will not change this fact. As has always been the case, there is a difference between weddings (what happens among friends and family) and marriage (a legal contract sanctioned with the State). Should legal recognition of same-sex marriage occur, clergy will remain free to refuse to conduct their weddings. Getting that through the head of those who oppose legal recognition of same-sex marriage would likely cause their efforts to evaporate. The compliment to the freedom clergy have in being free to decide who they will wed is that the State is not free in the same way. The rule of law applies to all. State workers should not be free to refuse to issue marriage licenses. If they object to doing so strongly enough, they are free to find a new job. I cannot imagine what criteria County Counsel Sansone will use to determine what "a legitimate religious or moral reason for refusing" might be. County Counsel Sansone perhaps might benefit from reading the Constitution of the United States of America in which it is clearly stated that the State is not fit to establish religion, not fit to judge which religions are legitimate or not. Should State employees be free to refuse to issue marriage licenses for religious or moral reasons, you can be sure it won't stop with same-sex marriages. State workers would then be free to refuse to issue marriage licenses for multi-ethnic marriages, as commanded by Numbers 12:1. State workers would then be free to refuse to issue fishing licenses for clams, oysters, crabs, lobsters, and shrimp, as commanded by Leviticus 11:10-12. State workers would then be free to refuse to issue teaching licenses to women at some schools, as commanded by 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. There's a very good reason why the United States government was advised from the very start to keep out of the religion business. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity, sex, theocracy