Coeur d‘Alene, Idaho has created an ordinance that forces pastors to marry gays or go to jail and get fined.
This follows the legal battle in the same town with ministers Donald and Evelyn Knapp, who refused to marry a gay couple last year and now face a $1000 per day fine and up to 180 days in jail.
With this the government has decided that religious freedom is subservient to the sexual preference of others.
A federal judge recently ruled that the state’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, while the city of Coeur d‘Alene has an ordinance that prevents discrimination based on sexual preference.
The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to take on gay rights’ appeals from five states has opened the doors for same-sex marriages to go forth.
The Knapps were just asked by a gay couple to perform their wedding ceremony, The Daily Caller reported.
“On Friday, a same-sex couple asked to be married by the Knapps, and the Knapps politely declined,” The Daily Signal reported. “The Knapps now face a 180-day jail term and a $1,000 fine for each day they decline to celebrate the same-sex wedding.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a suit in federal court to stop the city from enforcing the fine and jail sentence, saying in a statement from senior legal counsel Jeremy Tedesco that the government has overstepped its bounds, The Daily Caller reported.
“Many have denied that pastors would ever be forced to perform ceremonies that are completely at odds with their faith, but that’s what is happening here — and it’s happened this quickly,” Mr. Tedersco said, The Daily Caller reported.
But the city sees it differently. As far back as May, city officials were insisting that their ordinance is indeed in line with law.
“If you turn away a gay couple, refuse to provide services for them, then in theory you violated our code, and you’re looking at a potential misdemeanor citation,” said Coeur d‘Alene City Attorney Warren Wilson, to KXLY months ago.
WHAT????
That law/ordinance is not lawful.. violates the cons$#%&!@*ution BIG TIME!!!!
Bull $#%&!@*
uncons$#%&!@*utional I would fight it
OMG. Are you kidding me. This is the US of A not $#%&!@* Germany or Russia. Holy c**p.
There so much anarchy going on around this world.I think the times are close.
There are a lot of double standards going on in this country now days
Lets see them try and tell a Muzzy to marry a Gay couple and see how that goes.
Hopefully the supreme court backs off. Being gay should not have special privileges. Plenty of places are willing to wed them. Why do they want to force it? All they have done is make more people hate them who didn’t care before. Like me. I now think they should go back into the closet.
LET ONLY GAY PASTORS, DO GAY WEDDINGS…PROBLEM SOLVED.