Ministers Threatened with Jail/Fines For Refusing to Officiate at Gay Weddings

[Mister Agenda]

Then what's the section titled "Hitching Post Courthouse & License Office" about? Additionally, if you look under the "Wedding Packages" they offer, the cost of a marriage license is included as one of the items. Just get rid of the government documents and they can do whatever the hell they want with their ceremony.

They are talking about the county courthouse 400 feet away. It means when the ceremony is complete, they will sign the license, walk the 400 feet to the courthouse, and file the license for you. Its not uncommon for a minister to file the marriage license for you.

Are we going to prevent sincere clergy from filing marriage licenses if they refuse to preform gay marriages in their church?

It's not a church. It's not even particularly Christian. Atheists could get hitched there in a civil wedding a few weeks ago, no questions asked.

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Fair enough. But if these people are running this marriage service as a private business and not as a non-profit, they should follow the anti-discrimination business rules that everyone else has to follow. If they're a non-profit church, then of course they can't be forced to perform same-sex marriage.

I can't say I much like the Knapps' belief system. It's abhorrent (many religious beliefs are). And they are in violation of Idaho's anti-discrimination laws. The question is whether the the First Amendment, the RFRA, or other law gives them an out because of their religious beliefs.

This not like baking a cake for a wedding, or renting an apartment. The Knapps would actually be preforming a ceremony that they consider blasphemy. I think they have a case. I don't see that whether they are for profit or not matters to the RFFA or First Amendment.

I don't see why they'd have to perform the ceremony themselves. They can get someone else to do it, but they can't refuse to let it be performed at their place of business.