Kim Davis - Time to move on

When Kim Davis, Rowan County (KY) Clerk, defied nothing less than the United States Supreme Court by declaring that she will not issue marriage licenses to same-gender couples because she must "follow God's law" rather than United States laws, she raised an interesting point.  To be sure, my emotional reaction is to dismiss her out of hand.  After all, as a self-identified evangelical Christian (she's a member of an Apostolic Christian church), she is taking this stand presumably in defense of biblical views of marriage, even though she's been married four times.  Hmmm...

Nevertheless, there is a possible dilemma here on a broader scale.  I don't believe that her actions are reflective of a First Amendment issue.  After all, the law is not "establishing religion" here, nor is it prohibiting Ms. Davis' "free exercise (of religion) thereof."  She is certainly free to express her religious beliefs (another First Amendment right).  But the right to employment, and especially in a job working as a government official, means that you have responsibilities to carry out the functions of your job.  In this case, that primarily revolves around the issuance of marriage licenses.  It's not a job that she has to take.  Even within government, there would be thousands of other jobs she could do that would not "violate her religious values" in the way that she feels her current job requires.  Furthermore, one would be hard pressed to raise the cry of "persecution," when one is sharing the stage (literally) with candidates who are running for election as President of the United States!

Are there jobs that come into conflict with one's religious beliefs, or, really, with one's moral principles, religious or not?  Certainly.  Personally, I would not be able to serve in the military in a combat role.  I have this thing about WWJD... Would Jesus kill other people in defense of a nation?  I don't believe so.  However, I know many, many good and faithful Christians who proudly serve our nation as members of the military.  It's just not something I could do.  Am I therefore being persecuted?  Am I being denied the opportunity to express my religious convictions?  Are my constitutionally protected rights being violated?  Of course not!  I simply realize that in order to be faithful and true to the things I believe, there automatically are some jobs I would not be able, in good conscience, to accept.

I give thanks to God for people who stand up for their beliefs.  I even rise to defend their right to speak out about values they passionately hold.  However, Ms. Davis' "15 minutes of fame" ran out a long time ago.  It's time for the country to move on to things that are truly important.  I hope that Ms. Davis can move on with her life as well.