Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said, “Again, we believe in
religious liberty but that doesn’t mean you can use your freedoms to undermine
the freedoms of other people” when speaking to Fox News Channel’s Megan Kelly
about the situation with Kim Davis. She spoke upon being released from jail
after being held for contempt of court for refusing on religious grounds to
issue marriage licenses to gay couples. She had this to say following her
release, “We serve a living God, who knows exactly where each and every one of
us is at. Just keep on pressing, don’t let down, because he is her. He’s
worthy, he’s worthy!”. Jindal believes Davis was prosecuted for her devote
Christianity. He also states that secular law should prevail over
fundamentalist Muslims but not against fundamentalist Protestants according to
Bob Garfield. Jindal wasn’t alone when it came to defending Kim Davis but Texas
Senator and Republican Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz also weighed in, “For the
first time, we’re seeing a Christian woman thrown in jail for standing up for
her faith. I’ll tell you, I stand with Kim Davis, unequivocally I stand with
her and anyone else the government is trying to prosecute for standing up for
their faith”. Republican hopeful Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee also gave
their two cents as well to stand with Kim.
My view on all of this is I agree with Cruz and Jindal in
the fact that Kim Davis was prosecuted regarding her beliefs. I don’t ethically
agree with Kim Davis on denying marriage licenses to gay couples because I am
one of probably few that support gay marriage but I do believe that she has a
right to act on what she believes is the right thing. Religion seems to be a
sensitive topic around the world and people for some reason have a tendency to
think there is one ultimate answer to all the questions. My opinion is that
different people, based on your religious upbringing, view the world
differently and have all kinds of contrasting thoughts and ideas on all
subjects so just because one person thinks gay marriage is wrong doesn’t mean
they are a horrible individual and should be punished. They might just believe
that and you can’t force them to think differently. To be thrown into jail
because according to her religion in my opinion is wrong because gay couples
might have something against her but she’s not the ONLY person who doesn’t support
gay marriage. Although, just because she’s not in favor of gay marriage, that doesn’t
mean she should be granted a pass from jail. I mean after all, it is legal now
so I don’t entirely agree with Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz because at some point,
there needs to be a line.
Physical: Kim Davis, Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz thought she was prosecuted
according to her religion.
Psychological: The day when Same Sex Marriage was granted
legal in the U.S., it also came with some criticism from people that didn’t support
it. Kim Davis doesn’t agree with gay marriage due to her beliefs but is that
really enough to be released from jail?
Cultural: Culture plays a huge role here because Kim Davis
is placing her beliefs above the law by denying gay couples licenses because it’s
what she believes in. On the other hand, all the individuals who happen to be
gay feel like their moral ethics and laws are being violated because she doesn’t
support therefore, they feel like they are somewhat discriminated against.
Social: Homosexuality is forbidden to some people and is
seen as completely wrong. Some people are for it while others are against it. I
want to compare it to a similar problem we are having in the world today
involving illegal immigrants. Obama has granted an amnesty for those already
here to stay here meanwhile Republican hopeful Donald Trump if he’s elected
wants to send them back to where they came from. Different groups of people
have their opinions on the subject, some think they have contributed to our
country while others believe it’s unfair to be here illegally. Back to
homosexuality, according to people’s beliefs, everyone has a different opinion
on the matter. Even those of the same religion (I’m Christian and I disagree
with Kim Davis).
Temporal: Gay marriage being legalized was a huge step for America and a huge win for those that are gay but unfortunately it’s like racism, I don’t see it going away any time soon. There will be always certain individuals who support it but then others that are similar to Kim Davis in the fact that they won’t grant them specific rules or abilities due to the fact that they are gay. It is unfortunate but hopefully gay will be granted the same rights as straights regardless of other people’s beliefs and opinions.
Shi-Quan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I don't think Kim should deny marriage licenses just because of her faith. I don't necessarily agree with gay marriage, but now being legal those individuals should not be denied that privilege. I feel that Kim is trying to take the law into her own hands. Her jobs is to issue marriage licenses. If individuals have the necessary paperwork, etc. they should not be denied. By her denying those individuals licenses, she is discriminating against them. Kim does not have the right to pick and choose who can have marriage licenses based on race, religion, or beliefs. Thank you for your thoughts!
Big Quan,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but I would most definitely disagree with your stance.
Cruz and Jindal are liars. Like come on, when Cruz was announcing that he was going to run for president, he made the professors at the university make it mandatory for the students to show up so he didn't have any empty seats.
They don't care about the well-being of this woman, they care about how they're going to look in front of the press for the upcoming election.
But back to Kim Davis, she was not prosecuted for her beliefs. She was prosecuted because she did not do her job and was a complete asshole about it.
Putting her fist in the air like she has a right to deny someone equal rights. She's trying to make it about something that it's not.
She has her religious beliefs, they were NEVER compromised.
We all coexist with different beliefs.
I, too, wrote about this on my blog and my issues are that for one, this shouldn't even be all over media and that she should of gotten fired.
Again, I reiterate that this is not a religious argument but an equal rights matter.
Shi, thanks for the post, but there's some confusion there, not necessarily your fault, you've just bought into the rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteSo here's an extra credit assignment for you: Under the Obama Administration (this could be under any administration, but I'm making this easier), find ANY precedent, any court case where a citizen of the United States was prosecuted for their religious belief. I'll give you an A for the class. PROSECUTED in a court of law, not PERSECUTED in the court of public opinion.
Or extra credit option B: post on your blog a breakdown of the implications of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
I apologize about the confusion, I have a tendency to go off on a limb sometimes. Anyway, I will accept the extra credit and have it posted by sometime this week. Thank you for the opportunity!
Delete