Minister criminally charged for not performing homosexual marriage

charlescarrollsociety.com...

Well, that escalated quickly. Husband and wife ministers are being charged with violating ordinance 9.56 for refusing to perform a homosexual wedding at their "hitching post".

Donald and Lynn Knapp are licensed ministers in the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. They claim to have married “roughly 35,000 couples.”

Thus the question before the godless, post-Christian, authoritarian federal court is can the city of Coeur D’Alene under the Constitution of the United States force a for-profit business to provide services to homosexuals? Another way to ask the question is if Coeur D’Alene forces Donald and Lynn Knapp to participate in a homosexual ceremony is this violating their freedom of religion.

This is an unfortunate situation and I do not believe ministers should be forced to perform a ceremony clearly contrary to their religious beliefs.

Sooo, the lines separating church and state are blurrier than we thought?

a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

Jesus why cant the people who want to get married just go to someone that has no problem marrying them?

why make a big deal out of it? I mean someone had to call and complain and cry that these guys are violating their rights.


Just go get married somewhere else.. Why would you even want to get married by someone who does not want to marry you??

originally posted by: intrptr
Sooo, the lines separating church and state are blurrier than we thought?

No, the godless federal state bureaucracy is trying impose their supremacy over religion beliefs, rules and traditions, or rather a particular political lobby groups is trying to assert that they are at the top of the pecking order.

Any pragmatic state or government, would realize that forcing people to do things against their religious beliefs is not practical.

a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

This is an unfortunate situation and I do not believe ministers should be forced to perform a ceremony clearly contrary to their religious beliefs.

Then they shouldn't be running a for profit business. When you are acting like a church to make a buck the freedom of religion clause doesn't cover you.

originally posted by: buster2010
a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

This is an unfortunate situation and I do not believe ministers should be forced to perform a ceremony clearly contrary to their religious beliefs.

Then they shouldn't be running a for profit business. When you are acting like a church to make a buck the freedom of religion clause doesn't cover you.

Naw they only specialize in one kind of service, you don't go to a jiffylube to get paint job on your car.

It's a for-profit business...
Not a Church.

They make a living doing this, thus they can't discriminate the services they offer...



How many times are we gonna hear this stupid argument and have to tell people they're full of it.


It's almost a daily occurrence.


Learn your Countries laws ffs.

originally posted by: AnonymousCitizen
Well, that escalated quickly.

Not really. This story is nearly a year old. These business owners are not exempt from performing gay marriages, because they are a for-profit BUSINESS, not a church.

Source

This is an unfortunate situation and I do not believe ministers should be forced to perform a ceremony clearly contrary to their religious beliefs.

Churches should NOT be forced to perform marriages of any kind. But this establishment (The Hitching Post) is not a church.

a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

This must be a continuation of an old story because that place made news before for almost the same thing.

If I remember correctly they were given the opportunity to restructure as non-profit or religious institution, but it seems they passed on that. They were also told they could employ someone that would cater to those requests and avoid any penalties.


The "Hitching Post" is not affiliated with any religion and would Marry any couples regardless of religion or no religion.


Them being ministers whether it came from an online or less common credentialed institute will not exclude them from following public accommodation law.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
It's a for-profit business...
Not a Church.

They make a living doing this, thus they can't discriminate the services they offer...



How many times are we gonna hear this stupid argument and have to tell people they're full of it.


It's almost a daily occurrence.


Learn your Countries laws ffs.

So if you exclusively service automobiles by giving them lube jobs for 35000 customers over all the years you were in business and all of a sudden people who want paint jobs on their cars want you to go to jail for not servicing them.....you would be fine with that?

I still don't understand why any gay couple would even go to a church to get married. You know your going to get refused service so why waste your time? It's clear to me that some of these couples are doing this stuff on purpose. That's like me going to a KKK party and expecting to get 5 star treatment, it's ridiculous.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: AnonymousCitizen
Well, that escalated quickly.

Not really. This story is nearly a year old. These business owners are not exempt from performing gay marriages, because they are a for-profit BUSINESS, not a church.

Source

This is an unfortunate situation and I do not believe ministers should be forced to perform a ceremony clearly contrary to their religious beliefs.

Churches should be forced to perform marriages of any kind. But this establishment (The Hitching Post) is not a church.

There IS a legal way around being forced to to this. You just ask for "donations" and make it a non profit. Loop hole.

originally posted by: alienjuggalo
a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

Jesus why cant the people who want to get married just got to someone that has no problem marrying them?

why make a big deal out of it? I mean someone had to call and complain and cry that these guys are violating their rights.


Just go get married somewhere else.. Why would you even want to get married by someone who does not want to marry you??

They are just doing it now to cause problems... simple.

a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

This is why marriage should be in the placed hands of religious institutions, and not the government, and why anti-discrimination laws need to be overturned. You can't legislate morality in a legal system that guarantees equal liberties.

a reply to: stormcell

No, the godless federal state bureaucracy is trying impose their supremacy over religion beliefs, rules and traditions,

Thats what I think, too. The US government wants to take over everybody and everything. This is behind the endless war round the world, the states rights issue with the rebel flag in the south, gun control, the bill of rights generally, and this here marriage license thing. In the end we will all beholden to one big brother, the Fed.

Damn control freaks.

originally posted by: RealTruthSeeker
I still don't understand why any gay couple would even go to a church to get married. You know your going to get refused service so why waste your time? It's clear to me that some of these couples are doing this stuff on purpose. That's like me going to a KKK party and expecting to get 5 star treatment, it's ridiculous.

It's an open war on religion in this country.
Religious persecution is the name of their game.
They want them out of Public service.
They want them out of private business.

Isn't that what the gays were fighting for in the first place, to be accepted in Public and Private life? Now the first thing they do is get used to go after another group to deny them the same.

It's simple revenge.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

How does that comparison make sense?

You just laid out a scenario where they were asked to do a service their company doesn't do...

How does that relate to a business denying one couple what they offer to others?

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

You mean Facts?

Lets sensationalize an old story just to prove the "Evil Gays" will take away the First Amendment and Religion be damned

a reply to: TinfoilTP

I really don't see it as the same thing.

As a side note, I don't think anyone should be forced into anything, but with the current discrimination laws, that's not a practical option, unless you don't mind paying the lawsuit and fines.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

Come through Hyperbole!

Why should Religion be "In" anything? it's a personal belief system... not "Laws" or "Rules" that govern everybody because not everyone believes in the same religion