I saw a comical post on Facebook the other day that was a cartoon about a vegan who refused to give out fishing licenses. This was of course a joking way to make fun of the ridiculous idea that those who work for the government can choose to enforce the law as they please depending upon their own moral compass. This issue came up recently in the case of Kim Davis, a court clerk who refused to give a marriage license to a gay couple because she did not believe that it was morally permissible for gay couples to get married. 

Those who support her cite her religious freedom in order to suggest that because she is a Christian who believes homosexuality is a sin, she should have the right not to have to do her job and issue the marriage license. This, of course, is a ridiculous argument. The religious in the United States must realize that whether or not they like it, we do not live in a theocracy; we do not live in a “Christian nation.”  The fact of the matter is we live in a secular state with a godless constitution. This is a great thing. 

The problem with the Kim Davis situation is that we cannot give special rights and benefits to those of any particular faith. It is true that in the U.S. citizens have the right to practice their religion as they wish, but this should not extend to those who participate in government.

That is not to say that government officials should not be able to practice their religion in their personal lives. Of course they should, but that does not mean that they should have the right to pick and choose which part of the law they would like to uphold. I can understand completely why a fundamentalist Christian in her position would feel the way she does, but the fact of the matter is that the Supreme Court has declared that same-sex marriage is absolutely legal, and to deny someone the ability to marry based on their sexual orientation is unconstitutional.

As I have said, I can see why this would be troubling for a fundamentalist Christian, but while I understand her point of view, I do not think that it is any excuse for not following the law. If we start allowing the religious the ability to receive special benefits because of their faith, then we will be in danger of losing a large part of what makes the U.S. great: our separation of church and state. 

This is what separates the U.S. from theocratic governments. I think that we can absolutely have a balance of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. It is also important to realize that our laws should not come from any individual’s set of morals. Rather, laws must be made based off of logical, secular arguments, and these laws can’t be ignored by the religious by invoking the will of God.