Adventist Media Response and Conversation

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Spectrum "minister arrested for marrying Gays?

I just was looking at back stuff from the spectrum website and read this in an article there:

\blue{ Marriage: A Religious Liberty Issue?

By Lester N. Wright
(September 30, 2003)

...
In response, many people, including the U.S. president, have called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would prohibit marriage between two people of the same sex. Government lawyers have ordered solemnizing this type of marriage to stop. In at least one local jurisdiction, the mayor was charged with violating state law by sanctioning marriages inconsistent with current laws. Furthermore, ministers of several religious persuasions have been criminally charged with violating the law by sanctioning and performing such marriages.


The arrest of a minister charged with performing a religious ceremony consistent with his or her religion should have gotten our attention. If a government can determine that one religious practice violates law and can arrest and charge a minister for performing that ceremony, then government can determine that ANY religious practice is illegal. The arrest of a minister for performing a marriage between two people of the same sex can progress to the arrest of a minister for preaching on a Sabbath not sanctioned by law.
http://www.spectrummagazine.org/conversationcafe/columns/040930wright.html

Now I have never heard of any minister arrested for performing the religious ceremony of joining two homosexual or Lesbians together. Further I have never heard of the "Government lawyers have ordered solemnizing this type of marriage to stop". They have ordered state officials to cease giving out marriage licenses but that certainly different.

Since the writer did not give any examples I don't think he knows what he is talking about and like many liberals making up something for his own purposes. But if I am wrong will someone please give me an example where a minister was arrested or even charged with criminal violation for performing a ceremony for gay or lesbians.

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