So help me God!

Kim Davis is the duly elected Clerk of Courts in Rowan County, Kentucky.

Her duties as County Clerk include: processing civil and criminal cases, collecting and disbursing fines, accounting for child support collections, processing appellate petitions, conducting foreclosure sales, securing evidence and issuing permits and marriage licenses.

By all accounts Ms. Davis was good at her job. That is until she decided to allow her religious convictions to interfere with her duties.

It seems that the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex marriage offends Ms. Davis’ religious beliefs.

Unlike most people who oppose a particular law or regulation; Ms. Davis decided to act. Mrs.. Davis declared that the office of the Rowan County Clerk of Courts would not be issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. And in order to circumvent any charges of sexual discrimination; Mrs. Davis decreed that her office would not be issuing marriage licenses to heterosexual couples either.

Rowan county administration officials responded to her actions by asking her to step down. She refused. Federal courts have twice ordered her to resume issuing the marriage licenses. She refused to comply.

Yesterday Davis was jailed after District Court Judge David Bunning found her in contempt of court for failing to comply with the with a federal court order. She has since refused a compromise which would allow her deputies to issue and notarize the marriage licenses in her stead. Davis remains incarcerated at this writing.

The reaction to Mrs. Davis actions has gone viral. She has received all glory and praise from supporters applauding her steadfast religious convictions. Critics find her actions homophobic and discriminatory; lacking any faith based sense of humanity. And there are those who see Davis’ religious stance as hypocritical given her multiple divorces and children born out of wedlock.

In fairness it is probably fair to assume that most of her critics practice their own “cafeteria style” version of faith based behavior.

As for her supporters; I have to wonder if they would be so supportive if it were their lawsuit she refused to file or their gun permit that she refused to issue.

I respect Mrs. Davis religious convictions. But I find her methods flawed.

Mrs.. Davis is an elected official who who took an oath to abide by the law. The salary that she is refusing to relinquish is funded by tax dollars paid by the very people she refuses to serve. No one is forcing Mrs. Davis to engage in a homosexual lifestyle. She is merely being asked to do the job for which she freely sought election.

Mrs. Davis should follow her convictions and resign her post...

...or resume her duties and follow the law that she swore "So help me God" to uphold.