Posted on 10/31/2014 4:33:37 PM PDT by NYer
In the wake of a federal court decision legalizing same-sex “marriage” in North Carolina, at least six judges in the state have resigned rather than be forced to officiate such unions.
All stepped down, since October 10, because they believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
They are: John Kallam Jr. (Rockingham County), Gilbert Breedlove (Swain County), Bill Stevenson (Gaston County), Tommy Holland (Graham County), Gayle Myrick (Union County) and Jeff Powell (Jackson County).
The decision wasn’t easy for Stevenson, whose family depends on his $50,000 per year salary as their primary income.
"I prayed about it; I asked for wisdom," Stevenson told the Christian Examiner. "I think our hearts have been led away by the cares of the world, our desires, and ultimately, our intense arrogance – our hubris – against the Lord.”
"We've rejected the prime authority of the scriptures, something our Nation's Founding Fathers, such as John Adams, knew better than to do. ... In both the Old and New Testaments, homosexuality is something the Lord does not approve of, and since He doesn't, I could not put the sanction of the state on a relationship that runs afoul of scripture," Stevenson said.
In a separate interview with the Christian Post, Stevenson said of the decision to give up his income without a backup plan, "I hate to wax it so biblical but it says 'what good is it for a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul? So, that's the stakes I put on this."
Holland, who had served as a magistrate for 24 years, said he made the decision to quit after the state issued a memo stating that there would be no religious exemptions for judges who believe same-sex “marriage” is immoral.
"When the federal judges ruled that gay marriage was legal and North Carolina honors that, and part of a magistrate's job is to perform marriage ceremonies, I knew I couldn't honor that law," Holland told The Christian Examiner. "It's against my belief. It's against what the Bible says.” As for his future prospects? “God has always taken care of me," Holland said.
“When you have convictions about something, you’ve drawn your line in the sand,” Myrick told the Winston-Salem Journal. “It [“marrying” gay couples] was not a consideration to me at any cost.”
“I believe marriage was ordained by God to be between a man and a woman," she told the Christian Examiner. "For me to do what the state said I had to do, under penalty of law, I would have to go against my convictions, and I was not willing to do that. I want to honor what the Word says."
Breedlove said that while the financial impact of walking away from the bench will certainly sting, he simply could not turn his back on his morals just to keep a job, and trusts that God will provide for him. “You either go for the finances or you go for the faith,” he told the Winston-Salem Journal. “I know the Lord has something for me to do.”
Four days after announcing his resignation, Kallam returned to the Rockingham Country courthouse for a rally alongside North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger and 500 fellow residents, all supporters of true marriage. Berger vowed to fight for religious freedom protections for magistrates who oppose same-sex “marriage.”
“Here, in Rockingham County, forcing Magistrate Kallam to give up his religious liberties to save his job is just wrong,” Berger said at the rally.
Berger and 27 other Republican legislators have asked the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts to protect state officials who refuse to participate in gay marriages because of religious beliefs. He told the Winston-Salem Journal that plans to introduce a bill to allow state officials to opt out of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples or conducting gay “marriages” if doing so would violate their religious beliefs.
Good for them. Too bad they’re gone,though. But the choice was to obey God or man. They made the right choice. I would love it if someone in that position would wait till a sodomite couple came into his office to get “married” and he resigned on the spot with news cameras recording the whole scene.
The only reason any of you would question what these judges have done is because you are still clinging to the system, hoping against all reason, logic, and facts that it is still viable, refusing to believe that it has already been corrupted beyond repair by the usual means, because acceptance of that reality would point you toward repair by a means that you would rather later generations be forced to employ.
That doesn’t make any sense to me but nothing makes of cheese days does it. These judges will probably do a lot better in the private sector.
Wow! May God bless these magistrates and give them continued courage.
Perhaps they had good reason for not electing that, but it seems curious it went unmentioned.
As things are going, we may all be faced with similar decisions.
Do we acquiesce, and become participants in perverted anti-God, inhuman, actions?
Or do we refuse to surrender our faith?
For me it’s no contest. I’m not going to be a part of this abomination.
As I think about it, you are probably right in forcing a showdown but they are required to follow the law. There must be a good reason for just quiting. As a Christian, and in a similar position, if someone asked me to deny my faith, I would resign,
Judges going Galt!
Going Galt may be the only victory we have.
The Lord will take care of them.
I’d have rather seen them just refuse to do them and have standing to sue. But kudos regardless.
Yes. Difficult choice for them. I can’t fault them for either decision they made. But I would rather have seen them stay and then not perform any ceremonies and force the govt to take action. Yes it would have been breaking the law, but i see no wrong with that. Civil disobedience in good concious, make the government throw us all in jail.
This is exactly what needs to happen in canada. All the pastors need to declare one Sunday a month where they preach on the abomination of sodomy. Let the govt start throwing good decent people in jail.
Well said. A difficult point to address, but how many are willing to go to jail? The founding fathers were willing as stated in the Declaration. Are we at that same point now? If millions did it simultaneously, I would say we are. Start now and include me in.
**In the wake of a federal court decision legalizing same-sex “marriage” in North Carolina, at least six judges in the state have resigned rather than be forced to officiate such unions.**
May God bless them all.
I agree with you. However I will gladly make the ultimate sacrifice to save this country. If that is required, with no hesitation. But I’m not about to go out and try to bring back the true American idea without help. I don’t see any, do you? If everyone here got up and started actively teaching, debating college professors in front of their students, and planting seeds I would follow. But I am not charming, nor intelligent enough to start an idealogical movement on my own.
Because one of those students, or anyone we can reach could be a Reagan, a Jefferson, a Franklin, a Washington, or the type of leader we need to bring us back from the brink and save America. But these judges quit, so it’s time to do some serious thinking and either move or fight, however where else in the world could we go? I might consider going to Israel, but I wouldn’t want to be an American citizen anymore. I know that sounds strange, but if everyone gives up I will too. But I won’t roll over and die.
Those benches will now be filled by judges who have no Christian values.
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