Posted on 09/17/2015 11:47:35 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday has found that the majority of Americans believe that Kentucky clerk Kim Davis should be required by law to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and said that equality under the law trumps a person's religious beliefs when the two come in conflict.
Davis, who was jailed for six days for being in contempt of federal court after refusing to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples, will be honored by conservative groups with the Family Research Council's "Cost of Discipleship Award" for her stance.
Davis has since returned to work, and said that although she will not sign her name on marriage licenses for gay couples, she will not interfere with the efforts of deputy clerks to issue such licenses.
The ABC News/Washington Post poll, conducted by phone Sept. 7-10 among a random national sample of 1,003 adults, found that 74 percent of respondents believe that equality under the law is most important, while only 19 percent said that religious beliefs should come first. Furthermore, 63 percent of those surveyed said that Davis should be required to issue marriage licenses, compared to 33 percent who disagreed.
As many as 72 percent of respondents also backed the decision to send Davis temporarily to jail for failing to comply with the order on marriage licenses, while 25 percent opposed it.
The poll, which has a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points, noted that the partisan divisions of the people surveyed is 33 percent Democrats, 22 percent Republicans, and 35 percent Independents.
A breakdown of the poll provided by Langer Research Associates found that while equality under the law is deemed most important by the majority, "strong" conservatives and Evangelical white Protestants were more evenly divided on the question.
Sixty-one percent of Evangelical white Protestants and 66 percent of strong conservatives furthermore said that Davis should not be required to issue marriage licenses, while support for jailing Davis was stronger among liberals, Democrats, and those not religiously affiliated.
Davis has explained that her biblical beliefs prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, and added that she cannot violate her conscience.
"God's moral law conflicts with my job duties," Davis said before her arrest. "You can't be separated from something that's in your heart and your soul."
She further insisted that she never wanted to be part of such a conflict.
"I don't want to be in the spotlight. And I certainly don't want to be a whipping post," the Kentucky clerk said.
"I am no hero. I'm just a person that's been transformed by the grace of God, who wants to work, be with my family. I just want to serve my neighbors quietly without violating my conscience."
“the partisan divisions of the people surveyed is 33 percent Democrats, 22 percent Republicans, and 35 percent Independents”
In other words, they polled 78% liberals (not counting the liberal republicans) to get the poll result they wanted.
But not elected officials who won’t issue gun permits.
Or report illegal aliens to ICE.
Nah, they should not go to jail.
F*** them. I'm getting to care less and less what "Most Americans" Want. We have become a supercilious and gutter people.
So, in IMHO, just because a judge makes a law, that doesn't necessarily make that law a just or correct law.
Actually, lefties, this judge recognized that it was still a bit to soon to jail Christians for their beliefs.
It’s coming, but doing it now “alerts the frog”.
The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect the individual, God-given rights of Americans from the demands of mob rule. The First Amendment gives Kim Davis absolute legal protection against this alleged majority demand that she be burned at the stake. I miss the days when we were free and the rule of law was respected in America.
Gay Mirage is a desecration of a sacred institution created by God.
He will not be mocked.
Just remember Kim Davies is a Democrat.
Does not surprise me at all. America is not what it used to be. Trump has used government to try to force an old woman to sell her property to him and he has a cult following here.
She’s not required to issue anything to homosexuals under Kentucky state law.
The court decision simply invalidated such laws, did not modify them. When Kentucky gets around to passing a law that includes a re-definition of the English word “marriage” to mean two organisms entering some sort of partnership contract, then she can issue a license, or perhaps refuse to based on her beliefs. In any event, since she’s elected, about all that can happen to her is she gets dis-elected at the will of the voters.
The Federal Judge had no jurisidiction to interfere with that, and should be impeached for his attack on our entire system.
She is not asking to be excused from the judge’s imprisonment. She accepts that as the cost of her discipleship. Too many Americans have no understanding of the true nature of civil disobedience. Karen knowingly violated an unjust law and was perfectly prepared to accept the consequences.
The failure of the judge to offer a reasonable accommodation to her religious objection flies directly in the face of the first amendment freedom of religion clause. She cannot be forced to sign a form against her will.
She can, as she has done, refuse and accept the consequences.
As more and more Americans refuse to abide by this outrageous opinion handed down by 5 judges acting extra consititutionally their opinion will become moot.
Different people draw the lines differently.
When you find the line you won’t cross, and you are being compelled to cross it, and you decide you can’t and won’t...
Just know that you will most probably stand alone. If you get your moral principles from the culture, you will never take a stand, and when you do take a stand, you’ll stand alone.
Who says they "polled" anyone? I would not trust polling activities, ever.
It's not the vote that counts, it's who counts the votes...
What would be a reasonable accommodation in this instance?
If true, then most Americans are idiots.
History has taught us that when spiritual winds start to shift, they often do so very rapidly and things can get very ugly in a hurry.
It's only a matter of "when" not "if" Christians begin to follow Kim Davis to jail in large numbers.
People’s minds have been turned to mush.
Equal protection is for RIGHTS, not wrongs.
There is no right to do wrong. Never has been. Never will be.
Remember, that of all the people you meet, half of them will be less than average intelligence.
Just asking: Why isn’t Lois Lerner in jail? Why isn’t Hilary in jail? Why aren’t the mayors of sanctuary cities in jail? Why aren’t illegal aliens in jail or deported?
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