I say guise, because it's a very shallow religious freedom she's defending. Just because she can assert, "Marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman under the Bible," the discussion doesn't end there. Religious freedom does not equal the freedom to avoid criticism. I am tired of hearing the phrase "Well, that's my religion" as if that's the final word. Religious perspectives are not some private, internal truths that cannot be compared any more than political ideologies are.
Those of us who claim a religious identity must give an account of what we claim to follow, and explain why with arguments, and sometimes be told that those arguments are weak and should be reconsidered. This is especially true when one's beliefs result in the active exclusion or discrimination against other people. That demand is not oppression. It is how we hold each other to account and collectively grow.
The great bulk of experience at seminary is about challenging, critiquing, and reconsidering theological positions that are ill-considered or initially unreflective. I can't count how many courses I would have failed if I simply had asserted some opinion as unassailable because it was "my deeply felt religious belief." (Actually, the answer is 100%.) Having your views questioned, prodded, or even deconstructed is a central insight of liberal Christianity going back centuries.
Right now, realistic options to have Davis removed from her elected office are limited. It is possible she will be held in contempt of a court order. If she had any honor regarding her professed convictions (barring the distinct possibility that this is a stunt seeking publicity), she would do what other government officials have done when they feel like they cannot follow what they consider to be an unjust law: she could resign.
But she reflects some of the worst in the Christian tradition in America: a victim mentality, an absence of critical reflection on her commitments, and a lack of resolve in accepting the consequences of her actions.
Ready to argue in love,
Timothy Murphy
Executive Director
P.S. Between the writing and publication of this article, Kim Davis was arrested. You can read more about it here.