I do not know if Idaho law has a discreet entity called a “religious corporation” in its statutes, or, if it does, what that means. I do know that the City of Coeur d’Alene called these two ministers. Again, according to Fox News Radio, the city attorney claims that even ordained ministers whose church teachings do not allow gay marriage will be required to perform gay marriages. I think it’s telling that two days after the Ninth Circuit issued an order allowing same-sex marriages, in Idaho, Pastors David and Evelyn Knapp received a phone call from the city advising them they had to perform gay marriages. David and Evelyn Knapp are ministers who were ordained by a legitimate denomination. -- From The Daily Signal: For years, those in favor of same-sex marriage have argued that all Americans should be free to live as they choose. And yet in countless cases, the government has coerced those who simply wish to be free to live in accordance with their belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. Ministers face a 180-day jail term and $1,000 fine for each day they decline to celebrate the same-sex wedding. -- But as a result of the courts redefining marriage and a city ordinance that creates special privileges based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Knapps are facing government coercion. Filed Under: America, Christian Bashers, Christian Persecution, clergy, Culture, Destruction of the Family, First Amendment, Following Christ, Freedom of Conscience, Holy Matrimony, Marriage, Marriage Protection Amendment, Religious Freedom, Same Sex Marriage, Uncategorized Tagged With: christian bashers, Christian persecution, gay marriage 69 Comments « The Synod, One More Time -- @ FW Ken Gays have attained an ontological status equal to blacks, which is profoundly wrong. Moreover, they have milked the victim status fast beings reality. Hence, their adverts to food, shelter, etc. Is not at stake. Wrong as it is, same-sex marriage, unimaginable 20 years ago, had become a basic human right. To refuse to bake them a wedding cake is tantamount to killing them. Yes, I have read that claim. # cary_w Are you actually saying that equal rights laws shouldn’t apply to everyone? If they don’t apply to everyone, then they aren’t really equal rights laws, are they? -- This is crap in itself. The point is not whether people in a lovely wooded mountain area are invited to have a pleasant vacation – and pay for the privilege – around the time of their wedding, the point is whether the wedding is conducted as a religious ceremony by appointed ministers of an acknowledged denomination. IT IS. Everything else is pure lawyerly rubbish and bullying. # FW Ken I don’t know the area, but harming your tourism business over same-sex marriage seems odd. That assumes the wedding chapel is a major contributor to the local economy, which the numbers suggest it is. * Dave Why don’t they just do the thing where they post a sign saying “all proceeds from gay marriages performed here will be matched and donated to NARTH” (or some other organization that is anathema to gay activists)? That would probably take care of the problem and the troublemakers would leave on their own. -- Here’s a federalist link that does work. The state of California is now requiring that all insurance plans, including those of churches, include coverage for surgical abortion. http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/22/california-orders-churches-to-fund-abortions-or-else/ Here’s the link on same-sex marriage: http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/20/gay-marriage-no-one-expects-the-secular-inquisition/ + Lark62