Kim Davis's "Special Accommodation"

Kim Davis is the county clerk in Kentucky who has refused to approve marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis is one of the three or four county clerks among the 120 Kentucky counties who are refusing to issue marriage licenses on the basis of religious belief. Davis became notable when a video of her refusing to issue a license to a gay couple became, as they say, viral.

Kim Davis was put in jail for  failing to follow the U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. She was shortly released, after assuring the judge that she would not try to block the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. GOP presidential contenders Mike Huckabee and Sen. Ted Cruz were at the press conference -- arranged by Huckabee -- to allow Davis to celebrate her release from jail.

Kim Davis's attorney said that Davis would not violate her religious convictions but would do her job "good." She would be violating her religious convictions if she issued the marriage licenses and if she has her deputies do the job, she, Davis, would not be performing the full duties of the office to which she was elected. The suggestion made by Mike Huckabee and, perhaps, others, that Davis should be offered another government job raises the question of why someone who has not performed the full duties of her current job should be offered another government job.

Kim Davis is now asking for a "special accommodation" whereby her name and title would not appear on the license application. Davis's office has six deputies, at least one of whom has indicated a willingness to issue licenses to same-sex couples. Nonetheless, Davis continues to insist that such licenses would not be valid.

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas contends that Kim Davis chose the wrong issue for her "martyrdom.." "Amazingbible.org lists more than 600 sins mentioned in the Bible, including adultery, fornication, divorce and lying. If Davis wants to be consistent she would refuse a marriage license for anyone who has sinned, which would limit the number of applications to zero since 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.' (Romans 3:23)."

Since Kim Davis has had four marriages, one of them a remarriage, her own conduct may be in violation of Biblical strictures. Matthew 5:31 reads as follows: "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 'But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and  whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Kim Davis is illustrative of a larger problem, which is to carve out exemptions from laws of general applicability due to religious or even moral beliefs.  The state of Indiana created a firestorm when its legislature passed a bill to allow business owners to refuse to provide services to gays and lesbians. Governor Mile Pence had to back down from his adamant vow to sign the bill and the state legislature effectively killed the bill. Other states had passed or were considering bills with similarities in language to the Indiana bill. Besides legislation permitting discrimination to gays and lesbians, pharmacy employees have refused to dispense anything that would facilitate an abortion.

Laws of general applicability should remain laws of general applicability. Carving out exemptions based on religious belief creates a slippery slope and also causes dissension and division in the nation.