Once released from her short stay in her county detention center, throngs of supporters greeted Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis with an energetic celebration. Davis had been imprisoned for refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay couples, a principled stand her advocates likened to Rosa Parks. Her release, therefore, merited a jubilee. While â??The Eye of the Tigerâ? blasted in the background, Davis took the stage last Tuesday, thanked the audience for their support, and praised God. Supporting Davis were two GOP candidates, Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, the latter of whom proclaiming heâ??d be willing to go to jail in Davisâ??s stead were the judicial system to take further action. Meanwhile her critics, including many Republicans, took to the airwaves and argued that her private beliefs ought not to dictate her actions as a government employee.
At the center of the debate is the interpretation of one of Americaâ??s most cherished, yet contested, founding principles: religious freedom. Davis believes that issuing licenses for same-sex marriages implies the government was forcing her to endorse such unions, which she claims is an infringement on her religious liberty; her opposition states that her appeal to religious freedom is merely an excuse to force her beliefs onto others. This type of debate is far from new to American historyâ??to the contrary, it hints to an ever-present, if often subtle, tension running throughout the nationâ??s religious and political traditions.
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