Family Research Council: Clergy who want to perform same-sex marriages don’t deserve religious freedom
The head of the Family Research Council has claimed that clergy who want to perform same-sex marriage do not deserve religious freedom.
Speaking on the group’s Washington Watch podcast, the group’s president Tony Perkins claimed that “true religious freedom” only applies to “orthodox religious viewpoints”.
Filed last month on behalf of the United Church of Christ and a dozen clergy members, the lawsuit says the ban puts clergy members in a difficult situation as they know they will break the law if they marry same-sex couples.
Perkins said: “I would use that term ‘Christian’ loosely’. Here’s a test of what is a true religious freedom, a freedom that’s based on orthodox religious viewpoints. It has to have a track record, it has to come forth from religious orthodoxy.
“You cannot point to the Christian faith and say that same-sex marriage has been a key teaching of the church. You can only point to the opposite.
“There is no place, there is nothing for them to stand on and say that same-sex marriage has standing in the orthodox Christian faith.
“They’re playing games here, trying to turn the effort that so many Americans are now faced with of preserving religious freedom, they’re now trying to do a jujitsu move and say, ‘We’re going to use religious freedom to say we have a right to do same-sex marriage’.
“Well, there is no foundation for that, there is no orthodox Christian holding that has ever said marriage is between people of the same sex.”
Listen to the clip via Right Wing Watch below:
