Chappie Says Kim Davis Needs a Corner Office

As any of the well-informed but mildly misguided folks who would be reading Chappie's blathering (That's YOU!) would obviously know, Kim Davis is the former nonentity in Kentucky who has become a darling of some members of the Religious Fundament (ie. her neighbors and kin in Morehead--specifically members of her Solid Rock Apostolic Church) for her unyielding stance against "gay marriage" and her defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.  Ms. Davis has also become an entity via her blatantly illegal and cynical manipulation of the sympathies of her cognitively challenged co-coreligionist minions.

Lest I should sound dismissive of the Solid Rock sect, a look at their web site will show that they are a sophisticated movement unimpressed with the "mystery" of The Trinity which the Roman Catholics having been dining out on forever AND have at least one terrific music video of a rousing choral number (Follow the link and check out the video of "Nothing is Impossible.") called presumably "Through YOU, I can do anything!" (which at first hearing I recoiled at what I thought was "Screw you, I can do anything...")  Actually, I am inclined to wonder if Kim Davis, a relatively new convert (2011), who left her life of multiple marriages and god knows what sins to cleave to this sect's version of the gospel, didn't mishear it, as well. "Screw you, I can do anything!" does seem to sum up her current interpretation of her public/divine mandate. Alas, her confederates seem to agree:

OOOps.  Wrong image....(Image credit: NASA)

Protesting respectfully on a hot day (AP photo)

Actor Rob Lowe's twin, Jethro, is a Davis supporter along with Louis CK's twin, Lars CK (WLWT5-NBC)

          

Kim Davis is, according the the Wikipedia, the highest paid public official in her county. She is a Democrat but we don't want to talk about that now. Joseph Goebbels was a Christian, after all. She is, in fact, the inheritor (via election--not Election!) of her mother's former position, to which KD ascended in January of this year after serving 24 years as a deputy to her mom. One of her children is currently serving as one of Ms. Davis's deputies. Anyone notice a tendency here, Jeb?  But not to worry--rampant nepotism and cronyism, two of the delights of small town life, are not my topic today. Today I'm urging common sense and preaching from the Gospel.

There is an excellent piece on the need for Ms. Davis to actually read the Good Book in The New Yorker.  This article demonstrates a couple of interesting insights into the scriptural world of Ms. Davis and the Hard Rockers. For one thing, they tend to choose their Ur verses from the old testament and ignore the Gospels themselves. The second part follows from the first and true of all literalist religious traditions: the Bible contradicts itself more exhaustively than Bill Clinton in the Lewinsky interview. All religious texts of sufficient length or from a sufficiently wide range of sources do the same. This is why people who claim they derive their moral compass and operating instructions exclusively and dogmatically from any of the world's good books tend to chase their own tails and bite off portions of their own bodies.

Ms. Davis seems to be such a person. I am inclined to ask her how she understands the text of the New Testament's Acts 5:29 ("We must obey God rather than any human authority.") and if she understands its context (it referred to the Roman occupiers--not an elected government--an election that chose Ms Davis for one!) I would also like to ask her if she uses Wen? Sorry, off topic--what does she think of  the famous line found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto god that which is God's"? The fact that it's in three gospels leads me to guess that He actually said it whereas this stuff in Acts is...well, what is Acts, anyway? Enough of my pseudo theological ramblings. I'll render unto those of the cloth with seminary training that which they know how to speak of...

   "I don't want to be a whipping post." (Timothy D. Easley/AP)

                                          

So, from the Faith side of things, I was very impressed with a blog entry from Pastor Jonathan Davis (no relation to Kim) of Urbanna, VA at Baptist News Global .  Pastor Davis cites the Christian tradition begun by Tertullian, who urged believers to avoid membership or service in institutions that could act negatively on their faith. Alas, for Kim Davis, she pulls down $80K a year in a dirt poor part of the country, so the call of Tertulliam is faint and unpersuasive. Pastor Davis then comes at the problem with real effect by citing the example of TRUE & HONORABLE sworn officers of the government (like county clerks--she took an oath!) known as military chaplains. He says this of the chaplain's role"

Military chaplains have known this for centuries. They exist to provide care and support for people in their own tradition (i.e., Protestant, Catholic, Islam, and Judaism) but must facilitate the free expression of worship for those outside their tradition. This means that a Christian chaplain does not have to lead an Islamic worship service, but they must help ensure that adherents to Islam are able to practice their religion freely. One of the key functions of military chaplains is ensuring First Amendment free exercise of religion for all military personnel, no matter their values and no matter their faith.

In the world of military chaplaincy, part of ensuring religious liberty for all involves not forcing one’s faith on others. County clerks should operate with the same understanding, or in my opinion, explore a career change. If Kim Davis valued religious liberty, she would either do her job, or find another one.

Thank you, Pastor Davis.  And you, Kim Davis, get thee to a corner office and sin no more.