P eople in politics often appeal to whatever principle suits their policy desires at a given time.
This is understandable to a certain extent. Politics are complicated, and people from all kinds of ideological backgrounds hold principles which, when taken to their logical extremes, may contradict other principles they hold.
But at other times, the contradictions of politicians are so incompatible that they cannot be excused by the complexity of issues. At those times, it is important to call attention to the hypocrisy of politicians’ positions.
Such is the case regarding the issue of North Carolina’s Amendment One, the state’s ban on gay marriage.
The bipartisan group of legislators who passed the bill in 2012 was full of people who at other times have defended religious liberty, especially in the context of the Affordable Care Act.
There is a clear irony when politicians at one point complain about the supposed violations of religious liberty that occur because of the national health care law and then turn around and impose restrictions on religious institutions that wish to perform gay marriages.
State law, as currently constituted, makes it a misdemeanor crime for ministers to perform a marriage ceremony for a couple without a wedding license, meaning that churches are even barred from performing unofficial marriages.
The United Church of Christ is now rightly calling North Carolina on its hypocrisy, suing, in partnership with individual ministers of other religions for the right to perform gay marriages. The plaintiffs are absolutely right to do this.
Gay marriages should be legally indistinguishable from straight marriages, and the religious legitimacy of marriages should be left up to churches, not mandated by state law.
