A black pastor at the Christian Proctor Church in Vermont, has been
sentenced to one year imprisonment for not accepting to wed a gay
couple.The Man of God, Paul Horner, 56, had his lawyer, attorney Tom Downey speak to newsmen on his behalf.
The lawyer said, “We are currently disputing the guilty verdict and I am confident my client will be a free man here shortly.”
“Horner was just using his best judgment according to his rights and religious freedom in this country.”
Speaking to a packed courtroom, Danus said,“It is not your place
to deny individuals the same rights that everyone else has, rights that
were passed down and agreed upon in a court of law, the ultimate court,
the Supreme Court. It is not your decision whether or not you agree with
the law but more importantly that you follow it and enforce it.”
NBC reports has it that the Christian Proctor Church is registered with the state as a “religious corporation” limited to performing “one-man-one-woman marriages as defined by the Holy Bible.”
But the church is also registered as a for-profit business and city
officials said that means the owners must comply with state and federal
regulations.
The president of the Vermont Family Research Committee, Steve Shand, said it is “open season on Americans who refuse to bow to the government’s redefinition of marriage.”
“Homosexuals are gay,” Shand told reporters. “Why should
Christian ministers be forced to perform and celebrate any marriage
that conflicts with their beliefs? It’s a slippery slope my friend.
Pretty soon these same pastors will be forced to wed animals or kitchen
appliances. This is not my America!”
Reacting to the development, Gwen Hawkins, who is president of the LGBT Pride Center said she is happy with the court.
“We just want the same rights as everyone else and this guilty verdict sets a great precedent,” Hawkins said.
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