Sharia Law is defined as the moral code and religious law of a prophetic religion. It has long been the “boogeyman” trotted out by Christian conservatives as an example of everything that America should fight against because it is a barbaric socialist theocracy. However, it would seem that Oklahoma is on the path to enacting their own non-Muslim version of Sharia Law.
In an attempt to circumvent the impending Supreme Court decision to federally legalize gay marriage, the Oklahoma House passed HB1125 which will restict the issuance of marriage licenses to members of the clergy.
The bill, submitted by Todd Russ (R), would leave pastors, priests, and rabbis to determine who is, and is not, allowed to be married. Only after a religious ceremony is performed by members of the clergy would a “certificate of marriage” be issued. Then those certificates would be filed with the court clerk.
With the slew of recent RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) legislation being passed by many states, Russ opted to clarify the need for the law by stating that the bill is only meant to ensure that clerks opposed to same-sex marriage would not be forced to perform weddings, even though same-sex marriage is legal in Oklahoma.
Contradicting that recent stament, however, was his stament from a previous interview which appeared in The Oklahoman two months ago. Russ, a licensed Assemblies of God minister, stated that though he joins many Oklahomans in opposing same-sex marriage, “the Supreme Court stuck it down our throats,” but “marriage[s] are not supposed to be a government thing anyway. The point of my legislation is to take the state out of the process and leave marriage in the hands of the clergy.”
HB 1125, along with HB 1007 and SB 788, which allow clergy to refuse to perform a marriage ceremony that violates their religious belief, have all recieved initial approval and are awaiting a final vote before hitting the desk of Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin.
