A pastor at the Power of Christ ministries in Bronx, NY has been sentenced to 24 months in a federal penitentiary after his refusal to officiate a gay wedding ceremony. This comes shortly after the US Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage in the entire country.
The lawyer of the 37 year old pastor, Rev. Kwame Agyei speaking on behalf of his client stated:
“We are in the process of appealing the guilty verdict and i believe we will come out victorious,” said attorney James Austin.”Rev. Agyei was exercising his religious freedom rights which is granted by the constitution of this land.”
“Religious freedom goes both ways, Mr. Austin,” Williams told a packed courtroom. “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.” According to the criminal investigation, Power of Christ ministries is registered with the state of New York 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
No comments:
Post a Comment