Mennonite pastor jailed for refusing to testify in case involving lesbian visitation
January 29, 2013
A Mennonite pastor in Vermont has been jailed for contempt of court after he refused to testify in a case involving a woman who fled with her daughter to avoid a court order requiring the daughter to visit her former lesbian partner.
Kenneth Miller told the court that testifying would violate his religious beliefs. He was sentenced to a 10-day prison stay.
Miller was called to testify in the case of Lisa Miller (not a relative), a woman who joined his Mennonite community after abandoning a lesbian relationship. When a Vermont court ruled that Miller must allow her daughter to visit with her former lesbian partner, Miller took the child and left the country.
Kenneth Miller also faces charged for helping Lisa Miller to leave the US with her daughter.
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Posted by: Gil125 -
Jan. 30, 2013 3:11 PM ET USA
That's not Catholic bishops' style, jg. They write names on 3x5 cards and pray for them.
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Posted by: -
Jan. 29, 2013 6:28 PM ET USA
Great suggestion, JG! The Church in America would be very well served if it refuses all compromise with the current administration, and offers instead its clergy for arrest and incarceration. What better witness than a refusal to accept the most aggressive abridgment of religious liberty in US history? Moreover, the bishops must remember that they fight not only for the rights of the Church and its institutions, but for ALL Americans, even supporters of the mandate.
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Jan. 29, 2013 6:12 PM ET USA
I have a suggestion. Let's invite this Mennonite pastor to give a workshop for Catholic bishops after he serves his 10 day sentence. He could be given the topic, "Demonstrating Backbone When Faced With The Amoral Modern State."
