Have you been listening to what He Who Fancies Himself A Presidentail Candidate has been saying? Senator Dole is a flaming liberal and intellectual giant by comparison.

One fine point often missed is that the amendment does not prohibit a legislator from following their Christian (or Jewish, or even Islamic) beliefs when deciding whether to support or oppose a piece of legislation. It does not even prohibit them from sponsoring legislation that is influenced by their religious beliefs - it simply prohibits them from imposing their beliefs on others who believe differently, or establishing their personal denomination in power over other religions.

For example, much of the social legislation of the 20th century had, as an underlying assumption, that our collective society had a moral obligation to help those less fortunate, and to provide collectively for a secure retirement (I.e., Social Security.) However, it did not limit the benefits of that program only to those wiho professed those same Judeo-Christian beliefs.

The Kentucky county official who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples clearly overstepped her bounds. She was certainly entitled to believe that such marriages are immoral; she is not required to socialize with such people. But she is not allowed to base her official acts on her bigotry. If she feels so profoundly about this issue, her option was to resign, not to change the law to fit her personal beliefs.

Another thing most people forget is that most privileges and liberties also come with responsibilities - including the responsibility to give every other citizen the same privileges they claim for themselves. (Pesky Constitution!)