No, the government does NOT get to punish folks for their religious beliefs in this country, but if a CIVIL servant, such as a judge, is asked to perform a CIVIL service, such as marrying a same-sex couple; they ARE REQUIRED to do so; otherwise they should not work for the GOVERNMENT. Of course, no one should be prevented from gaining employment in government on religious grounds, but if their religion prevents them from performing a "civic duty"; that is a problem. As a Christian, I stand against same-sex marriage, but once again, we live in a pluralistic Democracy! Government should not infringe on religious rights, just as religion should not infringe on the CIVIL rights of people who do not hold particular religious beliefs. This system has worked for over 200 years, and yet we have an LCMS president who seems to have an inability to understand that you cannot FORCE people to believe as you do in a Democracy, with his "Freedom to be Faithful" initiative. His calling is to preach God's Law and Gospel, and not invade the CIVIL realm with political proclamations, rather than "speaking God's Truth in love." The LCMS recently posted the treatise by Martin Luther that explained the role of the Church and the role of the government VERY clearly. We are not called to legislate or FORCE people to believe as we do. As I have said MANY times before; it is unacceptable in the Theocracies of the Middle East, and it should certainly not be practiced in our DEMOCRACY. We witness, and the Holy Spirit changes hearts. LEAVE GOVERNMENT TO THOSE WHO GOVERN. I would certainly be curious to know Dale Meyer's views on the role of the CHURCH in government. We are in need of a change of leadership. The LCMS can still stand true to God's Holy Word and our doctrine, without electing the SAME leaders to our Synod term after term. THE REFORMATION IS AN ONGOING PROCESS, AND SOMETIMES FRESH IDEAS AND LEADERSHIP ARE NEEDED!!!