Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, says Americans must fight efforts to force public officials to bend their religious beliefs.
On his Facebook page, Graham cites the case of Judge Ruth Neely, who he says "faithfully served her community in Pinedale, Wyoming for 21 years" with an unblemished record.
"One day a reporter asked if she was excited about performing same-sex marriages. Judge Neely expressed that she had not been asked to perform one and that she would be unable to do so based on her Biblical beliefs about marriage," Graham wrote.
"Her statement was published in a local paper — and then the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics recommended she be fined $40,000 and fired from two judicial positions!
"Thankfully, this week the Wyoming Supreme Court rejected the Commission's recommendation and ruled that she could continue serving. This religious cleansing of public officials with religious beliefs about marriage should be challenged on every front!
He asked for prayers for Neely who was publicly censured by the Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday.
In a 3-2 decision, the court said Neely violated judicial conduct code, but would not be removed, K2 Radio reported.
Neely "must perform her judicial functions, including performing marriages, with impartiality . . . She must either commit to performing marriages regardless of the couple's sexual orientation, or cease performing all marriage ceremonies," the court said.
According to K2 Radio, in December 2014, a Pinedale Roundup reporter asked Neely if she was "excited" to be able to perform same-sex marriages following a court decision.
"I will not be able to do them," Neely told the journalist. "We have at least one magistrate who will do same-sex marriages, but I will not be able to."
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