Christian Pastor In Vermont Sentenced To One Year In Prison After Refusing To Marry Gay Couple

Proctor, VT — According to NBC News, a pastor at the Christian Proctor

Church in Vermont, has been sentenced to one year in federal prison

after refusing to marry gay couples. This comes shortly after the

Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision ruling that states must allow

gay-marriage.

The Christian Pastor, 56-year-old Paul Horner, had his lawyer speak to

reporters on his behalf.

“We are currently disputing the guilty verdict and I am confident my

client will be a free man here shortly,” said attorney Tom Downey.

“Horner was just using

his best judgement according to his rights and religious freedom in

this country.”

The Honorable Myron Danus handed down the harsh sentence.

“Religious freedom goes both ways, Mr. Horner,” Danus 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, the Christian Proctor Church

is registered with the state 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.