Please disable your Ad Blocker to better interact with this website.

MENU

NC Sheriff Barred “Co-Habitating,” Unmarried Deputies – Reversed Decision, But NC Law Still Makes It A Crime

Written by:

Published on: October 15, 2019

A North Carolina sheriff barred his deputies who “co-habitated” while they were unmarried as a new policy.  He said it was “by the Word of God,” and he’s right, of course, but he rescinded that policy after a group of whiny anti-theists started to complain.

Scotland County Sheriff Ralph Kersey issued a new employment rule regarding the issue of cohabitation among his deputies with those to which they are not married.

According to the rule:

It will be prohibited for you to live with another while employed at the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office unless you are officially married according to the law and word of God, sisters, brothers, or family by blood.

This shall not apply to those whom are currently cohabitating. However, if your current relationship with the other party should cease, you will comply with the new policy change.

Notice that he was not applying it to those already engaged in that who were employed by the sheriff’s office, even though he should have, but did stipulate that should their current relationships terminate, the rule would be upheld in the future.

Enter the whiny anti-theists at the Freedom From Religion Foundation to not attack just Sheriff Kersey and God’s law, but also North Carolina law.

According to FFRF, who spend a great deal of time attacking what they say they don’t believe in:

FFRF has written to the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office requesting that it rescind this blatantly unconstitutional policy and immediately cease its enforcement. The sheriff’s office cannot endorse any religion and should not issue religiously discriminatory policies to be enforced against its employees, FFRF reminds the department.

“By instating a policy that limits employees’ behavior outside of work to that which you deem to be ‘according to the law and word of God,’ your office unconstitutionally promoted religion and threatens to punish those who believe differently,” FFRF Legal Fellow Brendan Johnson writes to Sheriff Ralph Kersey.

“This policy rests on archaic notions of biblical morality that have no place dictating modern workplace guidelines,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor comments. “It is a staggering violation of the rights of conscience of every Scotland County Sheriff’s Office employee.”

It is not an unconstitutional policy first and foremost.  The First Amendment applies to the federal Congress here, not the state of North Carolina or the Sheriff.

So, what happened?

Well, it appears that Sheriff Kersey didn’t know North Carolina law or didn’t understand it, and yes, NC law is based on biblical law.

Kersey rescinded the rule with quite a bit of what I might say is “politically correct” language.

According to Laurinburg Exchange:

I realized using the ‘law and word of God’ might be unfair, regardless of my own beliefs. But I also explained to them (the FFRF) that there is and never was an official policy established. Any policy created here comes only after employees are asked to sign a document. This situation went no further than a text.

To clear the air and let them know this would go no further. I wanted them to know that we would continue to operate as we always have and as other agencies in the state do.

So, having won another victory by spouting their venom against those who are ignorant of the law, FFRF stated, “If he has since rescinded this policy, that would address our concerns. Of course, regardless of any written policies, Sheriff Kersey may not discriminate against employees in contravention of state and federal laws.”

Actually, he can. That’s also part of the First Amendment.  It’s the part about freedom to assemble, which is discriminatory in nature and we all do it.

However, here’s what neither FFRF nor Sheriff Kersey pointed out.  When it comes to adultery and fornication, which the latter would be happening in a co-habitation setting with two people engaged in a sexual relationship, North Carolina law is clear and has been around quite a while longer than FFRF.

Here is the North Carolina code:

§ 14‑184.� Fornication and adultery.

If any man and woman, not being married to each other, shall lewdly and lasciviously associate, bed and cohabit together, they shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor:� Provided, that the admissions or confessions of one shall not be received in evidence against the other. (1805, c. 684, P.R.; R.C., c. 34, s. 45; Code, s. 1041; Rev., s. 3350; C.S., s. 4343; 1969, c. 1224, s. 9; 1993, c. 539, s. 119; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

I reached out to Sheriff Kersey on Monday to get a statement from him that apparently he is just fine with allowing his deputies and others to violate North Carolina law all because he wouldn’t stand for the convictions he put forward in the face of the enemy.  Sheriff Kersey never returned my call.

My friends, what is it going to take for real, Christian Americans to take a stand against the evil in our day?  The law is on our side, not the side of the anti-theists, the Communists, the Islamist, the Humanists, the Socialists or anyone else that is opposed to the American view of government, which foundations are the Bible.

Become an insider!

Sign up to get breaking alerts from Sons of Liberty Media.

Don't forget to like SonsOfLibertyMedia.com on Facebook and Twitter.
The opinions expressed in each article are the opinions of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of SonsOfLibertyMedia.com.

Trending on The Sons of Liberty Media