Pastor Involved in Lesbian Kidnapping Case Sent to Jail for Contempt

Kenneth Miller, right, walks with his wife to federal court on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013

In follow up to the last post and the pervasive mind set of Christianists that they are above the law that applies to everyone else, Kenneth Miller, the wingnut pastor who aided Lisa Miller kidnap her daughter in defiance of court orders (most likely with the help of religious extremists at Liberty University) has been ordered to jail for his contempt of court and refusal to answer questions in federal court.  Miller said that his religious beliefs trumped his duty to testify.  Sadly, Miller's attitude is symptomatic of a growing trend in Christofascist circles where they believe they can openly ignore the law.  Personally, I hope they leave Miller's sorry ass in jail indefinitely until he testifies.  I cannot help but suspect that Miller is protecting virulently anti-gay individuals like Matt Staver.  Here are story highlights on this continuing saga of Christianist contempt for the civil laws:

A pastor at the center of a dramatic and acrimonious custody and kidnapping case has been jailed for refusing to testify in court.

Kenneth Miller, a 47-year-old Mennonite pastor, told U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions on Thursday that he could not answer questions from a grand jury regarding the flight of Lisa Miller and her daughter to Nicaragua to avoid a custody transfer, reports the Associated Press. Lisa Miller (who is not related to Kenneth Miller) took the child overseas in 2009 so she would not have to comply with a court order allowing her former lesbian partner, Janet Jenkins, to see their daughter, reports NBC News.

In August, Kenneth Miller was convicted of helping the mother flee the country. His sentencing begins in March, and he faces a maximum jail time of three years.

The pastor apologized to the court on Thursday and said his "religious beliefs" prevented him from testifying, according to the AP. Miller said that he, and possibly others who may or may not have helped Lisa Miller violate the custody order, were motivated by their conviction in "God's Law," the AP reports.

The reluctant judge replied that while he appreciated the pastor's "faithfulness to your religion and your moral beliefs," the criminal justice system could not function without the grand jury, according to the AP.

The battle between Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins, as well as the trial of Kenneth Miller has snowballed into a widely publicized debate that pits religious conservatives against LGBT advocates. In August, conservative firebrand Bryan Fischer, who has grabbed headlines in the past for inflammatory comments about Newtown and the LGBT community, said Lisa Miller had a responsibility "to obey God rather than man" and kidnap her daughter, reports Right Wing Watch.

Jenkins has also filed a civil suit in which she alleges that Miller, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and the Lynchburg-based Thomas Road Baptist Church all conspired to help conceal the whereabouts of her daughter. The suit is asking for unspecified monetary damages. 

As I have noted before, these folks are a threat to civil law authority and if they had their way would overthrow the U. S. Constitution.