A county commission in Tennessee on Tuesday night will consider a resolution asking God to spare citizens from the wrath of God that may rain down on them as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage.
The "Resolution Condemning Judicial Tyranny And Petitioning God's Mercy" asks the state to join rural Blount County in fighting against the ruling and to "protect Natural Marriage from lawless court opinions and the financial schemes of the enemies of righteousness."
The resolution further requests that God "pass us by in His Coming Wrath and not destroy our County as He did Sodom and Gomorrah," according to text of the resolution, published in The Tennesseean newspaper.
The Blount County Commission meets in Maryville, just south of Knoxville, where the resolution will be introduced by Commissioner Karen Miller.
Miller did not respond to messages left at her home on Tuesday. Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell declined comment and referred any calls to the County Commission office, which declined any comment and referred all calls back to Miller.
The debate promises to be lively - the Nashville-based Tennessee Equality Project, a gay rights group, expects about 250 speakers and protesters, wearing red, according to Gwen Schablik, board president for the Project's foundation.
Schablik said 11 out of 21 commissioners are needed to pass the resolution and she knows of six commissioners in favor.
A similar resolution without the appeal to God's mercy was passed recently in Greene County. Schablik believes the resolutions are tied to a bill in Tennessee's legislature introduced two weeks ago that calls on the state to nullify the Supreme Court ruling.
"Many people in the county, even people you wouldn't expect, are saying the Supreme Court made the decision and that's the law of the land," Schablik said.
In the neighboring state of Kentucky, county clerk Kim Davis has gained national attention for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples due to her religious beliefs.
