Idaho Pastors Claim City Threatens Fine, Jail Time If They Refuse Gay Marriage

Pastors in an Idaho city are claiming that local officials have threatened them with jail time if they don't perform same-sex marriages.

Two ministers at the Hitching Post wedding chapel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho claim that after refusing to perform a gay marriage due to their religious beliefs, they were threatened with a $1,000 fine and jail time. The punishment comes after the state of Idaho legalized gay marriage, and the city of Coeur d'Alene has an anti-discrimination policy that prohibits denying gay couples services.

The Alliance Defending Freedom legal group has stepped in to aid the two ministers, with lawyer Jeremy Tedesco telling Fox News that "Right now they are at risk of being prosecuted."

"The threat of enforcement is more than just credible," Tedesco continued. "The Knapps are in fear that if they exercise their First Amendment rights they will be cited, prosecuted and sent to jail."

Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Warren Wilson previously told KXLY earlier this year that in theory, turning away a gay couple would violate the city's anti-discrimination code. "If you turn away a gay couple, refuse to provide services for them, then in theory you violated our code, and you're looking at a potential misdemeanor citation."

Hitching Post owner Donald Knapp previously told KXLY that he would rather close the Hitching Post than marry a same-sex couple.

"I think the Bible is pretty clear that homosexuality is not his way, and therefore I cannot unite people in a way that I believe would conflict with what the Bible teaches," Knapp told the local media outlet back in May of this year.