Fox News Host Shepard Smith Slams Ky. Clerk Kim Davis Over Gay Marriage Licenses

Fox News host Shepard Smith is the latest public figure to offer his opinion on Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis and her defiant decision to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Smith, who hosts "Shepard Smith Reporting," recently suggested that the controversy surrounding Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has been created by conservatives to fuel a debate over religion and government.

Davis was recently jailed after refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples based on her religious beliefs. She has since been freed but ordered by a judge to not stand in the way of gay couples receiving their licenses.

"They set this up as a religious play again," Smith recently said. "This is the same crowd that says, 'We don't want Sharia law, don't let them tell us what to do, keep their religion out of our lives and out of our government."

"This is not unprecedented. They did it when they said black and white people couldn't marry," Smith continued, adding "haters are gonna hate."

While some have argued that Davis should obey the law of the land and continue to issue gay marriage licenses despite her faith, others have suggested that the government should respect and protect Davis' religious beliefs even though she holds a government position.

2016 presidential hopeful Ben Carson recently told CBS12 that he believes Congress has a responsibility to protect people like Davis.

"I do believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ," Carson told the media outlet. "Congress has a responsibility to step up and create legislation that will protect the religious rights of all Americans."

"When [Davis] took the job, the Supreme Court hadn't made this ruling. If they had, she might not have taken this job. So I think they have a responsibility to accommodate her," Carson added.