Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Kim Davis is not the only person in US history who defied the law because of her faith. Here are 10 people who defied US law.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Although he was allowed by the Constitution to legally assemble in peaceful protest, Martin Luther King, Jr. frequently disobeyed local and state laws in his protests and ended up in jail over 30 times. He did it because he believed God had called him to bring racial equality to the US.
James Bevel: Bevel planned marches from Selma to Montgomery to protest the unconstitutional Alabama voting acts keeping African-Americans from the right to vote. Local and state officials beat and arrested many of the peaceful protesters on what is now known as Black Sunday in 1965.
John Rankin: Rankin was an abolitionist who lived in Ripley, Ohio before the Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Act outlawed helped escaped slaves escape. Rankin conducted a stop on the underground railroad where he helped over 1,000 slaves escape through his house. If he had been caught, he would have gone to prison.
Oberlin Wellington Rescue: In 1858, men went into a college town in Oberlin, Ohio to recapture an escaped slave, John Price. A large crowd chased them to Wellington and got Price back. Price was protected by an unknown professor and later shipped to Canada. 37 people were indicted with violation of the Fugitive Slave Law and jailed for months before they were released.
Boston Martyrs: Four Quakers were executed for continuing to preach in Massachusetts after being warned and exiled by the Puritans who came to America to escape religious persecution.
Roy Costner IV: In 2013, Roy was a high school senior valedictorian who defied a ruling that he couldn’t pray at Liberty High School in South Carolina. He tore up a pre-approved speech on stage and prayed the Lord’s prayer. Here’s his speech.
Wiley Drake: Drake and over 20 others were arrested for praying outside the White House in 2012 for disobeying an order to stop.
Rita Sparrow: This 80 year old woman was arrested in 2012 for praying outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in Missouri.
Michael Salman: This Phoenix pastor was arrested for holding a home Bible study on 40 acres without a permit. After dozens swarmed in to arrest him, he spent 60 days in jail.
Aaron Brummitt: In 2013, Brummitt was arrested for street preaching in Springfield, Missouri.
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