Antagonist? Hardly. You gave a logical and reasonable explanation for Noah and the great flood. I simply wondered if you had the same for Jonah and the big fish.
The fish is actually a pretty small part of the story.
I have never said that a person's faith has no place in government, I've said that a persons faith should not dictate laws and policies in government.
OK, explain how a persons worldview and ethic doesn't influence policy? It's called cognitive dissonance. It is absolutely a foundational part of my being that humans have intrinsic, objective value, and this is based on my ultimate view of God being their creator.
Our founders NEVER made such nonsensical claims. They instituted prayer and the reading of scripture and often had religious services inter mixed with governmental meetings. Faith positions influenced public policy.
The difference may seem slight, but I view it as absolutely essential. Some laws seek to force the religious beliefs of some on to all. Again blue laws...
Blue laws are not an undo burden on anyone. If the public wants to vote to get rid of them, i'm fine with it.
Gay marriage I also view in this light. If one cannot separate how one, based upon ones religious affiliation, feels about the issue then that person has no place making laws.
That is absolute nonsense. You are claiming that an atheistic ethic is superior with nothing to ground this upon. You are essentially saying that a religious view cannot correspond to reality. I do agree that the religious view should be able to be grounded. I do not hold that something should be illegal simply because a religious books says so. However, a religious position may be the right view, and therefore be applicable to public policy.
Many people of faith want to ban gay marriage for religious reasons and, if you are honest, you will likely admit that your primary objection is religious in nature. I know many people that believe that gays are going to hell, but don't oppose gay marriage.
I cannot separate my worldview into fragments. Of course, all of my positions are influenced in some degree or another by my Christian world view, just as your stance on certain positions is also influenced by your worldview. Again, you are essentially dismissing a Christian view as having no ontological value or grounding, outside of personal opinion.
I have respect for people that do not hold jobs because they conflict with their religious views. If you think that drinking liquor is inherently evil then I wouldn't expect to find you working in a bar. Now contrast that with the clerk in Kentucky that refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples because it conflicted with her religious views. I would have respected her more, if after fighting the battle and losing she had honored her convictions and resigned. She did not and decided to force her religious views upon all.
This is really a different matter than whether people with religious views can or cannot influence public policy.
In this case, i do not disagree. She was called to apply the law, which disagreed with her personal convictions, and yes, she should have resigned. I 100% agree. You simply can't equate this to abortion and lobbying for stricter abortion laws.