And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love…

A county clerk and chief deputy clerk in New Mexico resigned from their positions after the state’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last week.

Roosevelt County Clerk Donna Carpenter and Deputy Clerk Janet Collins resigned from their posts early Friday morning, one day after the state’s Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex couples from marrying violates the state’s constitutional right to equal protection.

Although an official reason for the clerks’ resignation has not been provided, county commissioners have told the Associated Press and other media outlets that both Collins and Carpenter made their intention of quitting clear, should same-sex marriage be legalized in the state.

Roosevelt County Commissioner Bill Cathey told AP that the two had made it apparent that they would quit “rather than be associated with that … she told us in the past that’s what she would do,” he said. “… I am personally very disappointed in the decision of the judges, and I don’t blame our clerk for doing what she did.”

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Commissioner Jake Lopez, a Democrat, added to the ABQ Journal that the clerk and her deputy also told him their personal values interfered with their distributing of same-sex marriage licenses. “[Carpenter] said she would rather resign because she wasn’t going to provide any licenses to people who marry like that.”

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Although gay activist groups in the state lauded the [Utah] Supreme Court’s decision, supporters of traditional marriage have vowed to continue fighting for a ban on same-sex marriage. Following last week’s court ruling, State Sen. Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) said that when the legislature reconvenes in January he will propose a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, and if the amendment is adopted by state legislature it will then be voted on by New Mexico’s residents.

“We shall continue the debate,” Sharer said in a statement following the ruling. “Until the people accept it, it is not settled.” Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, also said in a statement that she would prefer the issue of same-sex marriage be left to the voters, not the courts.

…Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Still, better that they quit than demand special religious exemptions to their job duties.

UPDATE (12/26/2013): Via my alert and fair-minded friend Ethan:

OK, you need to be fair; I’ve read stories of other county clerks there working through lunches and making extra efforts to process the large number of marriage license applications that were coming through.

UPDATE (12/30/2013): As of December 30, all of Utah’s county clerks have agreed to follow the court’s ruling, i.e. follow the law, i.e. do their jobs.