Down in Greenville, S.C., where Bob Jones University knows first hand that the IRS can strip you of your tax exemption if the government disagrees with your views on marriage (they were morally wrong on interracial marriage but have long since corrected the un-Christian aberration), John Kasich was asked why he refused to sign a pledge to prioritize and pass FADA, which would prevent such government discrimination against gay marriage dissenters, including Bob Jones University.

He expressed ignorance of the legislation when he was asked by the South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention, the South Carolina Catholic Church, and the Palmetto Family Council, among others, to pledge to prioritize and pass it in his first 100 days of office, according to The Greenville News:

Kasich was the only Republican presidential candidate who didn’t respond to a request from a coalition of social conservatives to pledge support for the proposed First Amendment Defense Act, according to the coalition.

The legislation is designed to protect individuals and organizations from being punished by the federal government for holding beliefs in traditional marriage, according to backers, who at the national level include the American Principles Project and the Family Research Council.

In South Carolina, supporters include the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, the Palmetto Family Alliance, and the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University.

Members of the coalition raised the issue at a press conference at Bob Jones University on Friday just before a presidential candidate forum.

They said three of the remaining GOP White House hopefuls – Cruz, Rubio and Carson – had signed their pledge.

Bush expressed support for the proposal, though said he doesn’t sign pledges, and Trump said he’d sign the legislation as president if Congress deems it a priority.

Asked about the issue Tuesday, Kasich said, “I don’t know what that means. I’d have to see what the pledge is.

“I mean, if we’re saying that if you own a donut shop you shouldn’t sell a donut to somebody who’s divorced or something like that, then I kind of have a problem with that.

“But nobody should infringe on the rights of religious institutions to practice their faith inside of their operations.”

Gov. Kasich, we’d be glad to brief you on the bill, which nine faithful Catholic colleges just told Speaker Paul Ryan is urgently needed right now to protect their right to exist in America today.

No, the divorced need not fear they will not get donuts. Can you pause a moment and take seriously the reality that the Left is redefining Christian (and other traditional faiths’) views on sex and marriage as bigotry and hatred, and will you stand in the gap? The people of South Carolina deserve an answer.

Maggie Gallagher is a senior fellow at the American Principles Project.