Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home

Fox News ^ | 28 May 2009 | Unattributed

[pepperdog]

Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a bible study....

[BnBlFlag]

If need be, I'll be happy to send the first $100.00 to their Legal Defense Fund. This is worse than outrageous. It's a direct assault on Freedom of Religion and it needs to be crushed before it goes even one step further!

[Don W]

If they met TWICE EVERY FREAKING DAY they are still wholly and completely protected under the Constitution.

How Flipping STUPID is this town council?

[djf]

But 48 illegals from Mayheco can cram into an apartment - as long as there’s no bibles involved!!

[Jeff Chandler]

I’m serious.

Having friends and family over on Sundays is one thing, but if they are having a couple dozen people over several times a week for Bible study, then the county may have a case.

Residential areas aren’t suitable for regular public gatherings, and it wouldn’t be fair to the other neighbors.

They would be better off finding a public room they could rent for their purposes.

[VaBthang4]

"Oh contrar..."

The adolescent predisposition that too many FReepers wake up with.

If right is on our side...why do so many get bent outta shape? Just go beat them and lets party.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

This story from local media says that the trouble started when a member of the Bible study hit the car of a visitor to a neighbour's house while leaving the study. The county is calling it a traffic issue, but that seems unlikely considering that the county isn't necessarily telling them to stop having the study, just that they need to get a "major use permit" which, incidentally, would require the Jones' to pay several thousand dollars to the county's coffers.

Follow the money, baby.

[oneamericanvoice]

I heard this from someone last week, but didn’t believe it. Some investigation into the validity of their claims needs to take place. It’s interesting that the department for whom the official works was not specified. San Diego is fairly conservative.

If this is a valid story, then I’d be willing to drive to SD to protest.

[stinkerpot65]

No doubt ACORN is purchasing barbed wire for re-education camps to deal with pesky Christians.

[Paleo Conservative]

I believe the problem is related to parking. If you have ten to fifteen people show up on a regular basis, the neighbors are bound to get annoyed sooner or later.

There are First and Fourth Amendment rights at issue here. People have freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. The problem as I see it though, is one of using good judgment.

If fifteen people are showing up, it’s probably safe to say eight to ten cars are being parked out front.

If that many people are showing up at their Bible study group, why don't they rotate among members' homes? That way, they would only host a meeting every two to three months.

Do you really think parking is really the issue? If they were holding fund raisers for left wing causes every week in their home, do you think the county would still crack down on them?

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Having friends and family over on Sundays is one thing, but if they are having a couple dozen people over several times a week for Bible study, then the county may have a case.

Then by your own standards, the Joneses are A-okay, since, as the news reports state, this is a weekly Bible study, meaning it happens once a week, not several times a week.

[fish hawk]

I’ve been in Bible studies off and on for years and years and never heard of one that was more than once a week. I could be wrong but I doubt it.

[tsmith130]

This is from the link under the story at Fox:

Attorney Dean Broyles of The Western Center For Law & Policy was shocked with what happened to the pastor and his wife.

Broyles said, "The county asked, 'Do you have a regular meeting in your home?' She said, 'Yes.' 'Do you say amen?' 'Yes.' 'Do you pray?' 'Yes.' 'Do you say praise the Lord?' 'Yes.'"

Yeah, really sounds like a parking problem. /s

[DTogo]

Here's your permit, Pastor:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[Political Junkie Too]

This shouldn't be a First Amendment issue re: freedom of religion, it should be a First Amendment issue re: freedom to peaceably assemble, and a Fourth Amendment freedom to be secure in one's home. Besides, isn't the Fourth Amendment where all the privacy laws supporting abortion and homosexuality emanate from?

-PJ

[SpaceBar]

Having read the story to see if the headline was misleading by omission, and having found no such “complicating circumstances”, it appears we have here a blatant violation of Constitutional rights.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

If they want to have a group over and not be harassed, all they have to do is call it a jihadi study group and they’ll be left alone.

[BienHoa69-70 RVN]

Here’s a link to their attorney - looks like a good choice:

http://www.broyleslaw.com/contact.html

[Guenevere]

Weekly Bible studies usually occur only once a week....(stating the obvious)

We have a weekly one at our house.

We only have 9 attending....

..but another one in a different neighborhood has more attending and they do dinner and prayer (just like the story)

So what kind of Gestapo ruling will be used to determine whether the folks walking into a home are there to share just a meal.

...or if they pray afterwards?

What indeed is happening to our country?

What about the homes that have weekly guests for Bunco and beer.....will they be subject to fines/& or arrest too?

Or is just the Bible groups?

[pepperdog]

If parking is really the issue, and I don't think for a moment it is, it could be dealt with readily. Many cities have parking ordinances that prohibit parking on the street except for specific times, usually weekends. So if the county is concerned about that they can handle it without religious persecution. This is really about religion. If it weren't it would have come up long ago as any normal neighborhood has periods when people meet for various purposes and parking is at a premium. Many large families get together every week and fifteen people are not exactly a lot. Think three kids with spouses and two children each coming to your house. That's fourteen easy.

[Mind Freed]

If they only meet once a week, then they are being somewhat inconsiderate

Tell me about it, those darn bible studies. They keep me up all night with their loud music, and wild parties. When I ask them to keep it down they start shouting bible verses at me, MAN they're so inconsiderate.

Seriously?