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Posted on 05/28/2009 2:32:55 PM PDT by kellynla
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 — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.
"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.
"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.
A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.
But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.
For David and Mary Jones, it's about more than a question of money.
"The government may not prohibit the free exercise of religion," Broyles told FOX News. "I believe that our Founding Fathers would roll over in their grave if they saw that here in the year 2009, a pastor and his wife are being told that they cannot hold a simple bible study in their own home."
"The implications are great because it’s not only us that’s involved," Mary Jones said. "There are thousands and thousands of bible studies that are held all across the country. What we’re interested in is setting a precedent here — before it goes any further — and that we have it settled for the future."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
ping
First they came for the Pro-Life Catholics and I did not speak out because I was not a Pro-Life or Catholic. Then they came for the Evangelical Home-Schoolers and I did not speak out because I was not an Evangelicalnor nor did I home school. Then they came for the Veterans and the Gun Owners and I did not speak out because I was not a Veteran and I did not own a gun. They kept coming and soon took away many of my neighbors and I stood by and said nothing, I only worried each time that they had come for me, but they did not. Finally there came a time when they stopped coming and I and the few neighbors who were also spared gathered to discuss how relieved we were that the troubles now seemed to be over and how lucky we were not to have been taken away. And we rejoiced that we had been spared until one neighbor pointed out: “They have no need to come for those who are obedient slaves.”
Well, I guess this makes Christmas at Grandma’s illegel! Really, what is the difference??
WTF? They feel so threatened by christianity that they’re trying to stop it even at ppl’s own home?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;q=quick;s=bible
Pastor Jones... This is a test... Please don’t fail it.
I don’t get where there is even the remotest possiblity of the government prevailing here, or how it can avoid the loss of an enormous lawsuit. As long the bible study is not being conducted as a business, the government simply has no grounds whatever, and surely knows it.
They should have um detained the employee and buried him in the back yard, very religiously of course, even with some words at the hastily prepared gravesite.
Liberal psychosis in all its glory or some sort of misunderstanding?
Terrorists!! (sarc)
It’s getting worse every day.
You know what probably happened? I bet one of their neighbors was irritated about the parked cars lining the street once a week and called the city.
INTREP
Not a small one. The cars line our rather narrow street for a good quarter mile. We're talking 50-75 people at this event, not 15 or so like this pastor.
It's a bit of a bother to thread our way through the maze, but you know what? He's a neighbor, and we put up with it.
We've got some cranky "keep off my lawn!" type folks on the street, and I'm sure somebody's complained. But our county has more sense than to interfere.
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