Homeowner Jailed for Hosting Bible Study

Foxnews.com ^ | 7/10/12 | Todd Starnes

[Sleeping Freeper]

A Phoenix man who violated city zoning laws by hosting a Bible study in the privacy of his home has started serving a 60-day jail sentence for his crimes.

Michael Salman was found guilty in the City of Phoenix Court of 67 code violations. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail along with three years of probation and a $12,180 fine. A spokesperson for the city attorney confirmed that Salman reported to a county jail Monday afternoon.

Members of Salman’s Bible study group posted video of their teacher as he self-reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. It was an emotional scene.

“We believe that people should not be prohibiting other people from having Bible studies in their homes,” Salman said outside the jail. “We believe what they are doing is wrong. It’s private property. It’s our home.”

Salman embraced some of his Bible study members before offering final remarks.

“At the very end, after all is said and done, God will ultimately have glory in this,” he said. “We do this for the glory of the Lord.”

Someone off camera could be heard remarking, “I love you, pastor.”

Salman’s incarceration is the result of a long-running feud between the ordained pastor and the city of Phoenix over weekly Bible studies that Salman and his wife hosted in their home. City officials determined that the weekly gatherings constituted a church – and therefore violated a number of code regulations.

[Hedra]

Nothing like bringing condemnation upon the image of Christ, and His followers.

[Ron C.]

"Unless this guy built without a permit, it looks to me like the city is the culprit here."

Sorry - I'm slow on the uptake - but, I enjoyed your thoughts in post 41.

I'm sure that one of the neighbors of this man, either to the North, South, or perhaps both, have an axe to grind about religion, and religious people in particular.

No doubt, they also want to try to run the man off his property - and failing that, want to cause him as much grief as possible. And, are using every means possible to do that, including constantly pestering local government to accomplish their goals.

You are right on in your assessment:

For instance, how can it be illegal to invite non-family members into your home without a certificate to validate it’s use as a small meeting place? The absurdity of that is unmistakable.

For instance, no wedding receptions, graduation receptions, bar mitzvahs, garden parties, retirement celebrations, card parties, groups who want to get together and play games, Tupperware parties, Mary K Cosmetics, Amway and other things could do so without a city permit. And that means even once!

You can bet they do all of that, and more, and have no problems - because they're not a 'religious nut.'

[DoughtyOne]

California right itself in five to ten years

Would that this could happen soon! I've seen so many good folks leave the state due to lack of good jobs, as hundreds of thousands of small manufacturing businesses fled the state.

What's sad to me, in addition to that, is the people who have moved in behind those who left.  You simply cannot support schools, city infrastructure, county efforts, or state programs on what they donate to the system.  In effect, we have gone back decades in salaries and taxes provided, because they sent the productive packing.

And now Section 8 and other government programs are having to support masses of people in areas where folks used to support themselves.  Mass transit is by and large a big government handout to illegals and other low income people.  When folks tell me that certain groups don't really cost us all that much, I shake my head.  We know better.

I remember so well that many of the same problem existed when Reagan became Governor here, and we experienced a huge return of manufacturing and other small business that hired tens of thousands.

Exactly!  Look, until this state tosses out the Democrats and puts fiscal Conservatives in their place, California will continue on it's downward spiral.  (I realize you know this, but readers from elsewhere may not.)

I remember too, under Reagan, we had a massive expansion of home building, and homes were CHEAP (as compared to current prices.)

Well today in some places, we are more land-locked that under Reagan.  Still, some very nicely configured multiple family structures could be created that would turn quite a profit.  The problem is, they want folks to live in 500 to 800 square feet these days.  They aren't creating the larger unit multiple family dwellings.

Give people 2,000 to 3,300 square foot living spaces for under $500k, and folks will gobble them up.  There's no reason to force folks to either throw away rent payments, or make payments on a $1 million dollar home, which so few can afford.

Once again, the Leftist thinking is a very destructive force.

[BfloGuy]

OK, so why is Sheriff Joe doing this?

Because it's the law, dude. It may be a stupid law, but do you really advocate that "Sheriff Joe" make the law, himself? I hope not. That'd be dumb.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Still he should watch it and consider the case of David Koresh and Waco. The Govment don’t like it when a preacher gets too uppity.

[American in Israel]

nobody is forcing you to abort a baby

When it forces me to pay for an abortion, it is forcing me to abort a baby. In China when someone that is found to disagree with the rulers is executed by a bullet to the back of the head, the family is handed a bill for the bullet.

I kinda suspect that this makes HaShem, the God of Justice very angry. He often will destroy a Nation as shame full as that.

But then, Obama did promise to change America.

Remember this little ditty?

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.

This is the Governments laws, laws that they themselves violate. Do you "respect" the government breaking their own laws? Might I ask if being annoying is anything to do with being hated by the world because you are not like them? Should we persecute our neighbors and murder our own children so that we do not annoy the world? Do you think this will please God?!

Is this man right or wrong? I don't know, but I do know this. YOU are wrong.

[Jedidah]

You, sir, are a troublemaker, one of those referenced in Proverbs 6:19.

[ScottfromNJ]

“The neighbors are the jerks here, not this man or his family.”

Yep. Busybody tattlers with very empty lives. They’re probably peaking through the windows of the Salman family home as we speak.

[TheBigJ]

Bible study activities in my home will go unfettered by any human authority, who will be ignored. If it goes beyond that intense suppressive fire and violence of action without remorse or hesitation.

[Lets Roll NOW]

Since when do ZONING LAWS override the FIRST AMENDMENT.

And it’s none of the neighbors damn business what he does on his own property.

[ScottfromNJ]

Romans 14 applies to those in authority operating in a Godly manner.

[Leep]

Anyone had this thought..? Why didn’t the guy build a church where it was permissible?

[elpadre]

well said, DoughtyOne

[floralamiss]

I agree with you about liberty, but the guy lied, is operating a church, and it appears, wants to get around building to safety codes. Others have to adhere to the law, unless they are illegal aliens who feel entitled to trample over the requirements to reach the head of the line.

[ex91B10]

"City officials determined that the weekly gatherings constituted a church..."

Maybe next they can determine that "s**t is legal tender". Ought to help them out quite a bit.

[DTogo]

Why not become a full-time pastor and get a church already??

[Diggity]

Neighbor of a friend of mine use to be a pastor until his bipolar disease created enough tension that he had to leave the church.

He started a bible study group that eventually had maybe 40-50 people showing up on Sunday mornings. Needless to say it didn’t make the street safe for kids to be playing with so many people coming and going, not to mention you couldn’t find a parking place.

After a while he started making improvements to his home, and back yard. Filled in his pool to make a stage, erected a cross, worship area etc. Maybe $80 to 100k in improvements.

I told my friend(and he agreed) he should call the city because his neighborhood wasn’t zoned for a church.

Obviously the guy was making a killing at the offering plate and he surely could(and should) afford to go rent a space to hold his services.

Neighborhoods are for people to live and not a place to have church services.

[Jedidah]

Keeping the peace and enforcing zoning laws is not ungodly, but annoying your neighbors in the name of Christ surely is.

[arrogantsob]

There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye and most of it is not showing that this “preacher” is an upstanding minister of the Lord.

Don’t fall for this fraud.

[CatDancer]

What part of ‘free EXERCISE of religion’ do they not understand?

That's what I'm wondering. I also notice practically everyone here has their ideas about what this guy should or should not do, should or shouldn't have done. Why? Who put them (or anyone else) in charge?? Why are you passing judgement on the size of the guy's building - or his family - or what he does on his own property? Maybe we should ask what part of LIBERTY they don't understand. I'm getting real worried, as people in here sound more and more like the statists out there.

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Doughty One, your posts on this are so good.