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Man Facing Jail For Hosting Home Bible Study
FoxNews Radio ^ | 7/6/2012 | Todd Starnes

Posted on 07/06/2012 8:17:04 PM PDT by Penn4God

A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail after he refused to stop hosting Bible studies in the privacy of his home – in violation of the city’s building code laws.

(Excerpt) Read more at radio.foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: 666; arizona; bible; biblestudy; homebiblestudy; jail; obama; secularism; worldisgoingbonkers
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When the government believes it has the right to shut down private bible studies, it is time for our silent Pastors and passive Christians to wake up and take a stand for what is right. Radical Secularism must be stopped before we have moved past the point of saving the U.S. and our God given freedoms. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated, " Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act"
1 posted on 07/06/2012 8:17:22 PM PDT by Penn4God
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To: Penn4God

Was he taking up a collection?


2 posted on 07/06/2012 8:22:12 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Penn4God

“Obama’s secularism is like an acid that burns through everything it touches. His poisonous ideology authorizes him not just to “separate church and state” but to dominate church and state. The goal of this control is to secularize everything, including religion itself.”
George Neumayr is a contributing editor to The American Spectator.
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/07/the-audacity-of-obamas-secular


3 posted on 07/06/2012 8:28:53 PM PDT by Penn4God (Secularism = acid that burns through everything it touches.)
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To: Penn4God

Why are Americans basically being attacked in their own homes for their beliefs? I bet if this were some kind of homsexual swingers party, it would have been okay.

I realize that on the right we have many individualists, but it is time to come together and get organized. If we cannot we will lose. The left is very, very organized and they are coming at hard working Americans from every direction.

Many of their tax exempt special interest groups are being financed with our money through government grants and other miscellaneous programs.

We need to come together with a new vision for America and road map for how to get there. We must have a cohesive plan in order to win the war of ideas.


4 posted on 07/06/2012 8:28:58 PM PDT by formosa (Formosa)
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To: Penn4God
From the story

“It came down to zoning and proper permitting,” said Vicki Hill, the chief assistant city prosecutor. “Any time you are holding a gathering of people continuously as he does — we have concerns about people being able to exit the facility properly in case there is a fire — and that’s really all this comes down to.”

“He built a structure that he said wasn’t a church — that is in fact — a church,” she said. “It’s a church.”

And the courts agreed — noting in a Jan. 4, 2010 ruling: “The state is not saying the Salmans can’t run a church or have worship services at the location. But the state is saying that if they do so, they must do it properly and in accord with fire and zoning codes.”

He has 4 acres, so it sounds like he has the room to accomodate the people - he is just not abiding by the zoning rules.

5 posted on 07/06/2012 8:30:53 PM PDT by Hodar (A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.- Burroughs)
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To: Hodar

Michael Salman · Western Theological Seminary
“I would like everyone to notice the statement of the Assistant Chief Prosecutor for the City. As long as we were using the building as a Gameroom we are O.K. It is when we start using it to host worship with our friends it is wrong. I would like everyone else to notice that the building was built in 2009 and we were told by the city in 2007 that even a Bible Study in a living room is a “Church”. To the city any religious gathering like a Passover Supper, Bible Study or any other religious gathering on a property makes the property a “Church.” I dare someone to ask Mrs. Hill what is the definition of a “Church”? We never hid the fact that we worship at my home and that we do what every other Christian does on Sunday and the inside of the building even looks like Christians gather in it. The fact is the City has no right to prohibit what my wife and I who gather privately with my family and friends unless they can show that our guest have caused a neighborhood nuisance, by traffic, parking or noise. They had no right since 2007 to tell me to stop having bible studies in my home and they had no right by the Fire Department to break up our Passover Supper with my family and friends. Please share!”


6 posted on 07/06/2012 8:32:24 PM PDT by Penn4God (Secularism = acid that burns through everything it touches.)
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To: Penn4God

The First Amendment is supposed to trump the building code if I am correct.


7 posted on 07/06/2012 8:34:23 PM PDT by Republican1795.
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To: Penn4God

Sounds like something you would read from Communist China.


8 posted on 07/06/2012 8:36:52 PM PDT by murron (Proud Mom of a Marine Vet)
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To: Penn4God; Sirius Lee; lilycicero; MaryLou1; glock rocks; JPG; Monkey Face; RIghtwardHo; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.


9 posted on 07/06/2012 8:39:15 PM PDT by narses
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To: Penn4God

I hope the Rutherford Institute is aware of this, right down their alley.


10 posted on 07/06/2012 8:43:18 PM PDT by doc1019 (Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.)
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To: Penn4God
Hill said the city became aware of the meetings after neighbors apparently complained about traffic congestion.

If traffic is becoming a problem, neighbors have a right to protest to the authorities regardless of whether it is a religious meeting or not.

11 posted on 07/06/2012 8:45:36 PM PDT by what's up
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To: Penn4God

Next thing known Christians can’t gather at a private home to celebrate Christmas.

Remember ther catacombs!


12 posted on 07/06/2012 8:52:48 PM PDT by One Name (Go to the enemy's home court and smoke his ass.)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: Hodar

So what would happen if he just had a picnic for a few of his friends and they read the Bible while they were all gathered together. Our church has neighborhood prayer groups all over our city in private homes on a weekly basis. I also host a monthly girls night out at my home. Our group has grown to 26 so there are always lots of cars. Lots of our neighbors host weekly bridge game nights and books clubs. Don’t understand what the big deal is. And we have an HOA.


14 posted on 07/06/2012 8:56:04 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: what's up

Then the people causing the parking congestion should have been cited for parking violations.


15 posted on 07/06/2012 8:56:57 PM PDT by doc1019 (Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.)
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To: Penn4God
"He and his wife have been hosting Bible studies on their 4.6 acre property since 2005. The gatherings were originally attended by as many as 15 people."

It is NONE of the governments business what this man and his guests do in the privacy of his home. He is not on City property, he is on his his own property, it belongs to him. Private property rights are the core of freedom.

Makes me sick to hear the death rattles of liberty every day.

16 posted on 07/06/2012 8:58:39 PM PDT by GregoTX (Federalist)
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To: murron
Sounds like something you would read from Communist China.

or Saudi Arabia.

Sharia Law coming to a city near you soon...if Obama is re-elected.

17 posted on 07/06/2012 9:06:27 PM PDT by citizencon
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To: Penn4God

I’d love to see this happen with a casual grouping of Obama’s muslim buddies. I’m pretty sure Obama would step in and award the informal “mosque” a grant to furbish the place, and have Holder defend them in court on the taxpayer dime.


18 posted on 07/06/2012 9:13:28 PM PDT by risen_feenix
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To: Penn4God
The Alliance Defense Fund is based in Phoenix suburbs:

Alliance Defense Fund
15100 N. 90th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Local: 480-444-0020

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/LegalHelp

*********

These guys will be all over this like white on rice...
...on a paper plate...
....with a glass of whole milk...
...in a snowstorm!

Just sayin'

19 posted on 07/06/2012 9:17:18 PM PDT by Wings-n-Wind (The main things are the plain things!)
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To: Grams A

This has apparently been going on frequently for years - I can sympathize with the neighbors. If he wants to host crowds weekly, then he must abide by the rules. It doesn’t matter if this is bible study, knitting club, Hot Rod show - I’m sure that most people wouldn’t mind an occassional crowd down the street - but every week, since 1998 is a bit excessive.

All he has to do, is abide by the same rules that other public buildings have to abide by.


20 posted on 07/06/2012 9:19:08 PM PDT by Hodar (A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.- Burroughs)
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