Couple ordered to stop holding bible study at home without permit

That's just nuts.

Bible Study, Sodomy, if its in your own home you can do whatever you want as consenting adults.

We may be low on jobs these days but what we lack in jobs we make up in ignorance. What scares me the most about all this is that too many people will chose o adapt to this and accept what the Govt is doing and has been doing all this time as long as they think they will get what they want, everything free.

Doesn't the pastor have a church?

Uggghhh...

What is the deal with your liberals in the USA, my god? Why can't they know the limit of what should be done, and what shouldn't?

Seriously, you'd never see something like this happen in Canada, and our governement is liberal even to your standard democrat! Why do you only have nuts?

Update: they came to their senses.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/biblestudy.asp

The way I understand this it was about the number of people regularly invited, not about what they were doing.

I don't know if you need a permit to invite more than 15 people to an organised event in your house in California.

As someone who actually participates in weekly Bible study I am still sceptical.

Figures a pissed off neighbor would be at the root of it.  Human nature just sucks sometimes.

I'm glad they decided to revise this warning and retract it but we should sometimes take a few steps back and look at these kinds of situations with a more open mind. One should accept that the officer giving the warning was simply doing his job based on the training he received and we can't say for sure he did it purposely for anti-religious reasons. Still, this proves that staying quiet would only allow those who try to impose their own rules and ideals over the real meaning of law to succeed.

Is anyone surprised that FOX didn't reveal all the facts?  The snopes article states that they averaged about 15 people - which was the major reason for saying they needed a major land use permit.  (I still don't agree, but it contrasts with FOX' news quote that says they just wanted to "have a few friends over.")

Second, if this really was just a few friends, you can bet that the ACLU would be all over it - they'd be defending the right to a religious assembly.  I know the ACLU gets a bad rap among conservatives, but they've defended Christians before.  For example:

* The ACLU of Virginia (2004) threatened to file suit against the Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority after it enacted an unconstitutional policy prohibiting religious activities in the park. The Park Manager had prohibited a minister from the Cornerstone Baptist Church from conducting baptisms in the park, but under pressure from the ACLU the park revoked the prohibition and allowed the minister to conduct the baptisms.

* The ACLU of New Jersey (2006) filed a friend-of-the-court brief asking a federal court to uphold an elementary school student’s right to sing “Awesome God” in a voluntary, after-school talent show for which students selected their own material

* The ACLU of Louisiana (2006) filed a lawsuit defending the free speech rights of a Christian who was protesting based on his religious beliefs. The man was chased away from the front of a Wal-Mart store where he was carrying a sign that read: “Christians: Wal-Mart Supports Gay Marriage and Gay Lifestyles. Don’t Shop There.”

* The ACLU of Rhode Island (2006) filed an appeal in federal court on behalf of an inmate who was barred from preaching during Christian religious services, as he had done for the past seven years under the supervision and support of prison clergy. The prisoner, Wesley Spratt, believes his preaching is a calling from God. Prison officials cited vague and unsubstantiated security reasons for imposing the preaching ban on Mr. Spratt. The ACLU argued that the ban violates the religious freedom guaranteed to Mr. Spratt under federal law.

* The ACLU of Georgia (2006) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Tabernacle Community Baptist Church charging that the city of East Point, Georgia violated a federal religious discrimination law when it denied the church a zoning permit needed to establish its house of worship.

Fair and balanced my behind. While I'm glad that what really happened is done and over with, and that it was merely (hopefully) a land/traffic issue - Fox got the facts wrong on this one. The law is the law (etc), even if it is a land use. Hopefully this incident doesn't set any bad precedents.

Having bible studies in homes is quite normal for Christians to do.  It's been done from the first century onward.  I have one here on Thursday mornings.  I wouldn't be surprised if that law was put in place just because of something like this.  I've seen it happen before.  It's not uncommon to have cell groups that meet in homes once a week or month to break bread and maybe have a short study or prayer meeting.  It's a way especially for larger churches to have smaller groups of fellowship.   

Here where I live we have Rec centers every half mile or so.  These are beautiful facilities and hundreds of diff organizations use them for their meetings and what not get togethers.  All, that is, except bible studies.  We have been told that these Rec centers will not be used for anything religious.  So while I can go there for every event under the sun, I can't invite 10 people to a one hour study once a week.  But then I wonder what they would say if I have 10 cars parked out in front of my little street? 

The government is getting so nosy and intrusive I believe that we are going to see more and more bible studies in homes as people start leaving "government" churches.  This is going to be a problem with these sorts of laws. 

The ACLU is not usually a friend of Christians.  In fact, they are mostly against them.   Almost every Christian I know shudders when they hear mention of the ACLU.  Usually when the Christian rights are violated, the question asked is "where's the ACLU when you need them?" 

I'm assuming that you live in some sort of community, which, by agreeing to live there you agreed to follow their rules and regulations. If not, if I misunderstood, there is still the case of having to follow the Rec Center's rules and regulations. I mean, if I'm going to use a venue, then I will follow their rules and such.

Proof? 'Cause I call BS.

Inverse8 -

Methinks you protest too much.  10's OK?, 15's not?  I know of regular poker parties with more than that.

Don't you know? If you are not supporting the Christians "rights" to impose their beliefs on others, you are in fact mostly against them. /sarcasm

>_>

I won't go so far as to say that, but I am skeptical of her claim.

The ACLU is not usually a friend of Christians.  In fact, they are mostly against them.   Almost every Christian I know shudders when they hear mention of the ACLU.  Usually when the Christian rights are violated, the question asked is "where's the ACLU when you need them?"

Yes, the right-wing media loves to hate the ACLU.  I think the ACLU is odd, and can't always agree or disagree with them.  As it turns out, a news story (from today) has this quote:

"10News learned that the American Civil Liberties Union has come out in favor of Jones."

The ACLU is backing the people holding the Bible Study.

After reading the last few comments I now see my fear realizing itself as some here ignore the main point of the story which was an argument of whether these peoples religious rights were violated or not and instead are focusing on Fox making a mistake (as if they never do, they are only human after all), crying about Conservatives and making fun of Christians. It's amazing how people would rather lose their freedoms and liberties just to be able to insult and/or make fun of the opposing party.

If you included me: How was I insulting or making fun of anyone?

My problem: If I am going to be using a bureau (for lack of a better term) for my news, I damn well expect them to get their shit straight. (i.e. facts) This goes for CNN, NBC, etc as well. As for christians, when it comes to KFC's comment - I want to see her proof. Otherwise it's just hearsay/nonesene, in my opinion.

Well, I think the first couple responses pretty much covered it. Freedom of religion, especially within one's own home should be respected.

However, if the street is as crowded as I suspect with that many people, the neighbors might not be out of line complaining. Especially if the excessive cars hinder emergency vehicles from getting where they need to be. I don't know about you but if I need paramedics, I don't want them to have to "go around the block" to get to me because it is faster than asking a dozen people to move their vehicles.

Even throwing that worst case scenario out, I don't want to have to go hunt down some unknown individual so I can get out of my carport either.

3 tables?  what kinda stakes?

any open seats?

Isn't a little thing called freedom of assembly in the constitution?

EDIT: on reading the snopes article, they have a point. They are trying to manage parking and transportation, when you have dozens of people come to your home at once, every week, it completely fills up the street and is not really appropriate. The county backed down, but that means the neighbors are stuck having to deal with the slew of traffic.

I consider 15 as a few friends.  Every bday party, grad party, Euchre night, scrapbook party, etc. that I've been to has had way more than 15 people. 

They weren't out on the lawn of the municipal building or at the public library.  They were in a private home with private guests.  That's just crazy!

15 people or OVER 15 CARS

Actually that was the whole problem... they were having dozens of cars come in every weekend... and one of them hit a neighbor's car who complained to the city. Which then investigated and decided not to persue it. The officer who conducted the invistigation said they will probably need to get a permit, but he has no authority over this thing, he was just giving ill advised advice. The person in charge of actually persuing such things did not do so.

We have 15 people over during get togethers very regularly. Do I need a permit too?