Bible Study Ordered To Stop By County Officials.

[IrishSalesian]

[url="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522637,00.html?test=latestnews"]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522637...test=latestnews[/url]

What is your reaction?

[StColette]

Ridiculous! I guess Micah and I can't pray with our parents when we have dinner at our house now lol

[IrishSalesian]

Freedom of religion is a Constitutional Right no?

[eagle_eye222001]

Well.....

My reaction depends on the definition of a "few friends" and how many cars come to this event.

Also how often? The article really doesn't give any details to this.

I mean if they are having a few people over every week....let's say three cars that are parked on their driveway, and the street, I would say the county has no case and is being ridiculous.

However, if we are talking about 12 cars every week that block up the street....then I would agree with the county as this has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with holding too big of functions on an area not designed for such functions.

Family parties every once in a while are one thing. Weekly meetings at a home in a populated neighborhood are inappropriate whether religious or secular.

If the bible study is attracting a crowd of 15 cars weekly, they need to meet at a public meeting room or something along those lines.

Given the lack of details in this article, I'm inclined to think that the county has a legitimate case and the pastor is being a crybaby about it. I doubt this bible study has less than 15 people and less than 10 cars. However since there are such sparse details, I don't think any real judgment can be laid down on this.

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[IrishSalesian]

Good point, i didn't think about that.

[StColette]

My extended family used to gather at my grandparents house every weekend. We're talking 25+ people. I don't see how weekly family gatherings are inappropriate just because there happen to be more cars parked out front. If it was bothering the neighbors that much why didn't they try talking to the people first or asking if the Bible study participants could park further away or something. And typically Bible studies are around 12-15 people. Anything larger lends itself to other difficulties.

[Archaeology cat]

[url="http://www.10news.com/news/19562217/detail.html"]Here's the longer article.[/url]

It says they average 15 people. I suppose they could alternate who hosts it. A Bible study group I was in, in JAX, did that (we had 10 or so in the group).

[eagle_eye222001]

[quote name='StColette' post='1877359' date='May 28 2009, 04:44 PM']My extended family used to gather at my grandparents house every weekend. We're talking 25+ people. I don't see how weekly family gatherings are inappropriate just because there happen to be more cars parked out front. If it was bothering the neighbors that much why didn't they try talking to the people first or asking if the Bible study participants could park further away or something. And typically Bible studies are around 12-15 people. Anything larger lends itself to other difficulties.[/quote]

I watched the TV interview and from it, it seems that they are having way more than 15 people. Like the article though, it really didn't say anything else and didn't clearly say they are having more than 15. In the interview, there is a note made of you need a permit for an event with more than 15 people and they neither confirmed nor denied that they were exceeding this. What is funny is that they had this interview with their lawyer.

If the pastor was innocent and was having very few people over, I would think that would be in the article to publicly force the county to back off, but since they did not mention the number of people they are having over, it seems they are hiding the numbers and that makes me very suspicious of this "few friends."

Would someone be allowed to hold atheist meetings at a house in a subdivision on a weekly basis with 20 people or more? I don't think so.

edit: Just read this had an average group of 15. I wonder if that means 15 cars?

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Edited May 28, 2009 by eagle_eye222001

[StColette]

[quote name='eagle_eye222001' post='1877369' date='May 28 2009, 04:54 PM']Would someone be allowed to hold atheist meetings at a house in a subdivision on a weekly basis with 20 people or more? I don't think so.[/quote]

Why not? It's their house and property. Maybe they'll just have to park on the grass in their yard lol

[CatholicCid]

I'm always confused by this. If the street has public parking, can''t anyone park their cars there?

[Socrates]

Yeah, it's hard to know all the facts of this situation from the material.

The test would be if the county would have the same penalties for a weekly poker night or TV ball-game watching party involving the same number of people.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='StColette' post='1877373' date='May 28 2009, 04:56 PM']Why not? It's their house and property. Maybe they'll just have to park on the grass in their yard lol[/quote]
It's illegal to park your car on the lawn where I'm from. You can't even have an RV or something parked in your backyard, or you could get a ticket. You need to have a gravel path made to be able to park your RV in your own backyard. BUT, you ALSO aren't allowed to park on the street over night (but maybe that was just in the winter). At any rate, I find it utterly ridiculous. They (the city gov't who made those ordinances) justify it by saying that it would decrease property value of the houses around you.

[Brother Adam]

Oooh that is dangerous. I have never heard of anyone receiving an order to stop gathering peacefully in any private place except when they were blocking the road with their cars parked. Unless there is something we are not being told, like there were so many people in the house it exceeded the fire safety or other ordinance, than this would set an extremely dangerous precedence.

[Lounge Daddy]

When Government starts telling you what you can and cannot do with your own property, it is tyranny. It's an infringement on the right to property.

Of course, Government is interested in anything BUT your right to life liberty and property.

[MithLuin]

But the gov't can tell you where you can park your cars. Ie, they could have the meeting if people carpooled, probably, though I don't really know the situation or problem here.