A Political Question

Want to have fraternity brothers over to watch your school’s football games for the season?  Want to invite your Red Cross blood drive volunteers over for a dinner meeting, with follow up visits?  Holding political fund-raisers at your home to help your favorite candidate?  Would you enjoy a barbecue with your Sunday School class monthly?

According to the Capistrano Dispatch, don’t try such law-breaking activities in San Juan Capistrano in California.  You will have ‘…violated section 9-3.301 of the Capistrano Municipal Code, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit.’  You might be able to do it once without someone complaining, but not on a regular basis according to the fines paid by the Fromm family.

This is not the same issue that faced David and Mary Jones in Bonita, California (click here for Channel 10’s report) back in 2009 where the initial complaint originated in parking disputes.  The Fromm’s have enough land to take care of attendee’s vehicles, which seems to be a question in Gilbert, Arizona, where the Oasis of Truth church cannot hold any religious meetings in any home in their town:

The town contends that, under its zoning code, churches within its borders cannot have any home meetings of any size, including Bible studies, three-person church leadership meetings, and potluck dinners. This ban is defended based upon traffic, parking, and building safety concerns. However, nothing in its zoning code prevents weekly Cub Scouts meetings, Monday Night Football parties with numerous attendees, or large business parties from being held on a regular basis in private homes. In fact, the zoning code explicitly allows some day cares to operate from homes.
Notably, the church only met for a few hours a week in members’ homes, and would rotate to different homes weekly. Further, the church was quite small, consisting of just seven adult members, including three married couples, and their four children.

The constitution addresses this specifically, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” which means any government entity within the United States cannot impose any religion, nor can it prohibit its citizens from their own. The depth of government entities extended from Congress through the 14th Amendment to include the states – not just for slavery, and including religion.

Where’s the biblical application?  For me it’s:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

We do that in fellowship on Thursday nights in a friend’s home – we pray before our meal, and often share specific prayer requests.  This could be construed as a religious organization in a residential home, even though most of the evening consists of domino games.

Why – with no one parked on the street, no music, no interference with the neighborhood – why would city, county, state or federal governments be concerned with this meeting?  In honesty, why would any neighbor?

The ability for Americans to assemble is protected, whether that assemblage is on Wall Street for protesting, or in my home for praying, and I rely on the confidence that this will not change in my country.

That’s my view – shared with but not imposed on others.