"No Bible studies in your home," says California county

Religious rights in America continue to deteriorate. A San Diego pastor and his wife have been told by county officials to stop holding Bible studies in their home.  According to Fox News' Special Report on Thursday night, they have been subjected to interrogation and threatened with fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home. They have about ten to fifteen participants in their Bible studies.  

This San Diego county is unconstitutionally discriminating against people of faith because they are not going after similar groups who have poker nights or who have Tupperware parties.  In an article on May 22, 2009 entitled "Faith Under Fire; Home:  No place for Bible study; County demands pastor spend thousands on 'Major Use' permit to host friends" in WorldNetDaily.com (WND,) Drew Zahn reports that the San Diego pastor and his wife were interrogated by a county official  --  on Good Friday at that  --  and they were warned to stop holding Bible studies or they will face escalating fines.   

The pastor and his wife whose names are being withheld "until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf" told their attorney, Dean Broyles of the Western Center for Law and Policy, who incidentally, also holds Bible studies in his San Diego home, that the county interrogator asked a series of questions such as:  "Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home?  Do you sing?  Do you say 'amen'?  Do you say 'Praise the Lord'?"   He threatened fines of over $1,000 and indeed said if they refuse to stop these Bible Studies and to spend thousands on a "Major Use" permit, "it will get ugly" implying that the fines against them will be prohibitive.   

Attorney Dean Broyle told WND the county's action against the pastor and his wife not only violates religious land-use laws, but also assaults both their First Amendment freedom of assembly rights and freedom of religion rights. 

He said that:  "The First Amendment, in part, reads, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.  And that's the key part: 'prohibiting the free exercise.' We believe this is a substantial government burden on the free exercise of religion.  If one's home is one's castle, certainly you would the think the free exercise of religion, of all places, could occur in the home."

The WND reported that Attorney Dean Broyles, on a personal note, added, "I've been leading Bible studies in my home for 13 years in San Diego County, and I personally believe that home fellowship Bible studies are the past and future of the church.... If you look at China, the church grew from home Bible studies. I'm deeply concerned that if in the U.S. we are not able to meet in our homes and freely practice our religion, then we may be worse off than China."

Adverse actions against Christians, such as those against the San Diego pastor and his wife, continue to increase in America and this is absolutely outrageous.  Not being able to say "amen" and "Praise the Lord" amongst Christian friends in your home is beyond abominable.  As Mr. Broyles said so eloquently: "If people can't practice their religious beliefs in the privacy of their own homes with a few of their friends, that's an egregious First Amendment violation."