Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.
"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.
"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.
A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.
But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.
For David and Mary Jones, it's about more than a question of money.
"The government may not prohibit the free exercise of religion," Broyles told FOX News. "I believe that our Founding Fathers would roll over in their grave if they saw that here in the year 2009, a pastor and his wife are being told that they cannot hold a simple Bible study in their own home."
"The implications are great because it’s not only us that’s involved," Mary Jones said. "There are thousands and thousands of Bible studies that are held all across the country. What we’re interested in is setting a precedent here — before it goes any further — and that we have it settled for the future."
The couple is planning to dispute the county's order this week.
If San Diego County refuses to allow the pastor and his wife to continue gathering without acquiring a permit, they will consider a lawsuit in federal court.
Seriously? are you kidding me? Are they going to not allow people to have birthday parties? or bbq's? cause that would be the same thing as what they are doing! This goes against everything our founding fathers stood for. What happened to freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly?!? What is this world coming to?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Katrina, you are absolutely right! This is soooo ridiculous on the part of San Diego County. We should all do something about it. I posted the FOX news story on my Facebook, e-mailed all five of the county Board of Supervisors, and wrote a letter to the editor of the San Diego Union Tribune. You can too at letters@uniontrib.com. This so goes against our First Amendment! We need to support Pastor Jones on his right to peacefully gather there. If traffic is the problem, they can van pool over from the church or something, but that's not the issue. We all this is about MONEY - lining the coffers of the Dept of Planning and Land Use. In this case, the county is wrong!
Chris Degn
San Antonio, TX
That is SO horrible...UGH!!
Whhhhhhaaaatt!? That is CRAZY. I am going to post about this on my blog.
i am sooo getting this on my myspace. this is just more proof that i don't like California anymore. it's so backwards.
That is absolutely absurd!!!!!!!! I can't believe that something like this could actually happen!
Post a Comment