Zorgon, thank you for putting up this section. I have a worthy cause for everyone to look into. It seems a man in Arizona is about to go to jail for 2 months for refusing to stop holding prayer meetings in his own home. I'm so mad I could just spit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7tpX6oXZwA
From the video description:
QuoteHelp us get the word around! Pastor Michael Salman and Suzanne Salman are being prosecuted for having worship at their property with family and friends. A right that people have had for years. Please Sign our Petition!! https://www.change.org/petitions/free-michael-salman
Please Share Video!!
Interested in Helping Financially: http://christiandefense.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/e84ea46b0ad93d17
SIDE NOTE: The City Prosecutor claims that this is not an issue about Religion but we beg to differ, "if we used this building for anything else other than religious use it would have been permitted." The only reason we got violated was because it was being used for religious purposes.
Hey Bob..
It would seem that some places/people are way to uptight about religious practice these days..
my father used to have church services right in the living room, for years..
no one ever said a word to him and he was a respected Pastor..
I believe our world is crashing down around us..
good luck to these people..
Somehow I am not surprised by this story.
Did you know it's illegal for kids to have a lemonade stand these days?
??? >:(
Though I am not religious, I find this reprehensible in the "Land of the Free." I believe We all have a right to worship (or not) when and where We choose as long as We are not obstructing Others. And there is no argument in hell that would make Me believe He was obstructing anyOne on His own property!
I will be tweeting that petition link - already have, once, but will do so several times a day.
I am sure that the founding fathers of your great country held home religious services.
Who are we in this century to second guess the sacrifices and practices that they put down in writing, and that have made your country what it is today?
Officials these days need to be told that they aren't a replacement for any God, but 'servants' or 'stewards' of that Constitution, that puts the bread on their tables each day.
I suppose it also depends if his meetings disrupt the neighborhood on a regular basis. That gets people angry. When they get angry the complain.
Here in Las Vegas code enforcement is a reactive law, so they only come on complaints
Now just as a true example of how this can work the other way...
Lets say you live in a nice quiet neigborhood
Lets say you have a neighbor who is elder of a major church
Lets say that neighbor buys an adjacent house to make a bigger lot
Then this neighbor holds prayer meetings
These meeting draw 50 or so attendees that park all over the area leaving no room for residents
Then this neighbor adds free swimming lessons as a recruiting tool
Then this neighbor adds wedding receptions for his members as a bonus (big yard)
Then this neighbor adds live bands that
So with all this activity the once quiet neighborhood now looks like a community drop in center
Then this neighbor decides that anything in the area that looks bad makes his guests think less of him so if you have an old car in the driveway, or your hedge is not trimmed or your pool is green and might make mosquitoes (even though the pool is behind an 8 ft wall)... he calls the county to report you
Then to top it off, he sends missionaries to your house to try to convert you
You see where this is going? Two sides to every story. A few people over to pray quietly is one thing, turning your house into a community center is a another
Freedom comes with a price. You have to respect the freedom of others
Now in your case, I don;t have all the facts ;) but the above story is real
Moral of the story...
Its a nice quiet neighborhood now
::)