Please read the whole story. It is pretty amazing.
‘In Ohio, poker night is fine, but praying with friends is forbidden‘
What’s wrong with this picture?! Enlighten me, make it make sense!
Unless you are Baptist.
Card playing is a big no-no.
Isn’t there some praying when playing poker?
As early as the 15th century, it appears that there were Jewish people playing cards on Chanukah, as well as rabbis and leaders decrying the practice. Eventually, for reasons we shall discuss, Polish Jews invented their own card games.
Banned All Year Long
Some have suggested that both dreidel and card playing became Chanukah customs for the same reason: Because, during the era of persecution that led to the Chanukah miracles, Jewish students would pretend to play with these items to hide the fact that they were illegally studying Torah.1
However, this is not the case. In fact, it seems that card playing was associated with Chanukah mostly because rabbis wanted to limit it to a set season rather than allow people to play cards all year long.
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Nowadays, it is relatively easy to come by alternative types of cards. As such, if one wishes to play with cards (in a permissible fashion), it is best to use Uno cards or something similar.
Better yet, if it is Chanukah time, play dreidel, the classic Chanukah game!
Put up a rainbow flag (maybe sneak 7 colors into it), and say ‘everyone welcome’.
Now what will they do?
After Daniel withdrew his application, the city government’s harassment escalated. The mayor declared publicly that the cease-and-desist order remained in full force. The mayor turned to the community, urging Daniel’s neighbors to surveil his home and “report” any “activities consistent with those in a house of assembly.” Police patrols drove past Daniel’s house. The city prosecutor launched baseless housing code investigations against him. The city withheld Daniel’s certificate of occupancy and tax abatements, resulting in substantial additional taxes. City workers even began periodically skipping his home on trash collection days.
This was a coordinated pattern of harassment and discrimination. Forcing Daniel to continue the permit process was a punishment.
https://carrollnews.org/242501/community/michele-weiss-elected-mayor-of-university-heights/
Michele Weiss, the vice mayor since 2016 and frequent rival of Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan was elected to serve as University Heights’ next mayor on Nov. 4, 2025.
One would think the Constitutional prohibition against laws that interfere with the free exercise of religion might come into play here. Of course, to challenge this, he’d have to continue holding the prayer group without the permit, get cited or arrested for violation of the applicable law and then challenge the constitutionality of it in court. Sounds like he was unwilling to go to that much trouble and expense. I can’t say I blame him.
One can only imagine the uproar from the left if there were inconvenient restrictions and permitting requirements placed on women who were seeking abortions. They would certainly argue that such restrictions were infringements on their rights; I fail to see how this is NOT an infringement on the right to free exercise of religion.
I wonder what will happen when the communists in this country come up against the muslims and vice versa
I always pray before a poker game.................
I live close to Lakewood NJ. I see what goes on. It’s an illegal setting. It’s wrong. And the city is correct to stop it.
I remember that part of the Bill of Rights. 1st Amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances except for Jews in democrat cities. Muslims are okay though."
Can you not just say you are inviting friends over? How do they know what you are doing?
If I was a neighbor and they were quiet and didn’t block the street with parked cars, I wouldn’t care. However, if you look at 2343 Miramar Blvd in University Heights, OH, his “house” is nothing like the others. It’s obviously been modified to act as a place where many people can regularly gather. I can see the neighbors’ and city’s point here.
If the government gets to “permit” you to worship, isn’t that defying the first amendment?
We would always have our prayer groups at a church. We could invite more people without the parking hassles. YMMV
A public elementary school and the Church in the Gardens are in Forest Hills Gardens:
There was a 1961 case in Coral Gables wherein the Supreme Court said an animal sacrifice could take place even the city had a law prohibiting farm animals within the city limits.