Banished! City forbids Bible studies in homes.

Worldnet Daily ^ | 3/13/10 | Bob Unruh

[stars & stripes forever]

The city of Gilbert, Ariz., has ordered a group of seven adults to stop gathering for Bible studies in a private home because such meetings are forbidden by the city's zoning codes. The issue was brought to a head when city officials wrote a letter to a pastor and his wife informing them they had 10 days to quit having the meetings in their private home. . .

[exhaustguy]

Like I said the law was dumb and they should never be targeted. I do think that at some point activity within a house no longer becomes appropriate for a neighborhood. How many people in a house are too many people? How much on street parking, parking that blocks sidewalks etc becomes too much parking? How much noise coming from a house becomes too much noise (think music or even loud conversation/preaching)? How much smell coming from a house becomes too offensive for a neighborhood (think incense)? How much proselytizing/aggressive encounters with individuals walking by becomes too much? Can you set up a platform in your yard and conduct sermons with a loudspeaker - probably once or twice - How about everyday? How about Muslim call to prayers, church bells - how much - how often? How about running a soup kitchen out of your house for transients? How about offering transients a place to bunk (either inside the house or on your lawn in tents)? How about inviting junkies into your house to break their habit? How about taking in lots and lots of stray dogs and running an animal shelter out of your house? How about four or five families living in the same house? How about running a restaurant out of your house - a bed and breakfast, a hair styling salon, a school?

[wmfights]

Sounds like some real 1st amendment hatred going on in this burg

It's not just this one town.

You will find this zoning idiocy everywhere. The vast majority of the stuff is never enforced, but it is on the "books". These laws are conveniently found when someone steps on the wrong toes, or someone politically connected wants to create trouble for someone. The point being these restrictions to our freedoms should never be on the "books" in the first place.

[SteamShovel]

just keep some beer bottles and decks of cards around the house for the members to grab as props if the police come a knocking to enforce this.

How about a lady-er-um-woman jumping out of a cake?

[wmfights]

But if you want to build a shade for the horses in the corral, it must be 50 feet from all property lines. Stupid, but I don’t have the money to fight it.(emphasis mine)

That's how they get away with it. The vast majority of people can't take on city hall.

I have headaches all the time in Chicago with building inspectors (most are politically connected and really don't know that much about construction). We had a terrible tragedy several years ago where a porch collapsed and some people were killed. As a result, now porches have to be built to carry a heavier load than interior floors.

[wmfights]

See my post #142...

I'm with you. The nanny state becomes the evil overlord pretty easily.

[TexasFreeper2009]

So your next door neighbor can open “the church of the child molestor” right next to your home, and your OK with that?

Good luck selling.

[wmfights]

I’ll have to bring it up on Monday.

Good luck.

My experience has been the drivers of value for real estate in a community (what makes it attractive to buyers) are #1 quality of the schools, #2 jobs, and #3 transportation/highways to where the jobs are. I've never been involved in developing real estate, or buying existing property because of a rec center.

[greyfoxx39]

Most of the politicos in Gilbert and Mesa, Az are Mormon. It’s just a way of life here...Good people...Just not as tolerant to other religions as most would like.

John Lewis, Mayor of Gilbert, has a BS degree from BYU.

The Oasis of Hope church is Trinitarian. Oil and water.

[Don W]

SEVEN PEOPLE!?!?

[RnMomof7]

I just got this in an email 2 minutes ago... They did not say it was a Mormon issue

[hsalaw]

Violation of the First Amendment - freedom to associate. A city can’t “zone” in violation of the First Amendment. It’ll be slammed in court.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“My experience has been the drivers of value for real estate in a community (what makes it attractive to buyers) are #1 quality of the schools, #2 jobs, and #3 transportation/highways to where the jobs are. I’ve never been involved in developing real estate, or buying existing property because of a rec center. “

Today, it is the tax rate on real estate

then jobs

then schools.

[wmfights]

I would say almost all of them ;-)

I've enjoyed your posts. It sounds like we've had a lot of similar experiences.

I started in real estate as a salesman and remember one of my first land development deals. It was a sizable tract and I put up signage on the corner. The local zoning board made me come out to about half a dozen meetings to make sure the sign was redone in compliance with their codes.

The guy in charge was an older guy who had been appointed to the board, had no real estate, construction or architectural experience but he sure did love being in charge!

[Rocky]

Out with the bums!

[metmom]

ping

[WKB]

Baptist Beware Ping

[Vigilanteman]

Don't think so. The article speaks of seven adults holding these meetings on a rotating basis. Obviously, at least one of them lives at the home where the meetings are held. This means if each of the other six drove a separate car, there would be six people parking on the public streets on a rotating basis.

Did you also notice this portion of the article?

There had been no complaints about the meetings, which had been rotating among members' homes before the officer wrote the letter and ordered the group to "terminate all religious meetings … regardless of their size, nature or frequency," because he noticed signs about the meetings.

IOW, this isn't even in response to a complaint. The local government nazis are making an issue out of it for whatever reasons they may have, one of which seems to be that they advertised the meetings. I don't think we are talking about a huge garish neon sign or anything of that nature. More likely, we are talking about a notice pinned on a bulletin board at your local market or, possibly, a political campaign sized lawn sign which moves with each rotating meeting so the members can easily find the place.

[reaganaut]

The city of Gilbert, Ariz., has ordered a group of seven adults to stop gathering for Bible studies in a private home because such meetings are forbidden by the city’s zoning codes.

- - - - - - - -
So just call it a party or a potluck. Have one every week, and people just happen to have their Bibles with them.

No biggie.

They tried this same thing for the same reasons in San Deigo last year and it was an Godzilla sized epic fail.

[bcsco]

We're a small community (14,000 +) with decent schools and at the intersection of two Interstates. We also have both the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads that come through town (yes, I mean 'through'...the tracks cross one another on the West side). In addition, some years ago an inter-modal park was built on the West side, just off one of the Interstates, for rail/semi transfer. Also, unemployment is below the national norm.

[bcsco]

This means if each of the other six drove a separate car, there would be six people parking on the public streets on a rotating basis.

Or less, if some rode together...