"The assembly activities associated with the church, including Bible studies, church leadership meetings and church fellowship activities are not permitted," wrote Mike Milillo, the city's senior planner.
"This ban is defended based upon traffic, parking, and building safety concerns. However, nothing in its zoning code prevents weekly Cub Scouts meetings, Monday Night Football parties with numerous attendees or large business parties from being held on a regular basis in private homes," the ADF said.
It is not a 'law' that can be obeyed...it is a nuisance and totally unconstitutional.
BS meter pinging
We were part of a group of about 20 people who started a Presbyterian church. We met in a neighbors garage while gaining sufficent numbers to build a church, We were sued by a neighbor and had to stop meeting there.
I just thought of another thing. I wonder if the Gibson lawmakers decided that banning home religious meetings is, in a roundabout way, preventing the possibility that Muslims might meet to plan terrorist attacks. I know I have heard that argument before when a Christian activity is banned. The real reason is to stop other groups like Muslims or satanists and the like from claiming the right to hold meetings. In today’s pc climate, you can’t ban just a few, you have to ban all. Just a thought.
oops Gilbert, not Gibson... dang I knew I got that wrong.
It is a dumb rule that will be changed at the next Council meeting. Listen to the whole story. The church was actually soliciting with neighborhood signs for attendees. A little different situation than what was presented (just a Bible study). Without the signs, then the church would never have been targeted.
How about signs in the neighborhood like “Come to our football party, $10 gets you drinks and snacks. Watch on a 42” television.”
A more appropriate law/code may be how many people could actually attend a function (any funcition) in a given house. This has safety and nuisance considerations.
My hubby says, do it anyway and pay the fine.
Banned....in my HOME....
Like WTHell!
Relabel the meetings “parties” and keep right on holding them.
But in our country, this is unconstitutional, and these nattering Nabobs of negativity should lose their jobs, at the very least. Too bad we don't have Haman's gallows...
When I first saw the headline I thought, this must be in a place like Dubai or Yemen or something. Gilbert, AZ? WTF?
Um, seems to me there’s a right to free expression of religion. And of speech. And the right of the People to peaceably assemble.
It’s dhimmies like this crew that are bringing the Country to it’s knees, and not only with stupid announcements like this...their peers in Government at all levels are violating the oaths they took to “Protect and Defend...” almost as soon as they took office. What’s worse, we actually pay these yammerheads a lot of money to come up with insanity like this.
This is the stuff that feeds revolutions, and a lot of people around the country have had just about enough of this. At some point we need to tear it down and get back to basics the way this Country was intended to be run.
If the Founders were to pop back in right now, they would not recognize the Country we have created, and would be stunned that we so casually threw everything they created for us away.
Sounds like its time for the Christians in AZ to fight the Good Fight!
My Bible study group is upwards of thirty people each week. I can understand using a site that allows for parking and that many people on a weekly basis, but SEVEN? That is just nitpicking with them.
Sue.
This can’t hold up in court, and might be a blow to the madness that is zoning laws.
So when the local Sharia law council and friday prayer meeting occurs will they close that down too?
Clearly a double standard. Bet you dollar to donuts, a Muzzie having Jihad recruitment event in their homes would be completely OK
Screw the city council, vote everyone out.
I hope they sue and recover damages, enough to “send a message” to other towns with petty dictators.
After that, they should start parking 7 near-junker cars in the neighborhood, moving them around often enough to prevent tickets. See how the neighbors like that.