Should the government be able to determine if you can pray with friends at your home?
That's what the Jones family said the county is trying to do with them.
They've hosted a weekly bible study at their Bonita home for the the past five years. Usually, anywhere from 5-25 or so friends join them for dinner and bible discussion every Tuesday night.
On Good Friday, April 11, the family was surprised to find county officials at their door.
"She asked me if we sang songs, said Amen, praised the Lord or not. I don't even think I answered because I was so taken aback" said Mary Jones.
Jones said the "insinuation" was questions over whether the services were "of religious nature." She said there were no questions or comments about there being a parking problem.
The family was given a warning to "cease and desist" their "religious gathering" until they are granted a "major use permit".
Major use permits are often given to churches, synagogues and other places of gathering. They take into account traffic concerns, engineering issues, architecture considerations and more. The main purpose is to assess the feasibility of large gatherings occurring at a particular location.
Dave Jones knew a great deal about major use permits since he got one for the nearby church he serves as Pastor of.
But, he felt one was certainly not needed for the small gathering at his home.
The Jones family was warned that if the bible studies continued they would be fined $100 for the first week, then $200, $500, $1,000 and eventually taken to court.
"Are you telling me I live in an America where I can't pray with my friends? I would say your authority stops at my door" he said.
Jones continued, "This is America, this is supposed to be freedom. I should be able to pray here whenever I want to, 7 nights a week."
The Pastor thought it was ironic the county was stopping prayers that were often pro-San Diego government and pro-United States.
Jones' attorney, Western Center for Law and Public Policy president Dean Broyles, said the order violates First Amendment rights. "The government may not prohibit the free exercise of religion" he said.
"They are treating this bible study likes its a religious assembly and that is improper" said Broyles.
Broyles said he is concerned this could have a "chilling effect" for the 1,000-plus bible studies in San Diego County or other small gatherings. "Is this county really going to treat a religious gathering any differently than a boyscout troupe or a tupperware party?"
"The county is not saying don't pray at home, what the county is saying is be a good neighbor" said Chandra L. Wallar, who serves as general manager of San Diego County's Land Use and Environment Group.
Wallar said the county received a complaint regarding parking, and they were obligated to investigate.
The complaint alleged that "cars were blocking access for themselves and for public safety" said Wallar. "The staff believed there were traffic issues...There were violations, principally due to the parking, and it appeared the use of the property was a religious assembly."
Wallar believes there is a "miscommunication" here; often, she said, people who are cited for the first time take it "personally". "They focused on the 'use' because they really didn't understand our process."
She wants to work with the Jones family on solutions to the parking problems including carpooling, parking down the street, or having bible study members rotate their homes.
But Jones said all the neighbors around him are supporting and praying for him. He added that he owns the private lot next to him, which is where most cars park.
The only person who may have complained, he believes, is a neighbor's friend whose car was dented, possibly by a bible study attendee.
Jones paid the money to fix the car out of his own pocket, and is not confident that is who complained.
The most frustrating aspect of this entire issue for Jones is that he feels the county officials are not telling the truth about the parking issue.
Jones said in all of the written and oral complaints over five weeks, nowhere has parking been mentioned. "None of it is on parking, all of it talks about a religious assembly...We've had hours of conversations, that's what it has been every time."
He said only after this story was picked up by national media outlets like the Drudge Report did he hear the county officials claim that parking was the main issue at stake here.
Jones wants his attorneys to challenge the county to prove where and when parking violations became the central issue.
Meanwhile, Wallar said Jones will not be charged with any violation for now and she hopes to work out the "misunderstanding" very soon.
On the surface it seems wrong that the county did this. However, I certainly wouldn't like it if dozens of cars appeared on a regular basis in my neighborhood, with the resultant ruckus of the people. Of course, some may say that I'm overly sensitive to noise, but I'm sure that others feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there seems to be an issue here, as expected, whether parking is the real reason behind the county's stand. Naturally, it's now become a religious persecution issue to those attending the meetings.
And yet criminals are allowed the freedom to make their crystal meth at home.
ReplyDelete