City of San Juan Capistrano, CA Fines Christians $300 For Holding Bible Study In Their Home

You read that right. From WND via Gateway Pundit:

Chuck and Stephanie Fromm already have been fined $300 for holding Bible studies for their friends at their home, and they face the potential for additional fines of $500 for each study held, according to a legal team taking their case to court.

The newest conflict over Bible studies in homes in America arose in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where city officials say city code section 9-3.301 prohibits religious organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit, a sometimes very expensive procedure.

The code cites “churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.”

But a Bible study in a home?

This goes back to a post of mine from 2009: California Pastor Threatened With Fines For Holding Bible Study In Own Home! Might even be the same couple from the sounds of it.

A San Diego pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a county official and warned they will face escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home.

The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.

"Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say 'amen'?" the official reportedly asked. "Do you say, 'Praise the Lord'?"

The pastor's wife answered yes.

She says she was then told, however, that she must stop holding "religious assemblies" until she and her husband obtain a Major Use Permit from the county, a permit that often involves traffic and environmental studies, compliance with parking and sidewalk regulations and costs that top tens of thousands of dollars.

And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, "and then it will get ugly."

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. Uh - how is this constitutional in the slightest? The first Amendment Of The Constitution states:

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.

What part of not prohibiting the free exercise thereof do these people not get? This is exactly the nanny-state absurdity that liberal ideology is attempting to foist on us all, through legislative fiat if possible, judicial fiat if necessary. Fortunately, the couple now has an attorney, Dean Broyles of the Western Center for Law & Policy,and is not taking this lying down:

Broyles confirmed the county official followed through on his threat. The pastor and his wife received a written warning ordering the couple to "cease/stop religious assembly on parcel or obtain a major use permit."

Broyles also explained to WND that oppressive governments, such as communist China or Nazi Germany, worked to repress home fellowships, labeling them the "underground church" or "subversive groups," legally compelling Christians to meet only in sanctioned, government-controlled "official" churches.

I'm trying to give the benefit of a doubt here and say that this official is just some fringe kook that will at some point be rebuffed by his or her superior and hopefully fired, never to work in the public sector again fro such blatant stupidity. Unfortunately, it is far more likely that more of this is coming down the pike, uprooting the very principles the founding fathers put in place for a good reason. WND is pretty good at following up on such stories. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a quick resolution...