Freedom of Religion? California Couple Fined for Hosting Bible Study in Home

The Christian Post
www.christianpost.com
By Ray Downs
September 20, 2011

A California couple has been fined by the city of San Juan Capistrano for holding Bible studies and religious gatherings in their home, which has some wondering about the future of religious freedom in America.

Chuck and Stephanie Fromm, residents of San Juan Capistrano, home to the oldest church in California, were fined $300 for the religious activities, which the city said violated a municipal code that prohibits "religious, fraternal or non-profit" organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit," the Capistrano Dispatch reported.

Chuck Fromm is publisher of Worship Leader Magazine, a Christian music resource that combines biblical wisdom and best practices for worship, and provides added educational and congregational resources through its associated educational services, according to its website. However, the Fromms insist that their weekly meetings are not affiliated with a church, nor are they seeking to establish a church.

"How dare they tell us we can't have whatever we want in our home," Stephanie Fromm said. "We want to be able to use our home. We’ve paid a lot and invested a lot in our home and backyard … I should be able to be hospitable in my home."

The municipal code is "reactive," which means it is only enforced if someone complains.

Fromm admitted that at least one person had voiced concern about the activities.

"Can you imagine anybody in any neighborhood, that one person can call and make it a living hell for someone else?" Mrs. Fromm said. "That’s wrong … and it's just sad."

According to the Pacific Justice Institute, a non-profit legal group that is working on behalf of the Fromms, there was no noise beyond normal conversation and quiet music on the home stereo system. The group members met inside the family room and patio area of the 4,700-square-foot home.

"Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, in a statement.

"In a city so rich with religious history and tradition, this is particularly egregious. An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group’s religious freedom."

San Juan Capistrano city officials could not be reached for comment.

Copyright @ 2010 The Christian Post Rights Reserved

DADT Repeal: Pentagon Now Accepts Applications from Gays

The Christian Post
www.christianpost.com
By Katherine Weber
September 20, 2011

The controversial U.S. military policy “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is officially repealed. As of midnight Tuesday, gay and lesbian military personnel will be able to serve without hiding their sexual orientation for fear of reprisal.

The law, which has been in effect since 1993, prevented gays from serving openly in its ranks. Since then, over 14,000 servicemen have been discharged from the military due to their sexuality. Those discharged under the law will be given special permission to reenlist provide they meet certain requirements.

Repeal of the law has been in process since the Bill Clinton era; the actual road to repeal took several months of planning and execution. Existing troops have been taking tolerance classes educating them on the change in rules since June.

The Pentagon announced at midnight that it is now taking applications from openly gay citizens. They will receive the same health benefits as all members of the armed forces, and they will be protected from bullying while in the service.

Although the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal is seen as step forward among the gay community, the military is taking a business-as-usual stance concerning the repeal.

"The law is repealed," was the Army’s simple press release on Tuesday morning.

When the DADT repeal took effect at midnight Tuesday, Navy Lt. Gary Ross married his gay partner of 11 years in Duxbury, Vermont.

Although Barack Obama has openly stated that as a Christian he believes marriage is reserved for a man and a woman, he supports the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, stating that “the key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve.”

Existing military laws regarding other forms of physical conduct, such as public displays of affection, remain intact.

Copyright @ 2010 The Christian Post Rights Reserved

Court: California Teacher Loses Fight to Keep "God" Banners in Classroom

Fox News

www.foxnews.com

September 14, 2011

A school district in California did not violate the First Amendment rights of a high school calculus teacher when he was ordered to remove banners in his classroom that referred to God, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The unanimous decision on Tuesday by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a decision last year by a federal judge in the case of Westview High School teacher Bradley Johnson, Fox5SanDiego.com reports.

In the earlier decision, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez concluded that the Poway Unified School District infringed upon Johnson's rights and ordered it to allow him to re-post the banners.

Johnson has long displayed large banners in his classroom in Rancho Penasquitos that read: "In God We Trust,'' "One Nation Under God,'' and "All Men Are Created Equal, They Are Endowed By Their Creator.''

In its decision, the appeals court cited previous U.S. Supreme Court cases when it ruled that the school district has the right to limit speech of public employees in the workplace and acted lawfully when it told Johnson to remove the banners.

"Just as the Constitution would not protect Johnson were he to decide that he no longer wished to teach math at all, preferring to discuss Shakespeare rather than Newton, it does not permit him to speak as freely at work in his role as teacher about his views on God, our nation's history, or God's role in our nation's history as he might on a sidewalk, in a park, at his dinner table, or in countless other locations," wrote Judge Richard Tallman.

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