Welcome to the U.S.S.A. Yes, that stands for the United Socialist States of America. Religion is an opiate of the people and must be suppressed whenever and wherever possible. How dare a home group of Christians meet together without attending a government registered church? After all, you're not a member of a bonafide church if it is not registered with the IRS. What happened to the Bill of Rights, the right to free assembly, free speech, and free religion? That means free from government interference, by the way.
Salman’s incarceration is the result of a long-running feud between the ordained pastor and the city of Phoenix over weekly Bible studies that Salman and his wife hosted in their home. City officials determined that the weekly gatherings constituted a church – and therefore violated a number of code regulations.
The controversy erupted in 2009 when nearly a dozen police officers raided the Salman’s home and a 2,000 square foot building in their backyard. The family had moved their Bible study into the building after the group outgrew their living room.
The charges that sent Salman to jail were a result of that raid – ranging from not posting exit lights above their doors – to not having handicap ramps or handicap parking.
Salman told Fox News Radio the attacks on his family were nothing more than a crackdown on religious liberty.
“They’re attacking what I – as a Christian – do in the privacy of my home,” he said. “At what point does the government have the right to state that you cannot have family and friends over at your home three times a week?”
But city officials said it was a matter of zoning and proper permitting – not religious freedom. They said he was given a permit to convert a garage into a game room – not a church.
“Any other occupancy or use – business, commercial, assembly, church, etc. is expressly prohibited pursuant to the city of Phoenix building code and ordinances,” said Vicki Hill, the chief assistant city prosecutor.
The irony of that rule was not lost on Salman.
“If I had people coming to my home on a regular basis for poker night or Monday Night Football, it would be permitted,” he said. “But when someone says to us we are not allowed to gather because of religious purposes – that is when you have discrimination.”
The Salman Family
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council said the attack against Salman should serve as a wake-up call to Christians across the nation.The government is taking away the right to own guns, to practice free religious meetings, and to say whatever you want in print or on the internet. Communist China will soon have more religious and civil liberties than America.
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Homeowner Jailed for Hosting Bible Study | FOX News & Commentary: Todd Starnes
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