Freedon of Religion, Really?

I read today on the Drudge Report that a couple in Orange County, California have been fined $300 for hosting a Bible study in their home! I kid you not! Evidently the city of Mission Veijo has an ordinance barring private meetings in people's homes. Their claim is that the Bible study violates this ordinance. I might be wrong but I was under the impression that we have freedom of religion in the United States of America. But if this horrible policy stands my impression is completely off base. According to the U.S. Constitution we have the freedom to assemble. This is nothing more than the secular, godless state attempting to dictate and control the religious practices of the people. Chuck and Stephanie Fromm are going to fight this religious persecution. For this I am thankful. Please pray for this family as they press on to simply have a Bible study in their home. Who does the city think they are?

My dad would suggest "they are too big for their britches." But it goes further than that. Mark Levin's book Liberty & Tyranny addresses this type of serious problem staring our nation in the face. I for one do not plan to sit idly by while this kind of tyranny snowballs. People of faith must band together and defend one another. Some will argue the early Christians did not fight the government. But they continued to preach the gospel and practice N.T. Christianity in spite of opposition and persecution. When emperor worship became the dominant theme in the Greco-Roman World Christians refused to call Caesar their Lord. Jesus was their Lord. We live in a free society at least in theory. The Founding Fathers guaranteed that Americans of all religions would be free to exercise their beliefs. I recognize that they never intended for people to hurt others in the name of religion. However, if a person sought to practice Christianity in whatever form or Judaism or Islam they are free to do so.

I never thought a family would be fined in our nation for holding a Bible study in their own home! What I now believe is that this is just the beginning. I have been reading the biography Bonhoeffer. The Nazis led by the psycho-path Adolph Hitler started slowly. But one of the first moves he instigated was to create the Reich church where German Christians were under the thumb of the National Socialist Party. Eventually people were compelled to swear allegiance to Adolph Hitler as part of their religious faith. Bonhoeffer and others fought this outrage from the beginning. Once the government can dictate to people what to believe and how to practice their faith religious freedom has vanished.

If a community, state or national government has the authority to limit the religious practice of one family where does it stop? You may be thinking, "It will never happen here." I am sure the Fromm family in Mission Veijo, California believed that as well at one time. While it is an historical certainty that religious persecution has been around for thousands of years who could have predicted this kind of behavior from a city in the USA? How long will it be before the state at some level dictates to preachers and and churches that is unlawful to preach against homosexuality? When will it be against the law to stand for traditional marriage because it is considered discriminatory?

Folks it is time for people of faith to wake up! Prayer will be essential to winning this fight. But actions are also necessary. We better put Christian behavior into positive actions to defend folks like the Fromm family. If you recall Jesus overturned the tables on the moneychangers because they had abused for personal gain the purpose of the temple. (John 2:11-17) Righteous indignation can be a good thing if used for the glory of God. We can no longer afford to ignore the problem. Religious persecution has raised its ugly head. What are you going to do about it?