Florida city wages soviet-style crackdown on churches

[serpentdove]

[Florida city wages soviet-style crackdown on churches by Todd Starnes] "A government crackdown on churches has Christians in Lake Worth, Fla., wondering if they live in the United States or the former Soviet Union.

Churches in Lake Worth, population 36,000, have been ordered to acquire a business license. As if the church has to get the government’s permission to preach and pray?

But wait. It gets worse, folks.

City officials were so concerned about one congregation that they dispatched a code enforcement officer cloaked in a hoodie to spy on a Southern Baptist church that was meeting in a coffee house..." Full text: Florida city wages soviet-style crackdown on churches Re 13:17

 

[The Barbarian]

A Florida pastor claims his religious rights were violated after city officials investigated whether his church had the necessary permits on file.

Pastor Mike Olive operates the Common Ground Church and Coffee Bar in Lake Worth, which recently took over code enforcement from the fire department.

The city does not require churches or nonprofit organizations to pay a business license tax, but they are required to obtain a use and occupancy certificate – which officials use to ensure they don’t pose public safety hazards or break any local, state, or federal laws...The code officer, Gerald Coscia, found the church may have been overcrowded and possibly lacked a sufficient emergency exit, and he said the building likely failed to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

He determined that Olive’s landlord, Mission Education International, had a valid business license for the coffee shop with an exemption for charitable organizations, but the church lacked a use and occupancy certificate.

City officials notified the landlord by letter and outlined what they needed from the church to issue the proper permit, but Olive claims the investigation violates “the separation of church and state.”

“I think it’s very important that people are not afraid to practice that faith — whatever that faith is,” Olive said.

The conservative Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the city on his behalf, demanding they stop requiring churches to pay for the business licenses.

The city manager, Mike Bornstein, said the dispute is apparently based on some misunderstanding, because churches are not obligated to pay those fees.

They are, however, required to submit to inspections to obtain the use and occupancy certificate to ensure they’re safe for public use...Liberty Counsel claims in its news release that the city threatened the landlord with foreclosure and daily $500 fines, but the letter sent by officials makes no mention of those penalties.

In fact, the letter – which was not among the documents shared by Liberty Counsel — offers any assistance necessary to make sure the certificate would be issued.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-po...ut-kgb-spies-after-city-simply-checks-churchs

I can see it coming: "Our religion teaches that it's immoral to have sufficient emergency exits and handicapped access, so that law doesn't apply to us."

 

[aCultureWarrior]

City officials were so concerned about one congregation that they dispatched a code enforcement officer cloaked in a hoodie to spy on a Southern Baptist church that was meeting in a coffee house..."

I guess you didn't get the memo sd:

 

[shagster01]

But wait. It gets worse, folks.

City officials were so concerned about one congregation that they dispatched a code enforcement officer cloaked in a hoodie to spy on a Southern Baptist church that was meeting in a coffee house..."

Well heck, The Christian Gestapo Chief aCW just made a thread about how very important code enforcement officers are for our society. I'm sure he's thrilled to see this.

Right aCW?

 

[The Barbarian]

Remember, for Connie, it's all about race. Even building safety codes. It's really about Trayvon, not keeping people safe.

Homosexuality isn't his only fixation.

Connie's worst nightmare/fondest dream; a succesful gay black businessman wearing a hoodie.