Faith California City Fines Couple for Holding Bible Study in Their Home

Calif. City Fines Couple for Holding Bible Study in Their Home

Photo via Flickr user Erwin Vogelaar

A southern California couple has been fined $300 dollars for holding Christian Bible study sessions in their home, and could face another $500 for each additional gathering.

City officials in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. say Chuck and Stephanie Fromm are in violation of municipal code 9-3.301, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a permit. Stephanie hosts a Wednesday Bible study that draws about 20 attendees, and Chuck holds a Sunday service that gets about 50.

The Fromms appealed their citations but were denied and warned future sessions would carry heftier penalties. A statement from the Pacific Justice Institute, which is defending the couple in a lawsuit against the city, said Chuck Fromm was also told regular gatherings of three or more people require a conditional use permit, which can be costly and difficult to obtain.

“How dare they tell us we can’t have whatever we want in our home,” Stephanie Fromm told the Capistrano Dispatch. “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.”

According to the Dispatch, the Fromms live in a neighborhood with large homes and have a corral, barn, pool and huge back lawn on their property, so parking and noise aren’t a problem.

“There’s no singing or music,” Stephanie said. “It’s meditative.”

The Dispatch reported a code-enforcement officer gave the Fromms a verbal warning about the meetings in May, then returned to issue citations in June and July. According to the paper, the city’s code-enforcement department is reactive, meaning they only respond to complaints.

Stephanie said most of their neighbors are very supportive, although she said one has voiced concerns in the past.

“We don’t like lawsuits, but we have to stand up for what’s right. It’s not just a personal issue,” she said. “Can you imagine anybody in any neighborhood, that one person can call and make it a living hell for someone else? That’s wrong … and it’s just sad.”

San Juan Capistrano’s religious roots run deep — the city is best known for a historic Catholic mission built in the 1700s.

“Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous,” said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute. “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.”

(h/t Gateway Pundit)

Comments (702)

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  • Die Trying
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:16am

    i may be an athiest but i will fight to the death for religious freedom. this is 100% unacceptable.

    Report Post »  
  • Myresponse2010
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:09am

    Just to remind big brother. The government may not prohibit the free practice of religion. Let the city be warned they are in for a big lawsuit that will cost them dearly, embarrass greatly, and humiliate them in the end.

    We are not China.

    Report Post »  
  • palmettopalflorida
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:09am

    Come on folks, face reality! Why should anyone in the new, transforming America, believe they have a right to do ANYTHING in their homes without the approval of the State (The ever evolving trinity of local, state and federal government.)? You really should get down on your knees and thank the bureaucratic elites for allowing you still have a place to sleep and defecate (Both taxed, by the way; property, sewage.). But, of course, it’s not really your home (Stop paying taxes, and see.). Although you paid for it, and you maintain it, it’s just being loaned to you by Big Brother as a “cash cow” for our betters to feed off. Wait until you have to start registering, and paying a “tax stamp,” for a once-weekly fornication night with your wife/husband, before you start complaining. After all, aren’t you supposed to be relying on Government, not God for your Blessings? You asked for them, you voted for them, you got them: LEFTISTS!

    Report Post »  
  • ropati
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:07am

    Just tell the city it‘s a muslim gathering and they’ll get a grant to support it.

    Report Post »  
  • moreteaplease
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:00am

    “Chuck Fromm was also told regular gatherings of three or more people require a conditional use permit, which can be costly and difficult to obtain.”

    But the Lord says…

    For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matt. 18:20 KJV.

    Let’s see them try and write Him up.

    Report Post » moreteaplease  
  • Rickfromillinois
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:58am

    Are these people crazy? Of course they are going to get in trouble for having all of those people at their homes to study the Bible! If they want to stay out of trouble the next time they should just tell the cops that they are organizing a union. Then maybe the city will provide buses and traffic control for free.

    Report Post » Rickfromillinois  
  • Joisey
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:56am

    Christians need to realize that they are a persecuted group in America, and to act accordingly. Meet in secret. Tell no one what you are doing. Take your worship “underground”. Adopt the tactics of the Early Church in Rome. Forget what the written laws say. Soviet Russia and Communist China have constitutions too that supposedly protect religious freedoms. We are no longer a nation of laws, but of corrupt men who exercise their powers in petty and vindictive ways. Government actors routinely ignore the law and do what they want, knowing that the transactional costs to call them to account are high. Even if you successfully sue, there are no real negative consequences to the wrongdoers. They won’t lose their jobs, they won’t pay the fines.

    The End Times are coming, and Satan is going to hold a brief dominion over the Earth. It will be Hell on Earth! Burrow underground (metaphorically speaking), as deep as you can, now, while you still have time to do so.

    Report Post » Joisey  
  • SixForFreedom
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:46am

    Well, this is an attack on our right to practice religion… But you can also add the right to peaceably assemble. This is essentially a town with covenants, much like the ever “popular” (or at least prevalent!) Home Owners’ Associations. Apparently they believe that local contracts (which are mandatory if you want to live there) somehow don’t have to conform to Constitutional parameters. I struggled with our HOA for years and it was REALLY hard to get things changed. What happened to the right to PRIVATE property? Free from unlawful search and seizure, from trespassing, spying, etc. And it sounds like their one neighbor needs to mind his own business. bah

    Report Post »  
  • Beckett
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:46am

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

    Report Post »  
  • baron94
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:44am

    Just call it a book club. It just happens to be an extensive discussion.

    Report Post »  
  • JMorcan
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:40am

    In some cities, it’s against the law to feed the poor. Now it’s against the law to hold Bible worship. I must’ve died and woken up in Russia.

    Report Post » JMorcan  
  • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:40am

    “According to the paper, the city’s code-enforcement department is reactive, meaning they only respond to complaints.” I call Bull$#!&

    I was ready to defend the city in regulating gathering without regard to purpose in residential neighborhood in the city for traffic and fire safety reasons, etc., but that is not what this is. The article says that without music and singing, the likelihood of a legitimate noise complaint is nil, and if they have enough space for a pasture and a corral and a barn, even 50 “guests” would not likely cause a parking issue off the property to disturb the neighbors, unless they each came in their own limo/45′ RV.

    So, it comes down to what HAS gotten the Capistrano code enforcement wonks’ panties in a twist? Was it a neighbor’s complaint that got the wonks to take notice in the first place? Yeah. Probably. In a post 9/11 world, if you see something, say something. If my neighbors a 1/4 mile away were having regular gatherings of several dozen, and I didn’t know why, I’d be concerned. But after that, there’s the issue of why would the code wonks persist? They had to see that A) There was no parking problem. B) it’s a private home, not a community institution like an actual church building. C) The separation of buildings on one property from the others was no doubt such that spreading fire is not an issue. So why? Why keep after these people.

    It’s because the code enforcement wonks and the city government to which they answer WA

    Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:51am

      WANT to go after them. It’s no longer a complaint-driven code enforcement action. This is a self-bootstrapping persecution action. This is not like the “sex cult” who were trying to get tax breaks for religious buildings on private property out of the government while holding for-pay sex parties on it. (All heterosexual “members” by the way.) This is a straight up gathering of people in private for private purposes. This affair is not a legitimate government/public policy interest.

      Quite frankly, I would rather see all “codes” abrogated. The only place where they really serve a purpose is in keeping meat puppets in densely packed urban areas from electrocuting, burning, or collapsing buildings down on themselves, thus reducing the government tax base. I’d be willing to bet that these “ranches” are only part of the city for them to enact their “codes” on by virtue of an annexation after they were build, and an annexation that makes the city boundaries look like the gerrymander of old.

      All cities do this. Reach out and stick their little city flag in the more affluent neighborhoods and start extorting tax dollars out of the residents there, while leaving the poor, agricultural, and rural areas between the city proper and the annexed areas alone, since providing city services to those areas would be a net loss in tax dollars.

      Money and power. Power and money. That’s all Capistrano is interested in. Not… whatever codes they claim are being violated here.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:57am

      BTW, It’s amazing how much suburban sprawl looks on Google Maps http://g.co/maps/kv66m like cancer in a microscope.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
  • Beckett
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:34am

    Meanwhile the Mission packs the city will Illegal Aliens, and no one does anything. The local paper, The Orange County Register seems to be ignoring this story.

    Report Post »  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:32am

    I hear you have to have a permit in cali to flush the commode…

    cali has become the white washed sepulchers that Jesus talked about. A law for everything, just to collect money.

    Report Post » SamIamTwo  
  • BLACKDIAMONDSKIER
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:31am

    This is something you would see in IRAN !! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT TOLERATE THE GOVERNMENT (FEDERAL OR LOCAL) TELLING ANY AMERICAN THEY CANNOT HAVE A BIBLE STUDY IN THEIR OWN HOUSE BECAUSE WHETHER YOU ARE RELIGIOUS OR NOT THE ASSAULT ON LIBERTY WILL EVENTUALLY COME KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR AS WELL AND THE PEOPLE KNOW IT.

    It’s time to come to the defense of your neighbor. STAND UP for these people. The government has crossed the line. Liberty and justice must be protected. Let the leaders of that town know they have gone too far.

    Report Post »  
    • SixForFreedom
      Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:56am

      It’s also time to stand up for our Constitution. We are guaranteed the right to practice our religion. We are ALSO guaranteed the right to peaceably assemble. Why do people believe that local “covenants” (whether municipal or Homeowners’ Association have the right/power to supercede the Constitution? I fought for years trying to change our HOA covenants to be less intrusive into private property. And having those kind of covenants, as in this case, ALWAYS leads to pitting neighbor against neighbor. It ‘justifies’ busy-bodies in spying and it takes away the protections against illegal searches. Can’t we somehow spell out limitations on HOA or “community” covenants to protect the rights of private property owners??

      Report Post »  
  • TXBODYBUILDER
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:25am

    What if a few Atheists get together and Dont talk about God? isnt that the same?

    Report Post »  
    • SixForFreedom
      Posted on September 19, 2011 at 9:02am

      AND what if you want to have another family (of more than THREE) over for dinner – or a birthday party – or Thanksgiving or for any reason… Do you REALLY have to get a costly PERMIT for that?!? Om’gosh this is the MOST ridiculous thing.

      Report Post »  
  • PatrickHenryFan
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:22am

    Does that mean a teenage study group would need a “conditional use permit” too?
    If I were the Fromm’s I would attack in reverse for awhile, start making complaints about anyone and everyone who has more than three meet on a regular basis, say the neighbors with three or more in the family who eat dinner each night. Use the code to demonstrate how ridiculous it is by dragging the whole community into this as well as see if the city can enforce it equally with every complaint. I would make a thousand complaints a month for every meeting not carrying a CUP. Then the community can decide if this is what they really want.
    It is time to go on the offensive

    Report Post » PatrickHenryFan  
  • Ramcharger
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:21am

    Property Owner – not communal agreement. Barn, corrale, pool = space. Gathering of 3 people or more requires a permit – really! Hope they dont have too many children.

    Hey – if they turn it into a whore house like Barney Frank did then that would be ok.

    Report Post » Ramcharger  
  • MBA
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:19am

    Wow is california the leader in antiConstitutional behavior or what? Sounds like a lawsuit against the state is appropriate.

    Report Post »  
  • Jim in Houston
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:17am

    Welcome to Obama’s wide world of socialism. It would have been OK if they had a tower with a Muslim calling their faithful to prayer. This is the worst abuse of the constitution ever!

    Report Post »  
  • 1armman
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:12am

    How many of the people in that community have parties that are not religious and have no permit issues. its their home if the they wanted to have a nudist party I’m sure someone would complain, however i doubt the city would fine them for freedom of expression… they just keep nibbling at our rights

    Report Post »  
  • bigdaddyt46
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:10am

    if the were holding a quaran meeting and service noone would say squat. i say the Jews and Christians need to go to this home and hold bigger meetings in protest of this crap. to the nosey neighbor would brought this all about who the hell are you to tell them they can’t gather and read the bible together? there’s a small room in hell with your name on it

    Report Post » bigdaddyt46  
  • Ialmostforgot
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:02am

    They already have a permit. Its called the Constitution of the United States of America.

    Report Post »  
  • bikerr
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:01am

    If we take this a step further then all people who allow Muslims to stop and pray several times daily will need the same permit?. Well alrighty now. That means business will need the permit?. Our money says in“ God we trust” but it’s against the law to pray in school?. We are really getting messed up here.Vote these people out and get back to the truth about God and real life issues.

    Report Post »  
  • cwjjohn
    Posted on September 19, 2011 at 7:52am

    What is there to say, only in California would this happen? Our rights and this great country are disappearing from us day by day. Chuck and Stephanie Fromm keep the prayers going.
    Charlie Johnson
    Amarillo, Texas

    Report Post » cwjjohn  
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