A New Jersey judge has determined a ministry was wrong in refusing to allow two women to hold a “civil union” ceremony on its property.
This is a major issue for religious liberty in this country. Churches and ministries need to be able to exercise their freedom of religion in regulating what takes place on their property and in their facilities.
If anyone doubts the New York City Department of Education is discriminating against churches, take a look at the DOE’s rules and regulations governing the extended use of school facilities.
On page 5 of the PDF (D-180, Section I-Q), we read the following: “No permit shall be granted for the purpose of holding religious worship services, or otherwise using a school as a house of worship.”
Using the school as a flea market is OK with the DOE (D-180, Section I-L); the same goes for the Rotarians and other civic groups. Religious groups are the ones who are specifically denied equal treatment when it comes to meeting in the school buildings.
There’s no way around it: The New York City Department of Education is blatantly discriminating against religious groups.
You can read the NYC Dept. of Education Rules and Regulations Here.
We’ve been keeping you posted on developments out of New York City regarding the housing authority’s push to ban religious services from public buildings. It seems at least one victory has been won in the matter.