Is It Really “Religious Discrimination”? (If It Walks Like A Church And Quacks Like A Church . . . )
We people are fickle creatures. We are quick to judgment; oftentimes without getting all sides of a story and oftentimes without thinking things through. There’s a reason we have clichés about jumping on the bandwagon. We really, really like to do it. And Christians are no different. Throw in the idea of “religious persecution” and Christians are all up in that proverbial bandwagon.
Such is the case with the case of Michael Salman, a Phoenix man now serving 60 days in jail for zoning offenses. Christians of all stripes have rallied around Mr. Salman and decried the “discrimination” that has put him in jail. After all, can’t we gather for religious purposes in our own private homes without government intrusion!? This is a travesty, right? We should rally around this man and fight the power! But what if there is more than one side to a story (which there always is)?
I could be wrong about how I’ve come to understand the situation and I’m sure many of you will disagree with me. But, if I am wrong, please show me from the facts and printed materials. But, after having read as many articles from as many different sources on this case as I could possibly find, I really don’t think this is a case of religious discrimination and I want to urge Christians to stop framing it as such. In fact, I’m not sure Mr. Salman doesn’t deserve his jail time.
As this piece points out, there is much more going on here than someone simply holding private bible studies with a few friends when the government swept in carrying off an innocent bible study leader to jail. For starters, there was a cross and a marquee in the front yard, a pulpit inside, along with up to 40 folding chairs. But here are some other facts (borrowed from here):
- Salman purchased a 3,000 square foot house at 7601 N 31st Ave. in Phoenix for $705,000 in December, 2005.
- It sits on 1.4 acres–not almost five, as many reports say. Aerial photos at Google Maps show neighbors close on both sides.
- In 2007, Salman began registering the Harvest Christian Fellowship Community Church with the State of Arizona at that address as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
- On the church website, he represents himself as being an ordained pastor.
- His front yard holds two large crosses and a reader board similar to what you might see in front of many church buildings
- In 2009, he built a second 2,000 square foot building right behind his house.
- On his permit applications, he listed the building as a game room.
- He has in fact been using it for weekly religious meetings.
- The city asked him to bring his church building up to code. They want 67 things fixed–lighted exit signs installed, exits on more than one side of the building in case of fire, and so on.
As the owner of two restaurants, Mr. Salman certainly knows how to comply with building and zoning codes. As an ordained pastor, he is certainly familiar with Romans 13:1 which admonishes Christians to obey their governing authorities, or 1 Peter 2:13-20 which urges the same thing. Why then, at least on the surface, does it seem like he continually fought the zoning requirements here? It appears to me that the government has not told him he can’t have religious gatherings, just that he should comply with zoning requirements. That’s discrimination?
If you are an ordained pastor who has incorporated a named entity then it’s more than just a home bible study and pretending otherwise does no one any good.
I realize that I have a tendency to be overly cynical and it’s something I often pray about, so if that’s the case here, please help me see it. But this just doesn’t seem like religious discrimination to me. In fact, it seems like a guy playing that card when he has been given multiple opportunities to comply. If that’s the case then we should be more quick to listen and research before we cry foul. My heart goes out to the Salman family. I can only imagine what a stressful time this is, but I also can’t help but wonder if this entire situation could have been avoided.
What do you think?
Just this morning there was a news report that showed the police swarming the home, portraying them as neo-Nazi terrorists. The facts just do not support that assessment. This is not a case of persecution, but the due prosecution of the law.
Agree with you. I’ve seen the outrage but I think it’s better saved for a more outrageous situation
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Thanks for writing this up, Brent. I had much the same thoughts as I dug into the story, but didn’t take the time to put it down in this helpful fashion.
Seeing as Christians are instructed to be subject to the ruling authorities, Mr. Salman would appear to be sinning by flouting zoning regulations, lying on a building permit, and failing to meet the city building codes. So, the punishment he’s getting isn’t “religious persecution”… it’s just the consequences of his actions.
Here’s some more info: http://news4themasses.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/pastor-michael-salman-not-going-to-jail-for-preaching-but-for-failing-to-obey-the-law/
Anybody have a link to the full text of the judgment?
I am glad you brought this up, I have been so irritated with the way people are jumping on the persecution bandwagon.
Here are other things to consider: if you go to his YouTube channel, you can see the setup of the “game room”. The chairs are not folding chairs but the soft padded chairs seen in so many of our church buildings. He also has multiple videos of himself preaching in front of his congregation (in the “game room”) he even states in a video that he chose to zone it as a private game room because it was to difficult to get the commercial zoning done.
After watching his 14 minute video from June I am convinced he was playing a game of semantics with the city. He had an opportunity to right the things they said were wrong and instead of complying he chose not to. If he had cooperated he would have a valid argument. He would be in compliance with zoning, if the city came back after that and complained he might have a case.
Another thing I noticed is he seems to set himself up as a martyr for the faith. Right around the 14 minute mark in the above mentioned video, he states that he isn’t bitter, but ”honored to do this for Christ”.
His YouTube name is “Harvest777123″
On a side note after watching a few of his sermon videos and blogs, i have to say I don’t care for his theology either.
@Adrian, I’ve not been able to find that documentation.
I realize that this man was probably foolish and perhaps intentionally misleading in what he was doing. There are rules that govern us all and have to be followed by Christians holding themselves to a higher standard than that of the average citizen. The problem I see is that the law has become so complex and convoluted that often it is appled in a way that is contrary to the intent behind the law. This gives those enforcing the laws the ability to use the law for advancing their own particular agendas. It reminds me of how the Pharisees in Jesus’ day used the law to justify crucifying Him. Consequently, the law of the land in our country, I believe has become an instrument of injustice rather than justice. Not in all cases, mind you, but far too often. There are enough building codes and fire codes and etc. for a person in position of authority to be able to stop a new church from forming just because they are personally against it. That is wrong. My belief is that we are fast reaching the time in America where we as Christians will have to choose either to obey God or man and no longer be able to do both. We need to be very careful not to allow ourselves to start thinking like Pharisees. This is my humble opinion.
Please allow me to clarify. I applaud you for holding this man accountable. I just want to emphasize that REAL persecution does happen and that our legal system IS used to restrict legitimate Christian mission work, IN THIS COUNTRY. So we as believers need to be aware of BOTH sides to this story. Thanks for your commitment to the truth.
Agreed Sam!
It is definitely an injustice, but it is in no way religious discrimination. This is someone with an obvious political opinion who is using a religious position to fight for a political cause. But this is definitely nothing new within the modern church.
As far as “christians” being persecuted in the US (and I know I’ll catch a lot of grief from this… and I myself am also a Christian) I believe it is well deserved blowback. The “church” has used political means to unjustly regulate moral behaviors in this country for so long that any “persecution” or hatred toward that agenda is completely understandable.
We heard this here in Australia and where horrified until the WHOLE Story was revealed..Look to Churches in Africa, the middle east, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and most Moslem country’s to see REAL PERSECUTION…. Check The Barnabas Fund for more information.. Thanking you ..
Hi, Brent, thanks for crediting the info you got from my blog! I appreciate it. Here’s a follow-up with some more info on the issue:
http://crybelovedcountry.com/2012/07/michael-salman-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave/