Lighthouse Mission Fights for Survival
Mar 29, 2007
March 27, Philadelphia, PA – Today the Third Circuit Court of Appeals heard
arguments in the case of Lighthouse Institute for Evangelism v. City of Long
Branch. Since 1994, Lighthouse has been seeking permission from zoning
officials to provide social services and conduct worship services from their
location at 162 Broadway. However, the City’s plans to redevelop this
previously
rundown section of the Jersey Shore City have so far excluded the Lighthouse
Mission.
“If the City were serious about cleaning up the area, they’d be more
accommodating to religious groups like Lighthouse that provide valuable
services to
those in need,” said Anthony Picarello, Vice President and General Counsel
for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm that
argued on behalf of lighthouse before the Third Circuit. “Instead, they’ve
allowed theaters and bars galore while excluding Lighthouse, which would
provide
real benefits to the entire community.”
The Third Circuit panel will rule on the Church’s claims that the city’s
zoning ordinances, new and old, violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First
Amendment as well as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
(RLUIPA).
“RLUIPA says you must treat churches at least as well as secular assemblies,
and that includes theaters and bars,” explained Picarello. “If the
government is going to let people come together for drinks, they can’t
distinguish
between beer and communion wine.”
Relevant Cases
* _Lighthouse Institute for Evangelism v. City of Long Branch_
(http://www.becketfund.org/index.php/case/61.html)
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