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Pastor and city leaders fighting over sex offender working at church in California

By Douglas A. Berman

This local story out of California, which is headlined "Pastor: San Bernardino council ultimatum is unconstitutional," reports on the fascinating details of a brewing constitutional debate involving churches freedom and local sex offender restrictions.  Here are the basics: Responding to a demand that First Church of the Nazarene ban registered sex offenders or to stop receiving city money to host a youth facility there, the church's pastor contended the ultimatum is an unconstitutional violation of his religious freedom. "I cannot think of anything more antithetical or repugnant to the fundamental values upon which our nation was founded  ? freedom of religion, freedom to worship God without interference from the government, freedom to practice Christianity without oppression," Pastor David Rhone wrote Tuesday in a letter to Mayor Pat Morris and the council...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on September 23, 2009 (boomark / email).