On My Mind: Another Bible Study Under Attack

A Virginia man was recently denied the right to conduct a

Bible study in his home.   Ken Hauge, a retired Lutheran minister,

and a resident of Evergreens at Smith Run in Fredericksburg, was

asked by several residents to hold a Bible study in the facility's

Community Room.  After the pastor payed a $100 deposit, the

 manager of the senior housing complex initially agreed

 to allow Pastor Hauge to conduct the Bible study, but

 then told him he would have to change the name of it

from a "Bible" to "Book " study.

According to a report by CBN, in July of this year,

 Evergreens at Smith Run complex adopted a new

 measure prohibiting the use of the Community

Room to anyone engaged in "religious activities".

That  very same day, Pastor Hauge and his wife received an 

 eviction notice saying the realtor considered their Bible study

 a "business practice" which is a violation of their lease.

 The notice also informed the pastor that unless

  he stopped the Bible study, his lease would

 terminate on August 31, 2018.

However, attorneys from the First Liberty Institute, working 

 on behalf of Pastor Hauge, charge that the actions of the complex

are in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, which

prohibits discrimination based on religious beliefs.

Associate counsel for First Liberty Lea Patterson had this

to say regarding the case: "It's frightening that a management

company would use the threat of eviction to stop residents from

meeting together to discuss any issue, let alone their faith.

The unequal treatment of citizens in the community simply

out of hostility to religion violates federal law and taints

Virginia's long history of religious freedom."

I am further curious as to who is really behind 

the banning of this harmless Bible study.  Was the action of the 

Evergreens to ban their Community Room from those engaging

in "religious activities" the result of another resident's complaint?

On the Evergreens at Smith Run website more than several

reviewers have posted negative comments against the facility

saying that the management discriminates against Christians

and that no one should have to live in such an intolerant environment.

One reviewer simply wrote: "Let the Bible study continue!"

while yet another insisted that Pastor Hauge and his wife can

still conduct their Bible group inside their  own apartment.
However other reports suggest that the pastor has been forbidden
to hold a Bible study in both the Community Room and
within the privacy of his own apartment, that latter of which 
 is patently absurd and a clear violation of his privacy,
not to mention his Constitutional rights to freedom
of speech, expression, and religion.

Pastor Hauge has since suspended the Bible study for the time being

while attorneys work on his case.  Personally, I think this is outrageous,

and not just a violation of his First Amendment rights, but clear and
 tangible evidence of the spirit of Antichrist at work in America today.

"The Spirit of Antichrist"
Derek Prince