Community versus private property


Religious differences help me understand
I'm really starting to rethink some of my attitudes on the civic role of religion.

Here's a Tennessee mosque that objects to a restaurant next door serving alcohol.

One of the mosque board members suggests a buffer zone.

I'm curious as to what would be a "good" buffer zone. The restaurant and the mosque are separated by 197 feet right now. So obviously 100 feet isn't good enough. 200 feet? One mile? Ten miles?

Assuming that the city makes the buffer zone law (an outside chance I know), why should a religious building have precedence over all other private property?

Why should a religious group have control over zoning?

And if we dare to ask that question, all of the sudden we have to look at those laws and zoning codes that prohibit porn and sex stores in certain areas. By definition, vice laws are all based in one religion or another.

Let's take it to the next step.

Gun free zones? What's the justification except setting up a convenient place where any potential shooter knows that no one there will be legally armed to defend themselves?

Doesn't private property mean that the owner can do what he likes?

All of the sudden I can see a clear relationship between laws that are meant to preserve property values and taxpayer bailouts of banks "too big to fail."

And another of my long cherished assumptions crashes to the ground.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - April 8, 2009 at 01:59 PM  Tag


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