Complaint filed against Christian ministry for not allowing same sex marriage

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association with ties to the United Methodist Church refused to allow a same sex marriage to take place between a Ms. Bernstein and a Mrs. Paster on their property; although weddings are frequently held there.

You can learn more about this ministry by checking their website to see all the many opportunities they offer for Christian worship.

The ministry states that according to their own faith and practice they do not accept same sex marriages to be held on their property.

The two women filed saying that the organization violated the New Jersey state law against non-discrimination. They contend that since other marriages take place there, they are entitled to have their wedding there as well. This camp is a Christian based camp which hosts many events during the year based on Christian principles as upheld in the Bible.

There has been an attempt to reverse the tax exempt status of Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association because of their stand.

Administrative law judge, Solomon Metzger stated that the ministry had broken the law by their refusal to allow the marriage to take place. If his ruling is not overturned, then his determination will become final.

Judge is essentially saying that it does not matter what their beliefs are and that living by their religious beliefs is wrong – because this law says so. They believe in answering to a higher law in the precepts of their faith by not allowing this ceremony because of Biblical teachings.

Story as covered by World News Daily’s reporter Bob Unruh:

“So when Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster signed up for such a ceremony, they were turned down. They filed the discrimination complaint then, and the state’s Division on Civil Rights joined their cause.”

However the response was: “The government should not be able to force a private Christian organization to use its property in a way that would violate its own religious beliefs,” said Jim Campbell, a litigation staff counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.

“Religious groups have the right to use their private property in a way that is consistent with their beliefs. That right, protected by both the New Jersey and U.S. constitutions, obviously trumps any law enacted by the state’s legislature.”

The ADF, which represented the ministry, said would it consider the next step in the case, but its argument is that the ministry simply is exercising its constitutionally protected right to use its private property in a way consistent with its beliefs.”

For more on the story click here.

According to Wikipedia: “Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. It had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Ocean Grove is noted for its abundant examples of Victorian architecture.”

“Ocean Grove was founded in 1869 as an outgrowth of the camp meeting movement in the United States, when a group of Methodist clergymen, led by William B. Osborn and Ellwood H. Stokes, formed the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to develop and operate a summer camp meeting site on the New Jersey seashore. By the early 20th century, the popular Christian meeting ground became known as the "Queen of Religious Resorts." The community's land is still owned by the camp meeting association and leased to individual homeowners and businesses. Ocean Grove remains the longest-active camp meeting site in the United States.”

For more on Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association’s dramatic Christian history check out their own website by clicking here.

It is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places founded in 1869. Wikipedia