The county wanted a major use permit.
It looks to me like an attempt to make it look like a religious freedom issue when it's really about local ordinances that require a permit if you're going to have regular gatherings of significant numbers of people.
Not really enough info for more than speculation though.
It reminds me of the stories about people with enormous flags in their front yards that whip in the wind and make lots of noise, and when officials try to do something about the noise, they're blasted for persecuting someone for being "too patriotic."
This certainly isn't a constitutional dilemma. But to engage on the merits...
The issue isn't what goes on inside your home, but instead the "externalites" that your meeting imposes on your neighbors.
When you live in a city with finite parking space in your neighborhood, your neighbors have a right to care about the cars parked on the street in front of their house.
If you disagree, then are there any limits? What if I want to hold a "Phish" concert in my backyard?
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