Managers of a senior apartment complex have prohibited the use of the word “Bible” in its community room announcements.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is taking action against the North Carolina complex, claiming it violated religious liberties within the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
The ACLJ’s client was prohibited from advertising his Bible study because of the presence of the word “Bible.”
According to the legal group, the client freely advertised his Bible study before June. The apartment complex later removed his advertisement, replacing it with “Spiritual Services.”
“Contrary to this belief, the FHA prevents these facilities from treating religious activities differently from secular activities,” the ACLJ wrote.
The group noted that changing the Bible study’s name to “Spiritual Services” is a mischaracterization of the activity. “[A] Bible study is simply not a spiritual service, and the mischaracterization is based solely on the religious identity and content of the activity,” the legal organization explained.
The ACLJ sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in July, highlighting the widespread banning of Bibles across senior living centers.
Some of the discriminatory practices uncovered by the ACLJ include “Bible studies prohibited from common areas/rooms while other resident-led groups are able to utilize the same area for other gatherings such as card games, board games, and knitting clubs;” the banning of “religious decorations;” prohibitions against advertising Bible studies; and “religious literature banned in common areas used by other individuals for various pamphlets, flyers, and business cards.”
