Five years ago I responded to a question posed by a newspaper journalist regarding the top-five future threats to religious liberty. I told the reporter that I ranked zoning as one of the key threats. The re-porter looked puzzled. Through zoning laws, government may permit or prohibit certain activities and thus make certain activities legal or illegal. Although an auto body shop may legally operate in an industrial or business district, the same body shop may be illegal in the heart of a residential community.
Most people believe that zoning is a good form of regulation.
After all, you probably wouldn't want a cement- mixing factory operating heavy machinery across your front yard. After zoning laws became common, churches were favored with special exemptions to zoning requirements. These special exemptions were fundamentally based on the notion that churches occupied a favored status. Faith was important to the community and churches provided a significant benefit to society. However, as America has become more secular, churches face growing discrimination through zoning regulations.