Bible Park opponent seeks help from ACLU on The Murfreesboro Post

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Bible Park opponent seeks help from ACLU

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By: By Lisa Marchesoni- March 31, 2008 - 2:48 PM

An opponent of Bible Park USA has asked the American Civil Liberties Union to seek an immediate injunction based on the doctrine of separation between church and state.

Joseph N. Dassaro, a Blackman community resident, asked the ACLU Saturday to investigate his complaint the county will violate the separation of church and state if it forgoes sales and property taxes for Bible Park USA.

He stated he represented more than 2,000 county citizens opposed to the park in asking the ACLU to:

• Investigate his complaint.

• Help determine the basis for challenging the park under state and federal law.

• Assist in obtaining the injunction based on inadequate legal remedy and potential for irreparable harm affecting the citizens.

• Provide attorneys at government meetings.

Bible Park USA developers hope to obtain Tax Increment Financing to fund the 150-acre non-denominational park on Blackman Road near the state Route 840 Beesley Road interchange. Under TIF, property and sales taxes would be diverted into the development.

In his complaint, Dassaro stated the developer maintains the park will be non-religious.

“However, the park and its thematic representation symbolize intrinsically religious concepts not subject to countervailing viewpoints within the boundaries of the park and therefore without basis in a non-secular claim concerning its activity,” Dassaro wrote.

Developer SafeHarbor Holding seeks TIF in both the economic impact zone and the tourism development zone, Dassaro stated.

Rutherford County Industrial Development Board will make a recommendation about the financing to the Rutherford County Commission.

If the commission approves the financing for the park, the action would result in government endorsement and public financial support of religion, “eroding fundamental principles of separation of church and state.”

An ACLU representative could not be reached for comment.

Tagged under BPU

Member Opinions:

By: diddlede on 3/31/08
Oh boy, this had already crossed my mind, but I had not had the real opportunity to mention it to the Blackman residents and even when I was with them it always slipped my mind. We do not live in the Blackman area, but being Rutherford County taxpayers we are supporting them. We believe property in a residential neighborhood should not be rezoned for a Bible Park.

By: bota on 4/1/08
I don't think that the ACLU will touch it. It is a for profit business. If it were a non-profit they might view it differently.