January 16, 2016

AVVO is a website where individuals can ask legal questions and lawyers can respond. An individual asked the following question on AVVO:

“What are my legal rights? Can I be prohibited from attending this church for simply expressing my opinions? A pastor in Florida attempted to censure my First Amendment rights to Freedom of Speech by “counseling” me not to express my personal opinions about biblical matters with other members of the church. No matter that my conversations were private and one on one with other believers and only after small group studies outside the class room, not during the bible studies.”

Several lawyers,  including me, answered the question. The asker chose my answer as the best answer, and then, in subsequent replies by him and me, I learned something I had not thought of.

The webpage with the questions and answers is copied and pasted below. For some reason, the website removed my answer, and the asker’s and my replies.

I suggest reading the following articles in conjunction with this dialogue:

1. Can a church force a homosexual to turn straight to stay in the church? (Another AVVO question asked and answered.)

2. First Amendment Protection of New Testament Churches/Federal Laws Protecting State Churches (Religious Organizations) by Jerald Finney, February 2010.

Copied and pasted below is the page to this date, January 17, 2016.

The cite for the webpage (where you may see the dialogue yourself as well as any future replies) is: What are my legal rights? Can I be prohibited from attending this church for simply expressing my opinions?