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Las Vegas Homeowners Sue to Halt Construction of Massive Mormon Temple
By TheNevadaGlobeStaff, August 15, 2024 8:30 pm
A group of Las Vegas homeowners has taken legal action to stop the construction of a large Mormon temple in their neighborhood. They are asking a Nevada court to overturn the Las Vegas City Council’s recent approval of the project, arguing that the council misinterpreted building restrictions.
The temple, planned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is set to stand 216 feet tall and cover 87,000 square feet. Residents contend that the structure would dwarf other buildings in the area, disrupting the neighborhood’s character.
Attorney Evan Schwab, representing the homeowners, claims the council’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence and alleges potential conflicts of interest due to donations from the church’s law firm to council members.
Prior to the council’s vote, residents actively protested the project, even flying a balloon at the temple’s proposed height to illustrate its visual impact. They expressed concerns about light pollution, traffic congestion, and the overall disruption of their quiet, rural setting.
Despite opposition, the project also has supporters. Lindsay Nielson, a church member living near the site, believes the church will adhere to all regulations and be a positive addition to the community.
This legal challenge highlights the ongoing tension between development and preserving neighborhood character. The court’s decision will have significant implications for the future of the temple project and the community’s landscape.
Source: Independent
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Christian church buildings have existed in residential neighborhoods for two thousand years. Part of the freedom of religious worship that is enshrined in the First Amendment is the freedom to gather with those who share your particular faith in a building that provides a place for gathering. Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, Buddhist temples, all have been accepted as part of American communities, because we accept our neighbors of many different faith communities. Rejecting one denomination’s house of worship is a rejection of the American Bill of Rights. No one is forced to go inside another faith’s religious building, or to participate in religious gatherings there. We accept the right of others to worship as they believe that God or a divine entity or philosophy calls them to worship. ALL buildings of ALL religious beliefs are “compatible with the character of our neighborhoods” because our NEIGHBORS are of ALL different faith communities and their choice of worship and choice of structure for worship, built on THEIR land with THEIR funds, and costing us nothing, is part of being American citizens. Intolerance of a particular religious group is an anti-American character, and no government, Federal, state or local, in America, should allow that intolerance to be enforced by government.
I doubt this situation has anything to do with religious intolerance. It has everything to do with building a massive structural monstrosity inappropriately in a rural residential area. Heck, why not build it on the Vegas Strip where it would be more in scale as to what is already there. Plus it would fit in nicely as another place of worship for the almighty dollar.
Attorney Evan Schwab, representing the homeowners, “alleges potential conflicts of interest due to donations from the church’s law firm to council members.” That’s all anyone needs to know as to why this project was approved and will move forward despite public opposition. And perhaps the fact that Mormans are firmly entrenched in Nevada government.