Written by Don Byrd
After 8 months of delay, a meditation center in Lake County, Illinois can finally open, now that county officials have finally determined Maum Meditation is indeed a religion. The zoning board previously denied Erik Sung’s request to turn his home into a meditation center, claiming the “elements of religion” were not met. A federal lawsuit seems to have helped change their mind.
Two weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Lake County Department of Planning, Building and Development sent a letter stating that they would consider it a religious institution, [Sung’s attorney Jeff] Schwab said.
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The lawsuit claims that the county asked neighbors to keep track of who was coming and going from the home, to take pictures of cars and license plates, and call a hotline with any complaints, according to court records.But county officials say this is untrue.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times story, Maum Meditation originated in South Korea in 1996 and now is practiced in hundreds of centers around the world.
