Ocean Grove Beaches Which Were Closed on Sunday Due to Religious Observances Will Now Be Opened

Heard about this story earlier today, and it made me angry.

Not that I have ever even been there, to my knowledge, much less the beach. But this was a story about how the beach there is traditionally closed on Sundays for religious observances. Now, the DEP has ruled that it must open those beaches up. 

The idea that a religious group should be able to dictate whether a beach is opened or closed or not is, frankly, obnoxious. I personally do not believe that a public beach - particularly the ocean - should ever be restricted because it is "owned" by someone, even a religious group. 

And this would be a clear case of a religious group imposing limitations on everyone else because of it's belief and/or practices. I would be willing to be that some members are outraged, and perhaps even are echoing a "war on Christians" or "war on religion" theme right now.

Personally, I applaud these beaches being opened up.

N.J. religious group can no longer restrict access to private beach, DEP head rules Updated: Dec. 30, 2025, 3:59 p.m.|Published: Dec. 30, 2025, 3:37 p.m.

https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2025/12/nj-religious-group-can-no-longer-restrict-access-to-private-beach-dep-head-rules.html