December 22, 2008
Things have been ticking along since I have last written on these topics that seem so tiresome in the midst of watching Obama pick his cabinet and the Fed cutting interest rates as low as they have ever been. The most significant thing that has happened in recent weeks is that Judge Bellows has issued a final series of rulings in the Virginia property disputes. (You can read about that here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_103915_ENG_HTM.htm) It is clear that under the unique laws written for racist Methodists during the civil war that what has happened in the Diocese of Virginia with eleven congregations acting in concert to leave the Episcopal Church is that the judge has ruled this a church split which means they may continue to use and claim ownership of property that was being held in trust for the Episcopal Church (but apparently never registered as such following legal formalities). The Diocese will now appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the law that has defined the Judge’s decisions. This will doubtless take a long time before a decision is clear.
1 comment:
It really bothers me that such decisions are being made by civil courts who may not have a full grasp of the situation or what it means for the property to be held in trust for TEC. If people want to leave TEC, that's ok--people leave churches all the time for various reasons--but, those who leave do not expect to take church property with them. I certainly hope that all works out as it should, with a finding in favor as TEC. Perhaps it's the hippie in me, but I do not understand why such strife has to be stirred up--what happened to "Love thy neighbor as thyself," and, as the old song stated, "They'll know we are Christians by our love?" What a sad witness to the world.
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