examiNation dc: What do you think about the legal wranglings over the former Episcopal Church properties?

Article written by someone without good information about the fact that all property is held for the diocese rather than the congregations as a response to Va.s constitution as influenced by TJefferson. Second, courts generally are very leery of intervening in intra-church difficulties. Some cynic pointed out that the greatest land grab in American history, outside of our treatment of the American Indians, is the work of a Brit (Martin Mynns) and a Nigerian (Archbishop Akinola).

Truro & Falls Church were there far before any "diocese" existed. Therefore these two cannot possibly "belong" to the diocese! Which is exactly what is being argued in court. I fully believe Truro, et. al., will win the battle. And yes, that "african" stuff is highly derogatory, inflammatory and juvenile. I don't even go to church there (but my kids attend the preschool), but know that those statements are just uninformed and said to just stir hatred. You are not being forced to leave. The same message is preached there as it was before the vote. If you could handle it then, you should be able to handle it now.

The Church property belongs to the diocese, not to the congragation.If they leave the Church here and Join the nigerian church they should leave the property and find and buy and build anew.

I've read his comment before--he writes often. His church was apparently "stolen." But he doesn't seem to have understood the overwhelming nature of the vote involved and that, despite all of this, the church has worked very hard to encourage those who disagree with the vote to stay and remain part of the congregation. I hope that he will find a way to return (and to stop using "African" in a derogatory way).

The issue at hand must be viewed in an historical context. 500 years ago, the Anglican Church did what the monarch told it to do--churches, priests, bishops all obeyed. A 1,000 years ago, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches did what the Emperor told them to do-unquestionably, and some of what the Popes or Patriachs asked them to do(as long as they armies to back them up). Once Protestant, Catholic, and later Orthodox Churches came to the "new world", there were no monarchs or emperors or armies within the churches--just a democracy and with guaranteed individual civil rights and legal redress for all. The churches of the "new world"--all denominations--now find it difficult to succumb to the eccelesiatical-monarchical old world authority of the past. Thus, once you have a socio-religious issue within the church, its communicants appeal to the courts the same way they would appeal to the monarch/emperor. Problem: A democracy is usually lothe to interfere in purely church matters.

The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has thrown its lot in with the Episcopal Church USA ('ECUSA' or 'TEC') which has replaced the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a social 'gospel'. Judging by its ever-decreasing membership numbers, ECUSA is attempting to sell a product for which there are fewer and fewer customers. I believe that Jesus loves us just the way we are - but He loves us too much to leave us that way. From what I can tell, ECUSA does not agree with me.

None of the Episcopalians who want to separate are homophobes, but they want to retain their long-held religious beliefs. The hierarchy, on the other hand, is imposing "correct" thought and threatening loss of property (which has been maintained by the local parishioners) to enforce the agenda. Is it working? Note the continuing loss of Episcopal members.

If you lose your churches due to your homophobia, does that mean that God is trying to tell you something?

Judging buy your poll results, its a tie on all three counts.

I belong to one of these churches that was stolen. The whole separtism movement was organized by a mere handful of influential leaders--and the rector, of course. Most of us wanted only to remain together. Most of us did not want to have to vote. But we were pushed, relentlessly, through sermons, evening discussions, seminars, theological arm-twisting to the point where an election was forced upon us. We weren't voting to join or not join an African church as much as we were voting to stay together. Voters had to engage in holy guesswork: my friends, the Smiths, will vote to stay,but the Joneses, whose daughter is my daughter's best friend, have said they'll vote to leave. What shall I do? In essence, the leadership forced separatism and tore apart friendships that had endured decades of disagreement over church dinners and shared prayers. May God have mercy on that rector. May God have mercy on his hand-chosen henchmen. And may God give me back my church.

c'mon which church dont fight? this rpotter never been to sunday scool anywayz

Are the attorneys episopilians? or are they from a different sect? that must be investigated...what if the lawyers are moslim...or yiddish? does that matter? guess not, unless some wrongdoing or motives are exposed and they turn out to be from an article of faith not recognized by us

every traffic signal in amerika has a church...dont see why they need to fight over some real estate...go build some more man

40 million is heluva lot of dough and the commonwealth must be salivating to land their hands on some through court costs, etc.

How many esiscopolian churches are embroiled in the sex scandal?

Does this mean we will be inundated with Nigerian spam emails that our church has won the lottery and all parishioners need to empty our pockets on sunday because we got a mass email from someone claiming to be the hed of the diocese? Or that we need to contribute via a paypal account? Does this also mean that a lot of Nigerians will be granted religious visas to enter the US in the name of Christ? Why of all places Nigeria? What happened to Roma? Guess i must be ignoramus about the epsicopilians (they do have shorter weddings!) or about global papal politics but this whole fight does not make no sense to me. But then religion never did anyways....

Which Church does not have problems, dude? get over it.

Battle over money and real estate is centuries old. Virginia is a battleground state. Lets add this to the lexicon on the mother of all battles fought in the history of US churches.

I agree that churchgoers will get turned off...A church is not just an organization, but alas it has become one. The higher power does not want us to add more bureacracy and infighting to his path.

This is also true for any organization, not just churches. Don't try to make more of the question than what it is.