Speak Out: Should Churches Surrender Donations?

From Virginia-

The Episcopal Church is the last place local church members want their money to go. Some even went so far as to "opt out" of giving to the denomination, choosing instead that their donations be spent inside their own churches.

But thanks to a recent ruling by a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge, Truro Church, The Falls Church and five other congregations stand to lose a good portion of their donations to the denomination and diocese they divorced years ago.

Everything the congregations acquired before Jan. 31, 2007, the date Judge Randy Bellows notes as the official separation from The Episcopal Church, must be forfeited to the denomination and diocese. The congregations must also surrender the churches and other property they've cultivated for decades.

Truro, Falls Church and other congregations argue that the ruling violates state religious freedom laws and the Constitution. The Episcopal Church claims that the property never belonged to the congregations to begin with.

More here-

http://woodbridge-va.patch.com/articles/speak-out-should-churches-surrender-donations