Should churches sue one another over loss of membership ?

Question

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 21, 2007
The mother of all lawsuits pitting Episcopalian against Anglican kicks off today in the red-brick confines of Fairfax County Circuit Court.
The case has amassed numerous court filings involving 11 churches, two dozen lawyers, 107 individuals, the 90,000-member Diocese of Virginia, the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church and the 18.5 million-member Anglican Province of Nigeria.
The Episcopal Church and its Virginia Diocese are suing 11 churches, their clergy and lay leaders for leaving the diocese last winter in order to join the Nigerian province. Since the 2003 consecration of the openly homosexual New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, conservatives have been fleeing the denomination.

http://washtimes.com/national/20070521-121933-8046r.htm

Answer 1

It does not matter. Apostate Christianity is all a part of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. At Armageddon, they will all be destroyed.

Answer 2

Holy cow.

"Mary McReynolds, chancellor of the Anglican District of Virginia, the new ecclesiastical body for the 11 churches, said the diocese and the churches hammered out a "protocol" allowing conservatives to leave. The diocese then appointed a property commission to look at the assets of each church and levy an amount each church must pay in order to leave. Then on Jan. 31, the diocese filed lawsuits against each of the 11 churches."

"The crux of the case is a state law that spells out that in a division within a denomination, the congregation can retain its property if a majority votes to disassociate.
The diocese's position is that the properties are owned by the trustees as long as the congregation remains Episcopal. If it leaves the denomination, it forfeits ownership."

Using pressure to keep members from leaving their religious organization - isn't that like one of the hallmark signs of a cult? Or is this just another aspect of "I'm taking my ball and going home" "No you're not, it's MY ball and YOU can't have it"?

Either way, it's pretty sad.

Answer 3

Thank you.

I have now seen it all in the "people can sue over anything" category.

Reminds me of the first time I heard about the guy sueing the RV manufacturer for not indicating in the manual that he cannot put on the cruise control and go to the kitchen and make himself a sandwich at 80 mph. (He won I'm told)

Answer 4

i am non religious but i thought the point of the church was to spread the word of god. not lets see how much money we can get because someone with beliefs different from ours is taking people from our church. get outta here. I get more peace without religion and now i see why.

Answer 5

I look forward to the time when all false religion will be destroyed by the government.

Answer 6

The split is about gays. One church wants to ignore the Bible about the gay lifestyle and one church wants to keep the truth in the Bible by rejecting the gay lifestyle. The Nigerian church is the latter, they want to stick to the truth and tell people that it is Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.

Answer 7

This isn't about members at all, but about property.

That's a pretty big deal. Stop spinning stories to suit your agenda.

Answer 8

to this point as i understand, you tell your new church you opt to circulate your club. Then they are going to touch the previous church. additionally, it may be good so which you will tell the previous church you're moving.

Answer 9

They should only do it if prisons can sue each other when their inmates get transferred to another facility.

Answer 10

Oh wow, how....christian of them. And to think they could have fed hungry children with that money.