… Could it be a sign that the End is nigh?
Nah, not really. There will be three proposal constitutional amendments on this fall’s ballot. While Marriage Protection Act gets all the attenion, another proposed amendment would re-define the legal rights of churches. According to Times-Dispatch reporter Pamela Stallsmith:
One [proposed amendment] would delete a constitutional provision that prohibits the incorporation of churches. … The church question arose from a 2002 federal court ruling that declared it unconstitutional to deny a church the option to incorporate under state law when any other group can, according to a state Board of Elections explanation.
The case stemmed from a suit brought by the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Lynchburg, which challenged an 18th-century provision in the state constitution that banned churches from incorporating. Amazingly enough, the American Civil Liberties Union, backed in him the case. Said Kent Willis, edecutive director of the Virginia chapter: “In principle, churches are nonprofit organizations and should not be singled out for less-equal treatment than other nonprofit charitable organizations.”
I will discuss the other proposed amendment in a separate post.
