It would be great if more Churches did this

[Heather MC]

Last edited Tue Nov 19, 2013, 01:42 AM - Edit history (1)

I have long thought of churches as a giant waste of Space.

But what this Church has voted to do, Is Awesome.

I will sign up to volunteer to help hang dry wall.
http://www.arlnow.com/2013/11/18/arlington-presbyterian-approves-redevelopment-plan/

The congregation of the Arlington Presbyterian Church (3507 Columbia Pike) approved a plan for the church to be torn down and built with an affordable housing apartment building on site.

will include a five-story, 142-unit apartment building

[trotsky]

1. As I am always the evil atheist pessimist, I figured "there must be a catch."

And there is:

the project... will include... a new, 7,100-square foot “worship space,”

Just wondering how that will work. Will only church members be allowed to live there? If not, will residents who don't attend services be coerced or treated differently?

[Heather MC]

2. I don't think they will be treated differently

The Presbyterians in Arlington are a really laid back Liberal group, I have signed my boys up for their vacation bible schools. and at the end of the week they have a service where the kids sing songs they learned during the week. I never felt like I pressure to join.

Now have Jehovah Witness family, and when my Grand mother died, the guy officiating the furneral did an advertisement at the end encouraging people to become JW's so they can be assured to see my Grand Mother again during the resurrection.

I was so pissed. they where using my Grand Mother's death on the day we buried her to attempt to recurit sad people to their made up religion

So trust me when I say I know the hard sale when I see it.

[Aquavit]

3. I'm pretty sure they can't do that.

The Fair Housing Act would generally prohibit, on a Federal level, discrimination on religious grounds. There is an exception, where religious discrimination for non-commercial housing is allowed in a limited way, that might apply but I would be very surprised if they were allowed to deny the new living spaces to anybody outside of the church.

[link] http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/housing_coverage.php [/link]

Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Religion
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based upon religion. This prohibition covers instances of overt discrimination against members of a particular religion as well less direct actions, such as zoning ordinances designed to limit the use of private homes as a places of worship. The number of cases filed since 1968 alleging religious discrimination is small in comparison to some of the other prohibited bases, such as race or national origin. The Act does contain a limited exception that allows non-commercial housing operated by a religious organization to reserve such housing to persons of the same religion.

In any case, I would never live anywhere near this project or anything like it because, frankly, any building that includes dedicated worship space can pretty much shove off IMO.

[trotsky]

4. Legally, probably not.

But you think about the person in need of that kind of housing - they're probably going through tough times. If they are sermonized and harassed, how likely are they to be able to put up a fight... in court? And in the meantime, make their housing situation miserable?