Heated Debate Expected Over Virginia Anti-Gay Amendment Explanation

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/04/041906vaAmend.htm

Gay rights advocates expect to argue today before two legislative committees against what they say are biased wording changes to an official state explanation of a proposed constitutional gay marriage ban that goes before voters this fall.

The House and Senate Privileges and Elections committees will examine drafts of the explanations that would be available from local voter registrars across the state and that would appear on the State Board of Elections Web site.

Voters this fall will decide on two proposed amendments to the state Constitution: the gay marriage ban and an amendment about the incorporation of churches.

After a proposed state constitutional amendment has passed the General Assembly without change in two years separated by a House election, it's up to the state's voters to ratify or reject it.

[DUHandle]

1. Question

What is the incorporation of church thing about?

[davidinalameda]

2. not sure

sorry

[DUHandle]

3. Too bad since

any link between gay bashing and churches as legal business entities sounds a hell of lot more ugly than the sum of its parts.

[Virginia Dare]

4. I wondered this too, so I googled it...

I'm a Virginia resident, and I was not aware of this, I was aware of the "gay marriage amendment".

Basically, incorporating a church shifts any legal liability from the members of the church to the actual church itself. I got this link, which explains it further:

http://www.bscnc.org/christianleadership/financialandlegal/churchincorporation.htm

[davidinalameda]

5. sounds okay to me

one good lawsuit and a church and its members could lose everything

[Virginia Dare]

6. From the information I looked at...

there is some internal dissension within certain churches as to whether this is a good idea or not, however, it looked like the watershed lawsuit which triggered the amendment was brought by none other than Reverend Falwell, so I need to do some further research myself into it to see whether I'll vote for it or not.

:hi:

[DUHandle]

7. I found that a Baptist attorney was needed

most odd.