LOCAL CONTROL OF CHURCH FUNDS--IT SOUNDS SO INNOCENT

The State of Connecticut is considering legislation which would require that all religious organizations have a local board with functional control over the church or org's money, property and wealth.

At first scan, that sounds pretty good and pretty smart. After all, the big stealing is usually from a hierarchy church where some centralized power controls the money and property.

The second scan doesn't look so good. If I'm a local church and I want, as part of my doctrine, to have John Travolta, Richard Simmons or the Pope own all my property and make all my spending decisions, who is my state government to tell me I can't do that? Isn't that the same thing as the Government telling me whether I can have a cross in my chapel or what color it must be? Don't I have a First Amendment Right to freely associate with others in my religion using any kind of organization I want and in to let whomever my doctrine dictates handle the money and property.

I think the State is out of its tree on this one. This is one of those well-intentioned think-stinkers. The longer you think about it, the more it stinks.