The church, as a private organization, has the right to do this. It’s still incredibly insane that they would remove a memorial to the father of the nation, especially with their reasoning
(Washington Times) George Washington was one of the founding members of Christ Church in Alexandria, buying pew No. 5 when the church first opened in 1773, and attending for more than two decades.
This week the church announced it was pulling down a memorial to its one-time vestryman and the country’s first president, saying he and another famous parishioner, Robert E. Lee, have become too controversial and are chasing away would-be parishioners.
While acknowledging “friction†over the decision, the church’s leadership said the twin memorials, which are attached to the wall on either side of the altar, are relics of another era and have no business in a church that proclaims its motto as “All are welcome — no exceptions.â€
“The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome. Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques,†the church leaders said.
You could make a case about Robert E. Lee, but, George Washington? Really? Supposedly, they will eventually move the memorials somewhere else on the grounds to put them in “historical context.”
What you can probably expect is for a bunch of parishioners to seek a new place of worship.
It’s not clear that the church could divorce itself from Washington even if it wanted to. The website touts itself as “a church where George Washington worshipped,†and displays a picture of its famous patron.
As an original benefactor, Washington bought pew No. 5 when the church opened in 1773. He was a vestryman and contributed to the church throughout his life, according to the Washington Papers project. His family considered the church important enough to him that it donated one of his Bibles after his death.
And this is the way they pay Washington back.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
I really need to stop saying, “Can anybody be even /more/ stupid than this?” whenever I read about this kind of crap. Folks out there seem to take my question as a challenge…
The church is moving the idols to a less conspicuous place. Why is a church constructing idols to mere men anyway? Advertising?
Likely for the same reason founding families have their names in the stained glass of the churches that they built.