[d-ray657]

Good points sir.

As I see it, religious institutions have their own means of enforcement, within the context of the religious institution. A Catholic can be excommunicated for violation of the church laws. Some conservative Catholic churches deny communion to one who has divorced. I have heard of people from protestant churches being expelled for conduct not in keeping with the mores of the church.

The membership in a church and adherence to its principles is a voluntary exercise and should remain so in the eyes of the civil authorities. There would be serious constitutional problems should civil courts be called upon to enforce religious edicts. I would think the church authorities would have greater concern with the possibility that a court could review and rule upon a decision made according to religious principles - a significant interference by the state in religious doctrine.

WRT the Tenn law - if there is a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts against the state, that alone is a sufficient basis for prosecution. When the law addresses the religious nature of any organization, that is where it goes astray. In particular, I found the preamble to the legislation to be offensive.

P.S. Glad to see that you've made it through the storms.

Regards,

D-Ray