IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURT OF
THE CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF TACOMA &
THE WORD IN ACTION MINISTRY, WASHINGTON
409 Tacoma Avenue North,
Tacoma, Washington 98403
Mailing Address: PO Box
1441, Maple Valley, Washington 98038
Tel: 206-409-7025 /
253-203-5482 Fax:
206-274-4816
Email:
scripturalaw@yahoo.co.uk
ÒThe cause of the
Church is equal to public cause,
and paramount is
the reason which makes for religion.Ó
1.
Several
hundred individuals, hereinafter, ÒBelieversÓ resident of various states in the
United States of America.
REASON FOR CONVENING THIS ECCLESIASTICAL COURT
The
Believers are negotiating the purchase of a 500-acre ranch in the state of
Kentucky for the purposes of conducting church-related activities for people
who have approached the Believers for assistance and counsel in their personal,
vocational, professional and spiritual lives.
The
Believers wish to raise funds for the purchase of the aforesaid property
without adhering to, or violating, the governmentÕs rules, regulations, laws,
procedures and processes although they are at variance with GodÕs Commandments
as contained in the Holy Bible - the Code of Conduct for the Believers and the
Church. These funds can potentially emanate from a writ of
restitution/enforcement following a Declaratory Judgment - if this honorable
Ecclesiastical Court chooses to issue one - should the Believers prevail in
this Petition necessitated by the recent Wall Street crisis and ensuing panic
where reliance, trust, and belief in the governmentÕs current monetary polices,
practices, processes, procedures and protocols are suspicious and doubtful.
The Believers wish to reiterate that it is not suing the fifty state governments of the Union; the United States government ; the Federal Reserve Bank; the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Comptroller of Currency. The Believers merely wish to invite these PartiesÕ Representatives to participate in this ecclesiastical hearing in the spirit of Ògood fences make good neighborsÓ in that the tradition of the ill-defined metaphor that Òstate and church are separateÓ is not applicable to this Petition.
This
Court has exclusive jurisdiction to determine these Issues brought before it by
virtue of the following premises:
Article
1, Declaration of Rights, ¤11 of the Constitution of the state of Washington
provides that:
ÒAbsolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to every individual, and no one shall be molested or disturbed in property on account of religionÉ.. [AMENDMENT 88, 1993 House Joint Resolution No. 4200, p 3062. Approved November 2, 1993]
Legal
Reasoning & Argument:
The intent, content, extent, substance, scope, scale, effect and impact of Òabsolute freedomÓ does not hide the principal purpose of this constitutional provision because Òabsolute freedomÓ is not subject to any other interpretation except for its plain meaning.
This constitutional provision is also assuring the people of this state that when it comes to religious matters the government guarantees no disturbance from any quarter when it involves our individual rights and property rights. The Laws of the Holy Bible are a compelling reason for Believers to not look for secular acknowledgment of a primary scriptural Law, for example the Ten Commandments which spawned many of the secular legal codes.
Evidence
of judicial recognition of the Ten CommandmentsÕ foundational role in the
affairs of our country was well recognized by the United States Supreme Court
in the following cases:
Article
1, First Amendment, Bill of Rights provides that: ÒCongress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof;ÉÉ.Ó
Legal
Reasoning & Argument:
The
Free Exercise Clause of the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Federal
Constitution has even motivated some state courts to look to the Ten
Commandments as playing a foundational role in Anglo-American jurisprudence:
During the ConstitutionÕs 150th anniversary in 1937, President Franklin D Roosevelt likened the Constitution to the Holy Bible, saying it should be read over and over again. It is an apt simile because the Constitution as served as the nationÕs Scripture.
The point to be made is that even in the Executive branch of government, the Holy Bible is referred to as a crucial and vital standard and vanguard.
Congress
enacted Public Law 97-280, Senate Joint Resolution 165, Congressional Record,
Vol. 128 (1982), October 4, 1982 which designated the Holy Bible as the Word of
God and codified as 96 Statute at Large 1211.
Legal Reasoning & Argument:
The
Holy Bible, as a source of law, especially the foundational role of the Ten
Commandments were also invoked and explained in these cases:
á Nebraska: OÕRourk v. State, 53 N.W. 591, 592 (1892) (ÒFree discussion, however, is the outgrowth of free government. All free government is based on the divine law. God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, which contain rules designed to apply to the whole race. Although given to the Israelites, they were designed for all humanity.Ó)
á Florida: Anderson v. Maddox: 65 So. 2d 299, 301-302 (1953) (ÒÕThou shall not stealÕ and Ôthou shall not bear false witnessÕ are just as new as they were when Moses brought them down from the Mountain.Ó)
77
Corpus Juris Secundum ¤84:
Ecclesiastical questions are to be determined by the
churches and their appropriate tribunals, and their decisions are binding,
conclusive, and not reviewable by the civil courts. The following cases have
settled the issue:
Corpus
Juris Secundum (CJS) is a complete restatement of the entire body of American
Law published by the American Law Book Company. Its content, based on common
law, case law, statutory, ecclesiastical law, Roman Law, sound legal theories,
principles, maxims and doctrines, can be traced as far back as 1658 according
to the Publishers.
Definition of ÒChurchÓ according to BlackÕs Law Dictionary, 6th edition at page 242:
ÒIn its most general sense, the religious society founded and established by Jesus Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate His doctrines and ordinances.
It may also mean a body of communicants gathered into church order; body or community of Christians, united under one form of government by the profession of the same faith and observance of the same ritual and ceremonies; place where persons regularly assemble for worship; congregation; organization for religious purposes; religious society or body; the clergy or officialdom of a religious body.Ó
Definition of Òchurch courtsÓ, page 242 BlackÕs Law Dictionary, 6th edition:
ÒTribunals within the structure of a church charged with adjudicating disputes of an ecclesiastical nature which may not be adjudicated in civil courts.Ó
Legal Reasoning & Argument:
BlackÕs Law Dictionary is the result of dedicated work from many scholars, eminent law professors, learned judges, lawyers, academics, and editors. It is one of the most quoted books in almost every court in the land. Judges, lawyers, and academics refer to constantly it to arrive at a precise or near precise definition.
BlackÕs Law Dictionary, in the Seventh edition, literally mentions the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, by name when defining the meaning of the word Ôchurch.Õ This unique reference makes it all the more important to the Believers that the legal system and codes of America today subscribe to the belief in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ
These
five premises unequivocally and decidedly exhibit the fact that the government
of the United States of America through its three organs of state –
Legislative, Executive and Judiciary – recognizes the Church and
adherents to the doctrines of Jesus Christ as sovereign. These laws were passed
for the singular purpose of recognizing the sanctity of the Scriptures as GodÕs
Law.
Whether
the federal government and all the state governments within the Union called
the United States of America have indulged in certain activities involving
dishonest scales and weights, dishonest merchants and dishonest money which
affect the beliefs, principles, and doctrines of the Holy Bible.
In reference to Ezekiel 28: 18 – ÒBy the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned the sanctuariesÉ..Ó –
This passage from the Holy Bible warns the Believers in this case that God is displeased with unrighteousness in trade which has found expression in our national economy in the USA by violating the Coinage Act of 1792 which established that one United States dollar was 412.5 grains of silver or 1/42 ounce of gold. In other words, currency money was printed based on the value of silver and gold, and this power was established by the federal Constitution – the supreme law of the land – and placed in the hands of Congress.
The USAÕs monetary system was originally set up so that only
ÒCongress shall have the power not to make anything but gold and silver coin a
tender in payment of debts; to coin Money, regulate the value thereof, and of
foreign Coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures.Ó See U.S.
Constitution, Article 1, Sections 8 & 10.
In 1913
the Federal Reserve Act handed control of the U.S.AÕs money supply over to the
bankers, who then created AmericaÕs privately owned central bank called the
Federal Reserve Bank (The Fed). The Fed is a privately held corporation with
the majority of Fed stock being held by national and international member banks
from around the world. Thus, since 1913, the Fed, not Congress, has had control
of AmericaÕs monetary system. See page 37, The Planned Destruction of
America, by James
Wardner.
On June
5, 1933, as House Resolution 192, the Congress of the U.S.A., resolved that the
right to require payment in gold or a particular kind of coin or currency of
the U.S.A. was against public policy which unequivocally suspended, if not repealed the Coinage
Act of 1792 and U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Sections 8 & 10.
This
confirms the Believers stand that the state and federal governments have
violated both ecclesiastical and secular laws by creating other laws to
circumvent and replace the original laws of the U.S.A. for questionable
purposes which qualifies for the admonishment of Ezekiel 28: 18 – ÒBy the
multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned the sanctuariesÉ..Ó
This
turn of events have forced believers to break GodÕs Law by entering into
commerce with the secular. The Believers have no further wish or desire to
continue this practice and wish to be apart and separate from the monetary
system of the USA. The Believers and the Church need no further proof and
evidence regarding the state of affairs of the country with the recent Wall
Street crisis that echoes the warnings of the Holy Bible regarding dishonest
scales, dishonest weights and dishonest money.
The Holy Bible has warned generations of people that violations of GodÕs Laws will result in crisis and conflict as a preamble to punishment.
The
Believers, in order to engage in commerce in the secular realm, will violate
the beliefs, principles and doctrines of the Holy Bible.
The
Believers are very well aware of the mandates and requirements of a separation
from the secular explained in 2 Corinthians 6:17 - Therefore come out from them and be separate says the
Lord, Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.Ó
The separation from the secular is also explained in James
4:4 – donÕt you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards
God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
This warning is again echoed in Romans 12: 2 – do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mindÉÉ
1 John 2:15 manifests the same admonishment – Do
not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
This principle is again mentioned in Colossians 2: 8 – See to it that no one takes captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
It is clear from these scriptural sources that the Believers ought not to participate in anything that the secular believes and practices that is abhorrent to God.
Since Public Law 97-280 [Senate Joint Resolution 165 of October 4, 1982], 96 Statutes at Large 1211, declared that the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the Believers urge this honorable Ecclesiastical Court to take cognizance of this secular government law which strengthens the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights which guarantees freedom of religion and thereby places the Believers rights in a safe and secure footing free from interpretation or distortion as to its efficacy, authenticity and accuracy.
The
Believers invoke the principles of Corpus Juris Secundum 77 ¤ 84: Òwhen a person becomes a member of a church, he thereby
submits to its ecclesiastical jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters and he has
no legal right to invoke the supervisory power of a civil court as long as none
of his civil rights is involved.
This is settled law:
á Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for U.S.A and Canada v. Milivojevich, Ill., 96 S. Ct. 2372, 426 U.S. 696, 49 L.Ed. 2d 151 rehearing denied 97 S. Ct. 191, 429 U.S. 873, 50 L.Ed. 2d 155, on remand Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for U.S. v. Milivojevich, 363 N.E. 2d 606, 6 Ill. Dec. 792, 66 Ill. 2d 469, appeal after remand 387 N.E. 2d 285, 25 Ill. Dec. 629, 74 Ill. 2d 574, cert. Denied 99 S. Ct. 3096, 443 U.S. 904, 61 L. Ed. 2d 872.
á California: Linke v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 163 P.2d 44, 71 C.A. 2d 667;
á Georgia: Stewart v. Jarriel, 59 S.E. 2d 368, 206 Ga. 855
á Indiana: Kompier v. Thegza, 13 N.E. 2d 229, 213 Ind. 542
á Missouri: Stamps v. Kirkendoll, App., 689 S.W. 2d 111
á Texas: Smith v. Lewis, Civ. App., 578 S.W. 2d 169, error refused no reversible error.
á Virginia: Reid v. Gholson, 327 S.E. 2d 107, 229 Va. 179, cert. Denied 106 S. Ct. 80, 474 U.S. 824, 88 L. Ed. 2d 65, rehearing denied 106 S. Ct. 548, 474 U.S. 1014, 88 L. Ed. 2d 477
A church may create tribunals to decide controversies
with respect to its internal affairs and ecclesiastical matters. This provision
was settled in
Ecclesiastical questions are to be determined by the
churches and their appropriate tribunals. This provision was settled in:
The questions in the form of Issues presented are ecclesiastical questions to be determined by appropriate church tribunals which is, in this case refers to this honorable Ecclesiastical Court. The government of the USA has decided and agreed, by virtue of the laws and judgments mentioned above, that the Church has autonomy and sovereignty.
The Believers may seek alternative means and methods to
raise revenue for ecclesiastical purposes according to the beliefs, principles,
and doctrines of the Holy Bible with the recorded, and evident support and
acquiescence of the state and federal governments in order not to transgress
any scriptural or secular laws.
The Holy Bible states in Hosea 4: 6 that: ÒMy people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.Ó
It is clear from this passage that a relational violation between us and God will result in a generational disadvantage to our children and their children.
Therefore, it is crucial and critical that we Believers be free to utilize GodÕs commandments in securing wealth for the Church through scriptural principles without secular governmental intrusion and invasion.
The Church and its Believers, therefore, advance the proposition that they are Accredited Investors in that they are exempt from registration requirements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) because the Believers, as an entity, have a net worth of at least one million dollars pursuant to Regulation D, Rule 501 under the SEC. See page 5, BarronÕs Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms.
The honorable Ecclesiastical Court is urged to rule on this issue to secure an advantage for the Church in keeping with the requirements of Ecclesiastes 10:19.
The Believers are committed to the proposition that the use of gold and silver will not affect public policy as stipulated in House Joint Resolution 192 of June 5, 1933 because the Believers do not wish to live by the rules of the secular world which places money and commerce as supreme instead of God, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.
Since gold and silver are considered no longer legal tender, and therefore presumed to be tax exempt and tax excepted, the Believers intend to monetize these commodities to create legal tender for Church use, benefit and advantage by offering ecclesiastical legal education and other evangelizing activities pursuant to Ephesians 4:11 – 13.
They are eligible to qualify for using biblical
principles to create wealth for the Church without any interference or
obstruction from the secular governments.
The Believers and the Church wish to engage the services of Christian-owned banks and other financial institutions around the world to use biblical principles to create wealth as tax excepted entities.
The ways and means of this ecclesiastical wealth creating and generating mechanism is solely controlled by these Christian-owned banks which has the potential of distributing a significant quantum of much needed financial assistance for the Believers.
The secular government need not defend its position regarding the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the House Joint Resolution 192, and the non-adherence to the Coinage Act of 1792 or the constitutional provisions of Article 1, Sections 8 &10; neither does it bear the responsibility of having to pay the Believers one hundred million dollars worth of gold in the event this honorable Ecclesiastical Court finds for the Believers in this Hearing.
The Believers seek a Declaration from this honorable Ecclesiastical Court, and if available another Declaration at the indulgence of the secular governments to grant us leave and relief to seek scriptural ways and means to fill the Treasury of the Church of the Believers.
In the words of the 17th century Spanish Jesuit, Baltasar Gracian ÒWe are to use human means as if there are no divine ones, and divine ones if there no human ones.Ó This is the predominant reason to come to this honorable Ecclesiastical Court.
In The Concept of Law, 206, H.L.A. Hart declared that Òwhat surely is most needed in order to make men clear-sighted in confronting the official abuse of power, is that they should preserve the sense that certification of something as legally valid is not conclusive of the question of obedience, and that, however great the aura of majesty or authority which the official system may have, its demands must in the end be submitted to a moral scrutiny.Ó
It is to this scrutiny that we seek this honorable Ecclesiastical CourtÕs assistance so that morals, virtue and ethics can stand as pillars of certainty, consistency and conformity of GodÕs Law.
A Declaration and Order of Judgment - in gold in an equivalent amount of one hundred million United States dollars - which would be utilized as a (fungible) negotiable instrument that has the potential of being used in an asset enhancement protocol overseas to empower the Treasury of the Church. No harm, disadvantage or injury is imputed or contemplated to the state or federal governments, the Federal Reserve Board, the United States Department of Treasury and the Office of the Comptroller of Currency.
AFFIDAVIT OF THE BELIEVERS
We, the undersigned, firmly and strongly believe that the state and federal governments of the United States of America have gone too far in disobeying GodÕs Law especially in regulating and monitoring operations of the capital markets in Wall Street. We are convinced that we cannot participate any longer in this illegal commerce.
We have therefore decided to take stock of this dangerous monetary situation in this country by applying the principles of the Holy Bible in securing financial security and wealth for the Church without any assistance, aid or counsel of these governments, their representatives, agencies and instrumentalities.
The laws, constitutions rules, regulations and ordinances of this country do not prohibit the adherents of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Church to do that which God has allowed, ordained and commanded. This is the primary reason that impels these Issues to be brought before this honorable Ecclesiastical Court.
This
Petition has more than 300 signatures and addresses contained in an electronic
database viewable at www.gopetition.com/online/22553.html.