Losing the Faith

I have been a Vineyard year-round resident for over 30 years and I was disturbed to see, when passing the outbuildings of the Camp Meeting Association that the word Protestant has been erased.

I have been a Vineyard year-round resident for over 30 years and I was disturbed to see, when passing the outbuildings of the Camp Meeting Association that the word Protestant has been erased, painted over, obliterated from the sign which declared that the MVCMA was a Protestant religious corporation. It now reads, A Religious Corporation. Really? When the faith of their fathers is erased in such a hurtful and vile display of disdain, I would like to know who was responsible for this outrage.

Who has such an axe to grind against Protestants that they could convince a Protestant institution to remove their religious affiliation?

I don’t want to hear the spurious claim that not everybody in the Camp Ground shares that faith.

Using that logic, St. Jude’s Hospital and New York Presbyterian should change their names as they treat all faiths.

I would hope that there will be an outcry from all the reformed ministers on the Island.

In closing, I wonder if the MVCMA charter declares them a Protestant institution; if so, perhaps the IRS can ask them if they no longer wish to claim tax exempt status.

I look forward to the day when the MVCMA historical affiliation is returned to its former status.

Alan Reekie
West Tisbury

 

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/15/2014 - 21:44

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Bruce Stone Edgartown

I was intrigued by Alan's comments and believe he may have some valid points, so I did a little more research. It is interesting to note that the MVCMA was, in fact, incorporated through state legislative action in 1868. The Acts of 1868 as found in the on-line state archive(see http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1868/1868acts0176.pdf ) specify the purpose of the corporation to be "for the purpose of maintaining annual religious meetings on the island of Martha's Vineyard". The stated purpose does not include the work "protestant" or any specific denomination.

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