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Date: | Tue, 3 Feb 2004 02:48:12 -0500 |
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Denis,
Actually, in the State of California, churches are exempt from historic
landmarking. But they are not free from environmental review. All religious
organizations go through the same environmental review as private citizens and
government organizations. By the same token, people of all religions have embraced
the early Spanish missions as buildings and lands of importance. As early as
the 1880s, citizen groups organized to fund repair and restoration of the old
adobe missions and military presidios and this act repeated in the 1930s. While
the Spanish/Mexican Catholic missions are still operated by Catholic religious
groups, Protestants and folks of other faiths still express
non-denominational interest in preserving the buildings and landscapes as part of our national
heritage. I know this sounds inconsistent with the separation of church and
state, but the preservation movement is not about the religious messages taught
in the Catholic services. Although I am not aware of the "California Missions
Preservation Act," I suspect it is another attempt by citizens of many
denominations to preserve the old buildings...and associated archaeology.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
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