“The disparate treatment given to Ridgebury Church, denying its rights which other persons would be entitled to under the neutral laws of the state is a clear reason for granting leave to appeal in this case,”

Claiming a previous court violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when it ruled in favor of the presbytery, The Church at Ridgebury in Slate Hill, N.Y (about 70 miles Northwest of New York City)., wants a higher court to hear its case.

In January 2010, the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court reversed a ruling that favored the former Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation’s claims to its property. Ridgebury, which left the PCUSA in 2005 in favor of the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church, is hoping a higher court will recognize its neutral principles of law arguments. But the church must first get permission to take its case to the New York State Court of Appeals.

“The disparate treatment given to Ridgebury Church, denying its rights which other persons would be entitled to under the neutral laws of the state is a clear reason for granting leave to appeal in this case,” court documents state. “Clearly the court(’s) understanding of Neutral Principles of Law is flawed. People of any faith can clearly see that the court … was directly addressing religious issues in making its decision.”

The Ridgebury request for appeal, which was filed March 29, outlines 20 questions that support its case In addition to the basic First Amendment protections, its arguments include:

READ MORE: http://www.layman.org/News.aspx?article=26887  [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]