Name a Christian denomination, and you can likely find a sale of property to another faith. The sale of the Pentecostal Southern Cross College (now Alphacrucis University College) site in western Sydney to the Muslim Salamah College comes to mind. The Pentecostals were so proud of their campus that it was called “The Chester Hill miracle.” Or there’s the sale of the Anglican Boys’ home in Carlingford to become the Sydney Australia, Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, complete with the statue of the Angel Moroni at the high point of the suburb. [Update: a commenter has pointed out that the boys home was sold to a developer who then resold it to the LDS]
One can debate the commercial or spiritual wisdom of some of these sales. And Religious Freedom ensures each faith has the right to own and purchase property. But perhaps this sale in Tasmania stands out.
Freedom of religion means that Muslims, like every other religion, can have places of worship. Supporting freedom of religion means supporting the right to assemble and own property. But this post suggests that it should be of comfort to the Hobart Uniting Church attenders that Islamic worship will now happen in their former church building.
Reading the full article in Crosslight, the Uniting church mag for Victoria and Tasmania, confirms that take. “Chairperson of the Church Council, Clarence Uniting Church, Jan McGrath said: ‘The Lindisfarne members of the Clarence congregation have expressed genuine pleasure that the Lindisfarne site will continue to be a location for worship and services for the community. We are very supportive of the new life of the buildings.’
“Uniting Church Tasmania synod liaison minister Rohan Pryor added: ‘What we really appreciate is that this will continue to be a place of community gathering, of reflection and worship, and for wellbeing and care.’
“The new owners are respectful of the site’s history.
“‘I would like to acknowledge the beautiful heritage of this former church, built in 1903, as a place of worship,’ Mr Al Dawahdeh said. ‘It has been serving the community for more than a century, and the House of Guidance Hobart will continue this legacy.'”
The word “mosque” was missing from the Crosslight article, but it turned up in ABC coverage, which also contained this quote: “Rosalind Terry, a retired Uniting Church minister, said followers of Christianity, Islam and Judaism were all ‘people of the book’.
“‘We give God a different name. But we all worship the same God,’ Reverend Terry said.
“With a dwindling and aging congregation, Uniting Church Tasmania decided to sell the Lindisfarne church.
“‘There are still people who grieve greatly that the church has had to be sold, but we haven’t found a way of engaging the young people,’ Reverend Terry said.