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If it is true that she gave up her church for political gain, I’d scratch her from my list of possible candidates, no matter how ‘pure’ she seems on the issues.

Of course, I don’t have any respect for Henry IV, either.

I take it she'd actually been going to church somewhere else. It used to be common in virtually all Baptist and similar bodies, as well as all Lutheran churches to need to request permission to move your membership to a different congregation (or, since they're Protestants, to another brand even).

The Roman Catholics used to enforce parish bounds (did so when I was a kid but I understand things have loosened up these days with the demise of the parochial school system).

I guess Michele belonged to one of those churches where it's expected for you to request to move your membership.

We were analyzing the records of an old Baptist church on the frontier way back when (for genealogical purposes). It was very interesting. One gentleman who'd run afoul of the Deacons and Elders by requesting permission to leave the congregation was actually beaten nearly to death by them ~ and it sounded like they re-baptised him repeatedly.

Put the fear of God into the rest of them I'll tell you.

I doubt any modern Christian body would do that although that's still the Islamic standard ~ and they kill people.

So why did this Oliphant guy think any of this was peculiar?