The Clergyman's Hand-book of Law: The Law of Church and GraveScanlan, Charles Martin
Religion
The Clergyman's Hand-book of Law: The Law of Church and Grave
Scanlan, Charles Martin
Burial laws -- United States; Ecclesiastical law -- United States
*392.* _Obituary, Tolling Bell._—To falsely and maliciously publish an
obituary notice of a person living, is good ground for an action for
libel.(693) However, a complaint that a church tolled its bell to announce
the death of a member, and did report him dead when he was actually
living, and that it was all done for the purpose of annoying, harassing,
and vexing the person and his family, was held not sufficient to support
an action for libel. The latter case is doubtful law.(694)
*393.* _Newspaper, Profane Swearer._—A newspaper in a notice of the death
of a church member has the right to state that he was a profane swearer,
if such was the case.(695)
*394.* _Business or Property, Special Damages._—A company incorporated for
the purpose of transacting business which would include hospitals,
schools, and industrial institutions, may maintain an action for libel the
same as an individual for any words affecting its business or property, if
special damages are alleged and proved.(696)
*395.* _Justification, Repeating._—It is no justification that libelous
matter had been previously published by a third person, that the name of
such person was disclosed at the time of repeating the libel, and that the
person who was repeating it believed all the statements in the libel to be
true.(697)
CHAPTER XXXII. CRIMES
*396.* _Sins, Crimes, Discipline._—Crimes are offenses against the civil
law. The fact that the church organization may try and punish a member for
sinning, or acquit him, has nothing whatever to do with the administration
of the criminal law of the State. Therefore, a member may be arrested and
tried for any offense before or after the ecclesiastical tribunal has
taken action in the matter. But there are certain crimes of a religious
nature of which the civil law assumes jurisdiction and punishes, such as
blasphemy,(698) disturbing religious meetings,(699) etc. Most of those
laws are statutory and depend wholly upon the statute of the State where
the crime is committed.
*397.* _Profane Language, Smoking, Disturbance._—Rude behavior or profane
language if audible,(700) smoking in the church or during services,(701)
cracking and eating nuts in church,(702) and fighting near the church so
as to disturb the services, are violations of the law.(703) A father’s
taking his child out of the church with violence is a disturbance of the
meeting.(704) The disturbance of any member of the congregation assembled
for religious worship is a violation of law.(705) A sentence of $100 fine
or one year’s imprisonment in the penitentiary, is not excessive or cruel
or unusual punishment on conviction for disturbing a meeting.(706)
*398.* _Sunday-School, Church._—An ordinary Sunday-school where the Bible
and religious precepts are taught, is a church within the law.(707)
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