Unholy row as Christians protest at use of venue by spiritualist group
CHRISTIANS packed a council meeting to press for a spiritualist group to be banned from using Nailsea's historic Tithe Barn for a seminar.
The Vibrant Souls spiritualist group has booked the 15th-century barn, which is managed by Nailsea Town Council, for a special seminar on Sunday.
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The Tithe Barn in Nailsea
The group has described the seminar as a "one-day experience aimed at helping people understand who they are and what life is about".
The group also offers people the chance to experience life regression – using hypnosis to uncover what are claimed to be memories from previous incarnations – and hear channelled messages from the spirit world.
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But the booking angered local Christians, who packed a council planning and environment committee meeting to press members to ban the group from using council owned property.
Resident Eric Smith, who spoke at the meeting, said: "As a practising Christian with experience of the occult in my earlier life I think this seminar is highly dangerous and has the risk of making vulnerable people mentally ill."
Some councillors agreed that the booking was inappropriate.
Town councillor Mary Ponsonby said she had been bombarded with phone calls and e-mails demanding the booking be cancelled.
Mrs Ponsonby, a Baptist church member, said: "We should not let the building to persons who may cause offence to people in the community."
The council's booking terms for the Tithe Barn, which was restored at a cost of £1.2 million, state that the council cannot discriminate on grounds of "sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race, politics or religion".
Other councillors said they were surprised at the reaction by local religious groups to the booking.
Council chairman Rod Lees said: "I haven't received one complaint about the booking. I am surprised about what is happening and if we did what was asked it would discriminatory and that is wrong and we could get sued."
Committee chairman James Tonkin said: "I am at a loss as to why this is offensive and a decision to ban Vibrant Souls is outside the remit of the meeting. This building is owned and managed by the town council and as such allows the multi-cultural use of the facilities.
"In a town with a population of approximately 19,000 we have received only 14 letters of representation. Why was this particular organisation singled out?
"It does not appear that they will cause a breach of the peace. What happened to freedom of choice?"
Tithe Barn trustee and rector of Holy Trinity church Jolyon Trickey also attended the council meeting.
The Rev Trickey said: "I have personal reservations that this particular use may be misguided, even a danger to members of the community. Yet I attend this meeting as a trustee of the Tithe Barn, and as a Christian leader, to listen. I have both a high regard for the Christian heritage of the Tithe Barn and an understanding of the open access to the community that lies at the heart of the trust's intention.
"Our common concern must be to have a robust hiring policy and process that prevents any use of the Tithe Barn that is inappropriate, illegal or damaging to the community."
Vibrant Souls members Hazel Newton and Simon Rowe, of Backwell, and Katherine Membery, of Portishead, all attended the meeting but were not given an opportunity to speak.
Afterwards Mrs Membery said: "We appreciate our seminar is not mainstream but we accept and honour each person's right to think and act for themselves in accordance to their belief system.
"We have 60 paying delegates so we aim to honour our contract with them and we expect the Tithe Barn to honour its contract with us."
The booking at the Tithe Barn will go ahead as planned.
Comments
by Lone_Ranger
Friday, November 02 2012, 3:21PM
“pixel_boy
The "good people of Nailsea" have done nothing. Some religionists of Nailsea (representing their version of religion) have tried to prevent the Council (secular, representing everyone) from renting a public building (Council owned, for use by the community) from being used by a different brand of religionists.
What right do they have to impose their factless, unproveable, juandiced views on the rest of society?”
by smoosername
Friday, November 02 2012, 1:39PM
“I think the only fair outcome would have been to ban both groups. Then the facility could have been used for something useful.”
by geoffone1
Friday, November 02 2012, 1:19PM
“Saying that you are talking to a supernatural being who lives in a fantasy world called heaven is WAY MORE CRAZY than saying you're talking to dead people! I mean, at least they definitely existed at some point.”
by marmeliser
Friday, November 02 2012, 1:19PM
“well if they can't stop a young lad being in the scouts they have to try this. what's WRONG with these people? their ''god'' would be ashamed of them as would the individual they profess to ''follow''. useless small town hypocrites”
by pixel_boy
Friday, November 02 2012, 1:19PM
“Evil never appears in public under its own name or its own organisation. Great to see the Good people of Nailsea standing up for what is true and right.
Eric Smith, says it all: "As a practising Christian with experience of the occult in my earlier life I think this seminar is highly dangerous and has the risk of making vulnerable people mentally ill."
We will only get more of these well-heeled occult groups preying on the vulnerable in years to come, so good idea to nip it in the bud right now.
Shame on the cowardly council so-called high-ups. Time to step aside "at a loss" James Tonkin, the Zombie of Nailsea, and make way for those in Nailsea who know the difference between right and wrong.”
by Ourbads
Friday, November 02 2012, 1:08PM
“I so hope a Muslim group tries to book this hall.”
by Morrissey9
Friday, November 02 2012, 12:30PM
“Crazy. I am no spiritualist, in fact I view it with as much suspicion as Christianity, but both groups should be free to use this space if they want. Same goes for any religious or spiritual group, or any group of actual normal people.”
by Lone_Ranger
Friday, November 02 2012, 12:21PM
“Utter laughable that one bunch of supernaturalists should be offended by another bunch of supernaturalists. There are all deluding themselves.
I am offended by the amount of influence which the religious want over everyone and everything.”
by simontbc
Friday, November 02 2012, 12:13PM
“And there we have a small example as to why religion is such a dangerous thing..... Our way is the only way etc etc”
by katachua
Friday, November 02 2012, 12:01PM
“So believers in an Invisible Friend want to stop a meeting by believers in Invisible Friends?
H'mm...”