Sunday, March 09, 2008

Oregon Coffee House Settles Church-State Dispute With Post Office

In Clackamas County, Oregon, a cafe, the Unlimited Coffee Co., has found itself in the middle of a church-state dispute with the United States Post Office. Saturday's Oregonian reports that the cafe-- whose premises are used by Road 2 Damascus Church for services on Sunday when the cafe is closed-- also houses a contract postal unit. The postal facility is not open on Sundays either. However, someone called officials to complain that the postal unit was in a building that also featured a sign for the church under the cafe's sign. The Post Office's initial response was that the church signage needed to be removed to avoid church-state problems. However after being accused by the cafe owner of religious persecution, the Post Office backed down. Apparently officials in Washington, DC, responsible for initial reaction were not given accurate information about the situation.