What is the difference between membership of a church society and a golf club?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Basra v Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha (Vancouver), 2017 BCSC 1696 (CanLII):

As the court stated in the context of participation in a religious organization in Lutz v. Faith Lutheran Church of Kelowna, 2009 BCSC 59, at para. 89: … infer that exclusion from membership in a church congregation is more significant than exclusion from a social club where the collegiality of the members is paramount. The church society does not have power over a member’s livelihood in the way that a union or professional association might, but it provides a sanctuary for worship and fosters the spiritual well‑being of its members, including the administering of the Sacraments. A society functioning as a church congregation is more than a social club. I infer that to be judged guilty of conduct grossly unbecoming a member of the body of Christ is much more significant to a Christian churchgoer than to be judged insufficiently collegial or in breach of club rules by a golf club or other social club formed to promote common social interests.

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