The spiritual leader of a Reform temple in nearby Birmingham who recently declared that he was an atheist has been ordered to remove his congregation from the premises of the Masonic Temple where the 140-member group held services. Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine said that the eviction notice he received gave “theological reasons” as the reason for the ouster.
The Birmingham Council of Ministers, of which Rabbi Wine is a member, has protested the action by the Masonic Temple, and urged freedom for “religious expression.” Harry Velick, president of the congregation, said that in ousting the group, C. Fuller Dorr, grand master of the Michigan Masons, insisted that a positive commitment to the existence of a Supreme Being was requisite for the continued use of the Masonic Temple.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
