I don't know, St. Marks does a lot of homeless outreach. I don't think you can blame them for ensuring their ability to keep doing their work and protect their employees/parishioners.

Zing! Big churches, am I right? Everybody go to a small church, OK?

Hmm... which reminds me that I haven't been to their a capella night in years. Kind of miss that.

@ 1. I'm not knocking St. Mark's. I was kind of hoping people (especially Sloggers outside Seattle) wouldn't be able to identify where that photo was taken. But you had to go and ruin it for everyone!

The religious never really trust God to mete out the punishment He promises in the Bible.

If god didn't want those cars there, couldn't he/she just miracle them out of the parking lot?

@4.. when i moved here from chicago, sometime in the late half of the last century, that place was open 24/7. you could go in and sit, or sleep or do pretty much whatever you wanted. i took mushrooms twice and wandered in in the middle of the night. i used to think it was the coolest thing about seattle ( along with the ability to ride in the front seat of cabs or the lack of bulletproof glass pretty much everywhere ) and then i went during a late night stroll and discovered it locked. i called and asked why and they said you wouldn't believe the kinds of things that people started doing in there.i think some of it involved feces. if they've gone from locked doors to camera surveillance, i would guess they really need it.

That's not St . Marks, but at the Episcopal Diocese office next door.

I remember going into an unnamed church in Bellevue in the late '60's. It was quiet,I slept, I smoked pot, I'm not sure if I talked to
God but I'm sure he knew I was there. I respected the facility and the good feeling I got when I was there.