I found documents in which those who did not attend church were jailed, was that the Virginia Assembly? This document is dated 1710, when Colonial Virginia was under the Rule of the Anglican and Episcopalian Church. So why would the General Assembly command people to go to church? Before there was a General Assembly, the Anglican and Episcopalian Churches were the law in Virginia. Sorry, that is the way it was. Slavery could not have flourshed without the approval of the church. Church law was then adopted by the General Assembly, and became the law of the land. Most historians know that Henings Statutes at Law were a codification of Church law for the General Assembly. Anita AMAZON.COM PURCHASE SITE - NOTES AND DOCUMENTS OF FREE PERSONS OF COLOR : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1411603338/qid=1097778584/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8775456-1855815?v=glance&s=books BOWDENS' OF POPES CREEK WEBSITE: http://www.orgsites.com/ca/mpbwdnfnd/index.html "The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people" African Proverb. ----Original Message Follows---- From: EDWARD BOND <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html