As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to climb in the United States, and the Trump administration continues to falter on any consistent, reasonable guidelines, states and cities are left largely on their own to navigate this public health crisis. We’ve come to understand that practicing social distancing, especially indoors, might be one of the most straightforward ways to slow the spread of the virus. (Of course, that’s in addition to wearing a mask or face covering and washing your hands frequently.)
While many, many places of worship got on board and went entirely virtual for service, some churches are insistent on holding indoor services. The latest instance comes from Pasadena, California, where Pastor Ché Ahn, whose church held indoor service on Sunday, argued: “As a pastor, I believe we've been essential for 2,000 years,” as reported by local outlet CBS Los Angeles.
What’s the big-picture context here? As reported by CBS News, on July 13, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered counties across the state to revert to prior coronavirus restrictions, including limits on museums, indoor dining at restaurants, and theaters, among others. In addition, some counties were ordered to close down malls, gyms, and places of worship. That’s where the Harvest Rock Church, which is located in Los Angeles County (one of the affected counties), comes in. Now a federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Harvest Rock Church. The suit seeks an injunction against the state’s ban on indoor services during the pandemic.
“I just feel the hypocrisy of encouraging protests. We are all for that, but let's just be consistent," Pastor Ahn said, as reported by the local outlet.
As The Sacramento Bee reports, however, this isn’t an issue at just one California church. Pastor Greg Farrington reportedly held services at Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, California, on Sunday, where according to church officials, an estimated 500 people attended in the morning, with 375 inside and 215 outside. The church also offered a virtual service, which, according to the Bee, it encouraged members at-risk to attend. The church’s marketing director told the Bee that masks were available to people who needed them, as well as distancing measures between families; the Bee notes the outlet couldn’t verify this as it reports journalists were not allowed to observe the services.
Pastor Farrington, the lead pastor at Destiny, told local outlet KCRA 3: “We’re just expressing our 1st Amendment right,” arguing that they’re “doing it peacefully.”
This scenario is far from an issue in just California. As Daily Kos has previously covered, a megachurch leader in Florida famously defied restrictions and held packed in-house services, eventually leading to his arrest. Another pastor in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area not only continued holding in-person services but did so in spite of being arrested over it.
Some religious leaders have encouraged people to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Leaders of the Mormon Church in Utah, for example, recently asked constituents to wear masks in public, reminding them that they were not immune to the virus. In an ideal world, our federal government would have science-based, reasonable guidelines for how to approach a global pandemic, but for now, every time a leader—including religious ones—pushes people in the right direction, the effort all adds up to something a little more positive.
You can check out a brief interview with Pastor Ahn below, courtesy of CBS Los Angeles.
from Daily Kos https://ift.tt/2WH8ccD
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