OPINION: For the Love of God—Stay Home
Georgetown’s Father Martin engages viewers on his Daily Faith Sharing live stream. (Yebin Won)
Yebin Won (SFS ‘22) is a regular Compass World contributor and a guest writer for the Caravel's opinion section. The content and opinions of this piece are the writer’s and the writer’s alone. They do not reflect the opinions of the Caravel or its staff.
The minute I hear his voice, I sit up a bit straighter in bed and fix my bun—and then feel ridiculous for doing so. Father Martin cannot see me through the screen, anyway. Sitting thousands of miles away from him in Singapore, this ritual has become my new reality: every Sunday, I slink into my room, turn on my computer, and wait for Fr. Martin’s daily faith sharing via Facebook Live. The audio sometimes doesn’t sync up with Fr. Martin’s lips. My hands itch to shake someone else’s. I even miss the styrofoam-like communion wafers. But, like millions of worshippers worldwide who have had to forego religious gatherings, I am resigned to listening to online sermons from home. Many of our religious leaders, from the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, have implored us to pray and reflect at home. For the most part, these calls are being heeded.
Most, but not all. Clerics in Aceh, Indonesia, ruled that public prayers to welcome the Muslim season of Ramadan must continue; on their order, worshippers packed mosques. In Greece, a group of rogue Greek Orthodox priests held in-person Easter services despite a public gathering ban. Several Hindu worshippers decided to carry on with Ram Navami festivities, despite the month-long lockdown already in place across India.
The United States is no different; congregations have shown up to services in states that have banned large gatherings as part of their lockdown measures. The debate in the U.S. over religious gatherings in the time of COVID-19 is strongly colored by concerns over religious liberties under lockdown. Such concerns are perhaps most pronounced and public among evangelical Christians, the group I generally identify with.
Certain evangelical leaders are protesting that U.S. lockdown protocols banning mass gatherings are a violation of religious liberty. When Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) issued an order prohibiting “mass gatherings of more than 10 people to limit the spread of COVID-19,” two churches filed a lawsuit alleging violations of religious freedom and free speech. The churches suing Kelly said they believe God calls them to “engage in corporate (i.e. in-person) prayer,” which Kelly’s order prevented them from fulfilling. In addition, the lawsuit argued that the order’s exclusion of religious gatherings as “essential” highlighted the governor’s “hostility” toward religion.
Churchgoers in Greenville, Mississippi, were fined $500 when they violated the mayor’s curfew protocols and ban on in-person religious gatherings. Citing the fact that they had their windows rolled up, the churchgoers protested that the fines were unjust, a complaint that Attorney General William Barr supported. Ultimately, the mayor of Greenville announced that the worshippers will not have to pay their fines.
In a more extreme instance, Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Florida defied his house arrest order to attend church. Spell’s most recent violation is not his first; in fact, he was issued a summons for violating the state’s ban on large gatherings and was charged for dangerously backing up on a sign-holding protestor with his bus. Last Sunday, Spell was captured on the church’s Facebook live stream showing off his ankle monitor (put on him by the state of Louisiana after the previous two crimes) to his cheering congregation. Spell proclaimed, "My right to have church and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ are [sic] endowed by my creator, not my district attorney, not my chief of police, and not my governor.”
Though these instances are outliers, it is still deeply concerning that the question of religious liberty is being used to fight lockdown measures. Often, Evangelical churches that moved to file lawsuits against state or county governments point to the “fact” that churches are being unfairly targeted by local authorities for not being “essential.” If restaurants offering take-out are considered essential, they ask, why can places of worship also not be considered essential as long as everyone stays six feet apart? Is this not denying worshippers their First Amendment rights?
In the simplest terms, absolutely not. The argument that banning large gatherings is prejudiced against religious communities is a stretch at best. The Constitution’s First Amendment assures the faithful of two complementary protections: free religious belief and expression and certainty that the government will not preference one faith (or no faith at all) over others. Currently, lockdown measures apply to all large gatherings, including schools, concerts, and houses of worship. There is no preferential treatment being given to any one religious group, nor is there active suppression to forbid religious expressions in the form of virtual services. In short, the ban is on large physical gatherings, not a specific religious group or one’s right to religious expression.
Secondly, the argument about designating churches as “essential” cannot stand: simply put, churches are not essential for basic survival. I love spiritual nourishment as much as the next worshipper, but such activities cannot be equated to the physical nourishment that restaurants and grocery stores provide, nor can they compare to the necessary work of sanitary workers, law enforcement officers, and mail collection. In addition, strict social distancing measures put forth by establishments like restaurants (which now almost exclusively offer take-out) cannot be replicated in a worship setting. In a Christian context, even if everyone forgoes the Eucharist and wears masks, it is difficult to rationalize the risk of transmission when virtual options like Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube exist at exceptionally low or no cost.
COVID-19 is not out to end our systems of worship. It is, however, a profoundly dangerous challenge that cannot be overcome without immense caution on our part to curtail the virus’ spread. With more than 50,000 U.S. lives lost to COVID-19 so far, reckless responses from even a handful of congregations is a recipe for disaster. Although the majority of the religious around the world are not anti-science or supportive of stubbornly attending public services, we owe it to our religious communities to keep ourselves safe and not to needlessly hurt anyone through reckless rule-breaking.
Our actions as individuals are pivotal in curtailing the virus’ spread. As schools and workforces find alternative means to continue their work, religious groups should also work to find physically distant methods that still connect worshippers spiritually. To fellow Christians who may feel disgruntled by the current situation, I implore: our decision to stay home during this crisis is an act of love for our neighbors and their health. Lockdown measures do not undermine our faith, and to argue otherwise can put lives at risk. So, for the love of God and all things holy—stay home.
Have a different opinion? Write a letter to the editor and submit it via this form to be considered for publication on our website!