:: My guess is the absentees are fearbro equivalent? ::
Consider that , if they ARE fearbros, they are taking the correct stance by NOT attending.
To quote flubra MayflowerMadam, “My rights don’t end where your fear begins.”
Total agreement on this.
as to the other possible reason I suggested, laziness, this strikes me as the people of the Laodecean church. Feels like separating wheat from chaff.