Posted on 04/14/2023 10:59:46 AM PDT by lightman
A judge ruled Friday to have a church in California pay $1.2 million in fines—including interest—for defying COVID-19 rules during the pandemic by holding large religious services where attendees were not wearing masks.
Calvary Chapel in San Jose was dealt the fine, including 10 percent interest, on April 7 by Evette Pennypacker, a Superior Court of California judge in Santa Clara County, for having exhibited “egregious conduct” in flouting the mask-wearing rules of the county between November 2020 and June 2021.
Calvary Chapel was one among several large churches in California that ignored the state and local mask-wearing and social distancing rules at the time.
“It should appear clear to all—regardless of religious affiliation—that wearing a mask while worshiping one’s god and communing with other congregants is a simple, unobtrusive, giving way to protect others while still exercising your right to religious freedom,” Pennypacker wrote in the April 7 ruling.
She rejected the church’s argument that the public health orders stopped it from exercising its religious freedom, or that the orders violated the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney for Calvary Chapel, told the San Jose Mercury News the church will appeal.
“We look forward to establishing more precedent on appeal that will have far greater implications for the future,” she wrote in a statement.
The county has been seeking millions of dollars in fines from the church after it ignored the public health orders. Calvary Chapel subsequently sued the county, saying the health orders violated its religious freedom. Various courts have ruled either in favor of the church or the county.
The church and its pastors were previously held in contempt of court and fined for violating limits on indoor public gatherings. But last year, a state appeals court reversed the decision, after it found that restrictions that had been imposed by the county on indoor worship services were stricter than for everyday activities such as going to grocery stores.
County Counsel James Williams issued a statement on the ruling on Wednesday. He asserted that the county’s response to the pandemic, which included imposing the public health orders and enforcing the orders against “entities that refused to follow the law,” had “saved thousands of lives.” He said the county is “gratified that the Court once again saw through Calvary’s unsupported claims and found them meritless.”
Since the left’s goal is the elimination of Christianity, this is no surprise. Churches have always been the target. Cov 19 was the excuse.
If they don’t pay, maybe the state government in CA will burn the church down, or maybe donate it to the Muslims.
Banana Peals are very effective.
It’s a known Fact that it will keep Normies at the Six Foot distancing
Requirement.
It’s a jizya tax.
A beautiful sentiment!
Aggression must be met with MORE aggression!
Now we can be fined by executive order.
This is becoming very dangerously close to Nazi Germany.
People ask how Germans ended up following the Nazis.
This is how.
...nor preventing the free exercise thereof.
I left 42 years ago.
That’s it. Throw the book at those evil churches.
Charges against most everyone else but them and Trump and
the odd White are eliminated.
501c3 churches are an abomination. If you as a church need a break from taxation, you are not giving to Caesar what is Caesars.
How many congregation members got sick, and/or died?
I left 10 years ago.
A woke female judge telling macho Mexicans to bend over and take it. This will get interesting.
I got Out when I retired
and I think I timed it well.
Calvary Chapel is the church of Greg Laurie and the Jesus Revolution movie. They’re bringing many, maybe millions, to Christ. Satan is trying to attack that church.
Prayer For Success For The Body Of Christ
Heavenly Father, thank You that I am part of the body of Christ and that we are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord. Father, I pray for all my brothers and sisters in Christ, so many of Whom are going through dangers and difficulties, persecution and pain, and Father, I pray that you would guard and guide, protect and provide for all that are in the household of faith,and that through us individually and corporately we may glorify You.
Provide for each one today, and I pray as did the apostle John that each one may prosper in body, soul and spirit. I pray that no matter what difficulties cross their path that they may prosper in the things of God and be worthy witnesses of the goodness and long-suffering of our Lord. Help each member of the body seek after the success that comes only from You, but which lasts forever. Keep us all from seeking after the things of this world, which are so soon to be cast away, but to seek first the kingdom of God, knowing that true success and heavenly rewards come only for those that have their hearts on that which is pleasing in Your sight
Keep us all from hankering after the empty success that comes from the world, financial and fame, social and relational, knowing that being out of Your will is a recipe for disappointment and failure.
Draw us all ever closer to You and help us to set our hearts on things above and not on things below, knowing that our citizenship is in heaven and that only through Christ as Saviour can we truly be successful. In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.
Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/prayer/prayer-for-success-for-the-body-of-christ-1003
I saw the movie.
It was good.
Masks have been proven to NOT stop transmission of Covid.
Covid through a mask is like sand through a tennis racquet.
This was 1st Ammendment violation.
Religious freedom and free speech being unconstitutionally quashed.
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