Posted on 08/04/2020 8:11:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that Nevada can legally limit attendance at indoor religious services to just 50 persons. At the same time, casinos, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and gyms are allowed to operate at 50% capacity.
This is a double standard. Why are houses of worship restricted to an arbitrary number — no matter how big the venue is or what safety precautions are in place — while business capacity is regulated based on the size of the venue?
This ruling unfairly targets churches and other institutions of faith. It tells the American people that the economy is more important to our country’s recovery than our spiritual well-being.
Data has shown otherwise. A Pew Research study found that a quarter of Americans have experienced religious growth because of COVID-19. According to the American Psychological Association, “Religion and belief are now seen by many researchers and clinicians as an important way to cope with trauma and distress.”
Americans are craving spiritual connection. That’s why revivals are happening across the country, with hundreds and thousands of people gathering in New York City and on California’s beaches for worship. It’s also why, according to American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2020 report, two-thirds of American adults now say they want to learn more about Scripture.
The actions of our courts and our governments often tell us that the stock market, political races, and our wallets should demand more of our attention than God. But with Americans’ mental health declining and substance abuse rising over the past several months, are drinking and gambling really the answer? A comprehensive 2015 review of studies on people of various faiths, ages, and races found that “religious involvement is related to better coping with stress and less depression, suicide, anxiety, and substance abuse.”
Governor Sisolak has said that religious venues should be more limited in capacity than casinos because the casinos are more closely regulated by the state, and therefore represent less of a threat to public health. But a New York Times op-ed argued that “Pastors who ignore coronavirus restrictions grab headlines. But most are being very careful about worship during the pandemic.” According to a new LifeWay Research survey, more than 70% of Protestant churches have resumed in-person services. These churches also increased safety measures: 94% of pastors said they’d provided hand sanitizer, masks or gloves, 86% conducted additional cleaning, and 76% said they had closed seats for social distancing.
What our country needs now is more opportunities for prayer, worship, spiritual connection and spiritual guidance. No one should be closed out of church because they were number 51.
The capacity of churches and other houses of worship in Nevada should be restricted by the same rules as Nevada’s businesses, if at all. The Supreme Court’s current ruling is discriminatory and threatens our country’s collective recovery. More money flowing through our economy won’t address the crises of anxiety, depression, addiction, loneliness and fear in America right now. Let’s trust our churches to worship safely and stop unjustly regulating them.
Timothy Head is the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
In a casino, there is little talking done by the patrons. The conversation is limited to answering “yes” or “no” to a free drink solicitation. If the patrons are wearing masks, any exclamations of joy are protected by said mask. (No, let's not go to “masks don't work” here.)
(I don't know if this is still true, but board games (craps, poker, roulette, &c) were at one point closed. In my visits to Nevada casinos recently, I've not seen any board games set up.)
Church services are not a passive activity. Part of the liturgy is to sing hymns. If you recall early in the pandemic, a church choir rehearsal resulted in a number of the singers coming down with COVAD-19. I don't know about Jewish traditions, but I know from personal experience from various denominations of Christian services.
What doesn't make sense is to block drive-in style church services. Ones where you stay in your car, and tune your car radio to the “pastor frequency.”
And I'm still waiting for some of the pastors/fathers/whatever to hold religious demonstrations.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
*** “I read the comments up to this point, and I believe that most of them stem from emotional reactions, not reasoned thought” ***
I still don’t know of a Single Person that I know has Had or Caught Covid ... but I do know dozens that have lost their Business.
I grew up when there was Mumps, Yellow Fever, Malaria Rubella, German measles and Polio (I knew kids that had all of them, I had everything but Polio, Malaria and Yellow Fever myself, but I had friends that did get Polio and my Dad had Malaria that revisited him every few years and he turns 88 this Month) and this Covid crap is Zip/Zero/Nada. We Didn’t shut down anything!
We still had the Flu’s and Common Colds as well
Screw This Pandemic as it is 99.9% Politics and .1% Virus and will disappear in November
This is what Draining the Swamp looks like and 99.99% of us Approve if Draining the Fn Swamp!
Wear a mask ya Sheeple as it identifies you and we need to know who you are so we can distance ourselves from Idoocracy. (not the movie, real life idiots)
JMHO
Could its be that the “families” which run the casinoshave more persuasion (i.e., fire-power) than does a “church family”?
Because the Culinary Union is continuing to dump money into every Dem Legislature member’s accounts-—at the same time that the Legislature is in special sessions.
A direct violation of Nevada Law.
Sissy Pants got elected by the votes & $$$$$$$ from that union & others in Las Vegas.
I suppose STATE R E V E N U E would be too easy an answer.
Did you see that the special session failed to increase taxes on mining?
When was the last time you heard of somebody flying into Vegas to go to church? There’s your answer.
Who pays the piper calls the tune.
$$$$$$
More people drop more money into the casino than they do the collection plate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.