Los Angeles, US
RNS
Senator Brian Jones, a Republican in San Diego County, introduced a piece of legislation on Friday that would deem religious services an essential activity during any declared state of emergency.
In this 11th April, 2020, file photo, a person films pastor Nicolas Sanchez, centre left, celebrating Easter Vigil Mass at his church decorated with candles and pictures sent by his parishioners attached to their pews at St Patrick Church in North Hollywood, California. PICTURE: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/File photo.
JOHN MACARTHUR’S GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH POSTPONES EVENT AFTER HEALTH OFFICIALS BALK
Grace Community Church in Sun Valley announced on Friday that it would postpone an annual three-day ministry conference after Los Angeles County public health officials expressed concerns about the event’s potential to spread COVID-19.
The Shepherds’ Conference, scheduled for 3rd to 5th March, had scheduled more than 30 speakers to address audiences of hundreds of pastors and academics from Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington state. Rev John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church, said in a promotional video that the conference would be “polemical” and “passionate” as “we endeavour to reclaim true evangelicalism”.
But in Friday posts on Facebook and Twitter, the church said that because California and LA County threatened action to stop the event, “we have decided that the most prudent course of action at this time is to postpone the Shepherds’ Conference”.
Although a Supreme Court ruling lifted a ban on indoor worship in California, county health officials said they had determined that the Shepherds’ Conference didn’t qualify as a worship service.
A conference hosted by a church or anyone else is prohibited, county officials said in a statement provided to Religion News Service.
“A gathering of thousands of people from around the country and the world can turn into a superspreading event and can be deadly,” the statement read.
The church seemed to allude to the Supreme Court decision in its Facebook announcement. “We will be deposing the key health officers and county officials and requiring them to answer for their oppressive actions under oath,” its post said, “and requesting all documents and information supporting their arbitrary attempts to restrict our religious liberty as a church.”
The Los Angeles Times, in a story on Friday about the conference, reported that two men from Washington, including a 90-year-old pastor, died of complications from COVID-19 a few weeks after attending last year’s Shepherds’ Conference. It’s unknown if their cases were connected to the conference.
In its statement, the church said its “leadership remains firmly committed to the truth that Christ is the head of the Church…we will not yield to government’s infringement upon the biblical command to worship and gather together. We intend to steadfastly defend this truth and obtain appropriate constitutional and legal protections and further relief from the Court.”
– ALEJANDRA MOLINA, RNS
The bill, known as the Religion is Essential Act, would require state and local governments to allow religious services to continue during an emergency.
It would prohibit government institutions from enforcing a health, safety or occupancy requirement that “imposes a substantial burden on a religious service” during an emergency, according to language from the bill.
A religious organisation, under the bill, would be allowed to file a claim for relief in an administrative or judicial proceeding if it has been subjected to “government overreach.”
The California Family Council, the Capitol Resource Institute and the Judeo-Christian Caucus are among groups listed as co-sponsoring the bill.
“Americans are guaranteed religious freedom and the right to congregate with fellow members at their chosen house of worship,” Jones said in a statement.
Jones criticised Governor Gavin Newsom as using COVID-19 as an excuse “to violate” the rights of California residents to congregate for worship.
This proposed piece of legislation comes days after a divided US Supreme Court ruled on 5th February that California couldn’t forbid indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic. The ruling limits attendance to 25 per cent of a building’s capacity and restricts singing and chanting inside.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that “federal courts owe significant deference to politically accountable officials” when it comes to public health restrictions, but he said deference “has its limits.”
Meanwhile, Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent for herself, Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Sonia Sotomayor that the court was “making a special exception for worship services” instead of treating them like other activities where large groups come together “in close proximity for extended periods of time.”
Since the ruling, some religious leaders have opened their churches, mosques and temples to worshippers, but many others, including those hard-hit by the pandemic, are choosing to continue congregating outdoors and online.
