A handful of holdout U.S. churches plan to hold in-person services on Easter Sunday, saying their right to worship in person outweighs public health officials’ warnings against holding large gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak.Make no mistake, this is not about praying to the Almighty. One can do it at home.
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“Satan and a virus will not stop us,” said the Reverend Tony Spell, 42, pastor of the evangelical Life Tabernacle Church near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He expects a crowd of more than 2,000 to gather in worship at his megachurch on Sunday.
No, this is the religious equivalent of the open carry assholes (who carry guns at people); it is a public display of piety to prove to the world that they are pious.
Matthew 6:1: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."There are oodles of other biblical verses that hold the same: Worshiping in public to show one's devoutness is not proper.
It's the same elsewhere: People who consider themselves faithful have been disregarding social distancing and other pandemic-fighting measures. In Israel, the ultra-orthodox, who comprise a tenth of the population, have had almost half of the coronavirus cases.
So here is my modest proposal: Those Covidiots who insist on flouting the law and violating measures to limit the propagation of the coronavirus shall go to the back of the line when it comes to receiving treatment. If there are twelve ventilators and the thirteenth person to need one is Tony Spell, well, it will suck to be him. If a Covidiot can be shown to have transmitted the virus to an innocent party, the Covidiot bears full liability for what happens.
Meanwhile, in Huntsville, Alabama, drooling low-wattage fools are engaging in the same old hatreds.
A state health official in Kansas said that they were trying to do infection tracking to help stem the spread of the virus, but some woman came to a religious gathering from a couple of counties away, caught it, went home and infected her husband, and they both died.
ReplyDeleteNow they can't track who they may have infected because they are dead and can't tell them who they had contact with.
Empty pews on Easter? The tomb was empty also.
And the congregating is when the collecting is done, and I sense a connection.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
You done broke the code, Doug. They don't pay as much when their friends aren't watching.
ReplyDeleteDone more for the movement than my fifty years advocating no-religion.
ReplyDeleteIf they let the suckers, I mean their congregations miss out on services and the collection basket, soooner or later they’ll lose support. And we can’t have that, can we?
ReplyDeleteIsn't Easter a "sacrament" event, or whatever they call it? Passing out cookies and grape juice will go a long way towards infecting these gomers.
ReplyDeleteI say let them gather if they feel they must, but Federally Quarantine them as they come out the door. Ankle monitors and the whole 9 yards.
My thoughts anyway.
w3ski
If they vote it may well have been their last time for at
ReplyDeleteleast a few percent of them that will die.
I like the ankle monitor and lockup quarantine for all.
bang (gavel)
J:Were you ther eon that date?
P:yes, my religion, 1A!
J:Sir you have that right, two weeks in detention if you test
Coved clear after that you will be released.
P:you can't do that!
J:Just did! You are a health menace to others! Next.
Eck!
I concur. With every right comes a responsibility. Local health authorities should print out DO NOT VENTILATE cards for distribution at these disease vector point sources.
ReplyDeleteThe godbotherers have given me a case of aspirational schadenfreud.
ReplyDeleteI think that any church holding gatherings that exceed safe limits should be barricaded shut for thirty days. If the people inside want food and water, let them pray some up.
ReplyDeleteNobody is forcing anyone to associate with them.
ReplyDelete