Community Chat

[MorningLover]

Florida: Many area churches have announced their doors will be closed and Sunday’s worship services will be held online instead to protect churchgoers from the spread of the virus.

Updated: Tampa church continues to hold services despite Hillsborough County's 'safer-at-home' order.. ~ abc action news

.... A Tampa Church pastor, has openly defied the state’s gathering ban on groups of 10 or more people and forced the closing of non-essential operations.

A lengthy legal article on the church’s website asks, “By what authority does the government declare the church non-essential?”...

The River Church is not alone.

...Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, La., has also defied the state's gathering ban. Its pastor, points out that less than a mile from his church “there’s a Walmart with 200 cars in the parking lot, and nobody blinks an eye.”.

The Walmart is open in Baton Rouge near his church because it has a grocery store inside it which is considered essential.

They both say feeding our souls and our spirits are also essential....

[shoppersince1989]

I hope they don't drink the Koolaid too!

Reminds me of the Jim Jones following.

[JustJazzmom]

Shop & pray like it's 1918!

[pitdakota]

@MorningLover, in the Tampa case, the argument of not being a non-essential service is after police authorities responded to calls about the church service.  This appears to be their argument at this point moving forward.

The pastor is on video from the service specifically saying more people die of the flu than this virus.

And before today, he posted in a blog:

"In a blog posted to Revival's website on March 22, Howard-Browne claimed that government orders limiting public gatherings, along with the social distancing recommendations, are "arbitrary in nature," and a "violation of the principle of separation of church and state.
"There has been no tested nor proven scientific or medical data to show us what 'number' of people that congregate together are a danger to society," wrote Howard-Browne."

So this is just a rolling argument because they really don't believe it is any big deal & don't see it as their responsibility to love their neighbor enough to try and protect people from transmission.  

They just throw whatever they think will work at the time to defend their stance, because they just don't think it is a big deal.

 A Virginia pastor that was outspoken about this virus not being serious and only hysteria caused by the media.  Unfortunately, Pastor Sprandlin contractred COVID-19 and died.  Sadly for him and his family, they found out the hard way.  Very sad.  

[Mersha]

The group at the market are not exhibiting any social distancing.

I surmise the people congregating in the church do not realize that  you can talk to God at home. 

Shameful...they are jeopardizing so many.

[JustJazzmom]

Let me post what a Chicago epidemiologist said:

“It’s really hard to feel like you’re saving the world when you’re watching Netflix from your couch. But if we do this right, nothing happens, a successful shelter-in-place means you’re going to feel like it was all for nothing, and you’d be right: Because nothing means that nothing happened to your family. And that’s what we’re going for here.”

— Emily Landon, Chicago epidemiologist

[spiderw]

After reading the pastor's comments I find it difficult to understand why anyone would go to that church period.  

As far as people still not doing what should be done to save lives, they are selfish, without care or concern for others and IGNORANT.  Sadly we do have a lot of very stupid people in this country and that is our reality.  Thankfully we also have many giving kind compassionate people and that is our blessing. 

[MorningLover]

@pitdakota  Yes, thanks for adding to the story. 

[songbird]

A lot of these are fundamental outfits.  They will always pack the churches and pray to be immune from the virus among other things.  They're in religious rapture.  

[Gorgf]

I was reminded of seeing those men handling poisonous  snakes thinking that God will keep them from getting bit. There have been incidents where they did get bit and also died.

Why take a chance when you don't have to? With technology there have been many on line services available for many faiths.