Since the bible is being used to provide guidance how about this? Matthew 7:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Given the information about social interaction, the 3 day time it takes for symptoms to develop. As a good human being I abide by the social interaction & I understand that time for symptoms to develop I refrain from going to large gatherings. I in effect am doing unto others what I would have them do to me, but seems some religious leaders & followers don't follow the Law and the Prophets. I expect the government to take action to reduce the spread of a virus the has no cure as of yet.. If police or national guard are needed to prevent large gatherings I view that as isolated instances to protect the masses.
@Faye Fox, it would help if you would argue what I have actually said rather than the things that you can more easily counter. Maybe you don't get the point. That's understandable. The media has been working 24/7 to keep you from getting the point. I'm not saying the virus was intentional, and I doubt that it was intentional on the part of our government, and I have no doubt that it's real. The response to it was intentional, and the intent was probably not so much to keep us safe but to enact a whole lot of stuff that we wouldn't have stood for otherwise. Most of what is in the bill that they are working on in Congress has nothing whatsoever to do with this crisis; rather, it's a whole wish list of stuff that would never have passed otherwise. Similar to the Patriot Act, elected officials just want to something, and whether it makes a bit of sense doesn't matter because people are willing to get on board and let the government do whatever it wanted because we were attacked. One of Obama's people said, "never let a crisis go to waste," and that is exactly what's happening. The seasonal flu kills more people every year than this virus does, and your insisting otherwise doesn't change the numbers. More people die of opioid abuse and from alcohol abuse. More people in the US died from accidents related to hunting Pokemon characters than from this virus. Given that you ignored pretty everything that I said in my last posts in favor of arguing something that you had an argument for, I won't even get into the subject of the churches again. You don't get it. I understand that. Your government will be proud of you. Well, not proud, actually, but grateful. They depend on it.
Apparently, Virginia has directly attacked people going to church, and is saying that they can be fined and jailed. I can see that it makes sense that if people are not supposed to gather in groups, that churches would not want people to come to church until there is not a chance of infecting each other. However, saying that a person would go to jail for being at church, and not specifying the same for other infractions (partying for spring break, etc) , is way out of line for what should be allowed.
Oh, my goodness ! The New York Times just put out an article that says the Christians (especially the evangelicals) are now to blame for the corona virus pandemic. Really ? How do they get to that, you ask........ well, naturally the whole virus problem is the fault of President Donald Trump. Since many of the Christians helped to elect him, and support him; it now makes the Christians responsible . https://trendingpolitics.com/new-yo...outbreak/?utm_source=appnotify&utm_medium=app
Whatever the target group might be, history demonstrates that all it takes is a little push to turn people violently against any group that is targeted. Hitler used the press and the power of a podium to turn people away from their Jewish neighbors by blaming them for the sad predicament that Germany was in at the time. Once started, it quickly progressed from being afraid to associate with Jewish people who had formerly been friends, neighbors, and colleagues, to justifying a progression of government actions targeting the Jewish population, to looking the other way or even participating in the murder of millions of Jews. This was facilitated by a segment of the population that was already antisemitic. All it took was a crisis, and the rest of the country followed. In times of crisis, people like to have an identifiable enemy. In America, we already have a segment of the population that hates Christians and a much larger group who simply don't identify with Christians. I'm seeing hints of this here, in which otherwise good people are already demanding that Christians be jailed if they dare demand rights guaranteed them in the constitution. Thus far, these are people who already have disdain for religion or for Christianity. All that it takes then is for the press to name an enemy and people have something they can fight. If this is a group of people they already wanted to get rid of, so much the better. The press identifies a church or a group of churches who are meeting together in defiance of laws that are probably unconstitutional. Knowing that as more people are tested, more people will test positive. It is all too clear that the press does not want to blame China, so why not the Christians? Already, people are calling for them to be charged with murder. Burning churches and killing Christians is not a long step away. Surely, it won't be the first time. So it begins.
Misinformation causes ignorant people to act irrationally. Now, of all thing, Muslim communities in various areas have already begun to force their neighboring Muslims to be vaccinated, with what, is anyone's guess. To refuse, they burn the individual's house down. Vaccines take in inordinate amount of time for testing and refinement before they can be used on humans and they do not cure one who has the virus. They are only a preventative and should be given to healthy people only.
Right now, Ken, until some of this can be contained. common sense says do not assemble for everyone's protection. This is not an abrogation of one's religious rights, but for the health and safety of the population. Religious programming is available on radio, tv and the internet.
I doubt that, Ken as we already have effective vaccines against the flu and measles as well as a plethora of other communicable diseases.
Governors, mayors and other U.S. officials have a lot of responsibilities but one of them is definitely not to challenge the Constitution. Adversely, those officials are pledged to defend the Constitution and the rights that are guaranteed each citizen. I briefly listened to a radio interview with A.G. Barr and he openly denounced any agency of the law which proclaims it can arrest anyone for attending church or enjoying one’s freedom of movement. To paraphrase his interview, he said that mayors and governors can and do often pontificate behind the dais but in fact, cannot usurp a citizen's rights under the constitution. Matter of fact, he said that if the law knocks on the door, simply do not answer the door. It’s your right. Basically, a governor or mayor who uses the ploy of podium bullying is just that, a bully but a bully with no legal clout. Whether by faith, ignorance or belligerency that people wish to congregate in a building, any building and worship, they do not have to fear being arrested for doing so or at least, not Legally arrested. If such does occur then one has the right to sue said arresting agency or whatever person(s) of city or state government that approved the warrant. Now, I am not advocating that congregating en mass is a smart thing to do but merely that one definitely does have the right to do it.
Ken, how has the government usurped our rights to religious freedom? That has not been denied. The guidelines from the government are for health protection only. No one is saying one cannot keep their religious beliefs. Religion is available on all media outlets.
Wow! just wow! Are you serious that you think that there is a concerted effort to shutdown Christianity? Or that a pogrom is in the works? I think exactly the opposite. Those of us that do not claim the mantle of Christianity,continuously chafe under laws and rules that are designed,written an intended for the Christian community. The ever increasing desire for "Christians" to perceive themselves as victims is disingenuous to say the least. Your statement about the "press not wanting to blame China" speaks volumes about you. I don't understand why conservative are making such a case for this to be called the "Chinese" flu. To what end? Does blaming.designating, somehow make you feel better? It certainly does not make the pandemic retreat.
Christians, in recent years have been targeted, Peter. Not necessarily by the Virus, but by terrorist groups across the globe. So have Jews, and the news bears this out. It is not a conservative effort to call this virus, it is simply due to the fact that it appears to have begun there, thus the nickname.