California Governor Gavin Newsom is once again putting California on a lockdown. Because of increased cases of the coronavirus, Newsom is closing down most businesses and forcing churches to close, canceling worship services. But abortion businesses are exempted and can continue killing babies in abortion.
Newsom just shut down indoor church services again in over 30 counties and the announcement was made during his noon press briefing Monday discussing efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
One pro-life leader is not happy with the decision to target churches again while letting abrotion centers continue their grisly trade.
“Today’s decision shows Governor Newsom trusts big box stores like Costco and Target more than churches and synagogues,” said Jonathan Keller, President of California Family Council. “Coupled with last week’s ban on singing during worship services, people of faith are increasingly alarmed by Sacramento’s disregard of their constitutional rights. We have to ask ourselves: where do we draw the line?”
The order comes after Newsom further discriminated against churches by banning singing and chanting in houses of worship and limiting in-person services to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, yet for weeks he allowed thousands of people to protest in mass gatherings.
In the prior California Department of Public Health “guidelines” for places of worship and providers of religious services, state health officials recommend churches have members sing online from their homes. The document states: “Places of worship must therefore discontinue indoor singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.”
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The “guidelines” also include: “Even with adherence to physical distancing, convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the COVID-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations. In particular, activities such as singing and chanting negate the risk reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing… Further, it is strongly recommended that places of worship continue to facilitate remote services.”
By using mandatory language for some religious activities, while discretionary for others, the health department demoted the importance of certain church activities as opposed to others and is in turn governing the church in the area of worship, which government may not do.
On the other hand, thousands of people were chanting and singing together in protests in California, with no “recommendations” from health officials, while churches are being singled out with unconstitutional restrictions.
Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, who is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) and a member of the National COVID-19 Recovery Commission, called Newsom’s order “completely discriminatory.”
He said, “How can you permit, not for one day, but for many days, tens of thousands to march in protest without wearing masks and then demand that 100 worshipers refrain from singing?”
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Governor Newsom’s restrictions on religious activity is unconstitutional. The state has no authority to direct the manner and form of worship. It is beyond the competence and the authority of the state to ban singing and chanting in houses of worship. The hypocrisy is most evident when you see the same governor banning signing and chanting in religious services while encouraging the same activity in mass protests.”
