Donald Trump said today that his administration will deem churches and other places of worship “essential” during the coronavirus pandemic. He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will issue guidance that deems houses of worship essential places that provide essential services, and he is urging state governors to allow churches to reopen. “The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now,” he said. “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors.”
Trump added, “In America we need more prayer, not less.” And so he is calling on houses of faith, including churches, synagogues, and mosques, to reopen “right now.”
I’m not a religious man. I’m not a churchgoer. But I have been under the impression that faith comes from within and that you can pray at any time from anywhere. Do you really need to go to a crowded church, synagogue, or mosque to practice your faith and to pray to whatever god you pray to?
This is not a rhetorical question. It’s not a trick question. I really want to know. Do you need to risk the health and life of others and your own health and life in order to practice your religion?
This, That, and the Other 
It would be much safer if people stayed home to pray, as I am sure that God would still be able to hear them.
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I think this is a very individualized answer. It will vary from person to person, and will vary depending on the circumstances that are occurring at any given time for the same person. Sometimes it is about the physical connection with others who think and feel like the same way. Sometimes it is a social thing. Going to a physical location to worship fills different needs for different people.
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But at a time when being in a crowded place can make you ill or possibly cost you your life, isn’t it better to stay safe and pray from home?
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Again, I can’t make that decision for anyone. It is a personal decision. Life is about taking risks, and everyone has to determine what risks they are willing to take and what risks they are not.
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True, but why does that asshole of a president we have feel the need to promote risky behavior when virtually all of the doctors and scientists argue against people congregating in large crowds. People CAN pray and practice their faith from home or remotely.
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???????? 🙂
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Did you have a question?
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No question, but no answer either. 🙂
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No you don’t. Another step down from the idiot in chief.
Sent from my iPad
>
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I’m not religious either, but believe you don’t have to go to church to pray, nor do you have to be among hundreds of people to prove you ‘believe’. Faith is personal, and for some, they need to feel the comfort and company of others around them.
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I wish someone would override him 😡
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Too afraid of losing their jobs I think Christine.
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Or going to jail 😳
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To quote Jesus: “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door…” Matthew chapter 5 verses 5 and 6.
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Religion is tricky
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He’s so completely random. When he doesn’t want to be the one to make crucial decisions, he says everything is up to the governors. And then he complains — and, not only complains, acts like he can override the governors and the church leaders and so on.
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One can pray from any where and any time. It does comes from the heart, not a building.
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I have a hard time imagining Trump as a religious man so I feel this is about him wanting to be popular as the guy who got the churches opened.
I’m not religious at all so I can’t say whether the church is an essential service. It wouldn’t be for me. However, everyone is different and for some maybe it does make a difference being able to worship in a church rather than at home. At the moment though I feel that for many people it would be very risky to be in a large congregation and that they would be better off staying at home. In Australia, we had a limit of 10 people at funerals until just recently, it’s just been raised to 20 inside or 30 outside. So I don’t think the megachurches would be wise to reopen yet.
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I, too, think it would be unwise to congratulate in large groups, whether at churches or elsewhere.
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“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them;” Jesus Christ. Matthew 6 from the Bible.
Took as semester class in Bible as Lit. Not a church goer either.
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I won’t even do it on Zoom. I have developed strongly negative feelings towards churches, synagogues, mosques, and any other building designed to make us feel safe with god.
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Most religious places are offering their services online. I think the ones that are wanting to have people onsite have church leaders who need people around them to boost their ego – similar to 45’s narcissistic need. A true leader puts others before himself.
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Good point.
And maybe they have small parking lots. Or they’re embarrassed to have passers by see what they do. North Carolina actually has a court order, since Saturday, putting a stay on any rules [to immediately block enforcement of rules] against having services indoors.
https://www.wcnc.com/mobile/article/news/state/nc-churches-temporary-restraining-order-governor-coopers-order/275-0f34621c-44a5-4df9-94ba-4963171e0f0f
…….
Churches now have to make some tough decisions.
“We recognize we have a tremendous responsibility to our congregation and people in our community” Good Shepherd Church Director of Communications said April Portrais.
The Good Shepperd Church says they just aren’t ready to go indoors.
“We want to hold services outdoors, we’re just not comfortable holding that many people inside the church building,” Portrais said.
The church will be using spray paint to remind people to keep their distance. Sunday, churchgoers will be able to bring their own lawn chairs and be separate from other families.
The new order left people in the Charlotte area with mixed reactions. Time will tell how churches in the area will adapt — but since it is church-by-church, make sure to check with your place of worship ahead of time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{But I found this article at a local news site.
The recommendation goes for anyone
— don’t assume that the Trump spoke
and that therefore your church is open.}
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And Trump is anything but a true leader.
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Truth!!
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Don’t forget that if anybody is foolhardy enough to do this, and they then go on to catch the virus, maybe it’ll harm Trump? As in, it must’ve been safe if he said the church could open, so why do I have the virus? Which might help to get rid of him…if these people can survive until November!
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We’re in this kinda twilight zone where people feel their faith, or their politics, will conquer the science. Good luck to ’em.
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I understand faith and I understand politics, but I don’t understand how people can deny science, no matter what their faith or politics.
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Isn’t the very nature of faith to deny science? I understand neither faith nor politics, but I’m fairly sure that anything that wasn’t an essential service last month probably isn’t one now.
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Some are able to separate faith and science. They may believe in God as their creator, but accept the value of science to our understand of the world around us.
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Yes. I’m not sure that really makes a lot of sense, though, since on the one hand we are accepting science as a medium of understanding and on the other hand accepting something that defies scientific explanation. You can’t have it both ways.
The very nature of ‘faith’, though, protects it from criticism. When someone says that they believe in something despite the complete lack of evidence there is little room for any scientific argument.
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I’m just suggesting that some people can compartmentalize their faith as something very personal, but can still appreciate science. Otherwise, wouldn’t all scientists have to be atheists?
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Yeah, I know. But I’ve found that when such people try to describe their personal religious perspective it is so far removed from traditional religious belief that it is no longer religion at all.
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We shall see, I guess.
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There is literally a Bible quote about this “”And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”
Matthew 6
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Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
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Jesus went off by himself all the time,lol. They are more “outraged Christians”
https://wau.org/resources/article/re_jesus_sets_out_alone_to_pray/
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The church I grew up in had a service when this all started. They spaced apart and opened the balcony. They didn’t take up collection and no coffee hour afterwards. Doesn’t that sound like a fun time? If there is no social aspect you might as well stay home and listen to it on your PC.
As a side note any time I got sick it was usually something I picked up from somebody at church who didn’t know enough to stay home!!
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I can understand that some people of faith may derive comfort from community at this tough time, but this cynical move by trump will merely spike the death toll higher. It is clearly dangerous, but he doesn’t care.
People who want to join religious services should content themselves with electronic meetings at this point.
And I thought he’d learned that he can not overrule the governors. But “learned” is clearly not a verb applicable to trump.
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The cynical me thinks he’s doing this on purpose to spike the incidence of cases and the death toll as an excuse to postpone or cancel the election in November.
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I have faith, but am not deeply religious. All churches are is a different form of a social group. You can be anywhere and hear hymns, pray and spread “the word” but all a church offers differently is a community. They don’t all get along, just like the people at work, just like the people in a neighborhood, and so on. I find the best “church” to be in is one on one with nature. There is a magic there, be it God or science there is a force greater than me that creates the flowers and tress, birds and bees. So, yes and no. I believe churches are religion or social groups, so for the social experience, yes you have to hold services. But to worship, you can do that personally anywhere. To purposely risk lives is rather UNreligious if you ask me. What is the saying, love thy neightbor? How does exposing them to a deadly virus count as love?
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I have always believed religion is a private matter to be practised privately.
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Me too!
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If only there were more people like us! Half the problems caused by religion would disappear.
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Yes, if only….
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