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Police Show Up At Louisiana Church That Defied States Order Over Coronavirus

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As the potentially lethal coronavirus spreads across the country, state governments are taking unprecedented steps to try and protect those who are most vulnerable to complications from the illness such as the state of Louisiana that banned gatherings of 50 or more people.

The state is so serious about this order, in fact, that they showed up at a local church that had defied the ban and held services in person anyway.

Here’s more on this from Fox News:

Tony Spell, pastor of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, said no “dictator law” could keep people from worshipping God, according to the local news.

“The virus, we believe, is politically motivated,” Spell told WAFB. “We hold our religious rights dear and we are going to assemble no matter what someone says.”

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Spell said his church, which normally has more than 1,000 attendees on Sunday across five locations, will be distributing “anointed handkerchiefs” to provide members with “healing virtues.”

Okay, first off, this man is incredibly irresponsible. A hanky, no matter how many times one claims it is anointed is not going to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Period. It’s foolishness to tell people this will stop them from getting the virus or heal them if they are exposed.

God is fully capable of healing people, no doubt about that, but He also gave us all reasoning brains for a purpose. We need to use them.

A police officer told the pastor that the National Guard will break up future gatherings that violate the public health rules issued by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

However, Louisiana National Guard Colonel Ed Bush said Wednesday that is not accurate.

“The National Guard has not been tasked with enforcing any of the curfew, social distancing or meeting requirements as set by the governor,” Bush said. “Our focus right now is completely with helping state agencies with preparedness and medical readiness.”

Rep. Clay Higgins sent out a letter to Edwards last week stating that the edict as it were is unconstitutional when it is applied to houses of worship.

“I agree that all our constituents and religious leaders should follow the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC),” Higgins wrote in the letter. “However, the decision to gather should be the choice of the individual or institution and not a mandate by any government entity. The state has no authority to enforce this proclamation nor any ban on worship.”

The vast majority of churches across the country have opted to hold services online, which is a great idea and a good compromise that helps protect those vulnerable to this disease. In fact, it’s a really awesome way to love your neighbor.

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However, the question this incident raises is whether or not churches should still be allowed to meet together in person if they choose. Of course, the problem is, they could spread the disease far and wide if they do. On the other hand, giving the government the power to tell a church when they can worship and when they can’t seems like an egregious overstepping of boundaries.

These are questions that need to be answered.

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