Church Cancelled Due to CoronaVirus. Lack of Faith -or- Exercising Common Sense?

a reply to: carewemust

I originally thought lack of faith, then I read an article about churches that postponed services during the 1918 Spanish Flu and thought well, I guess being cautious isn't the same as being fearful

originally posted by: AnonymousMoose
a reply to: carewemust

I originally thought lack of faith, then I read an article about churches that postponed services during the 1918 Spanish Flu and thought well, I guess being cautious isn't the same as being fearful

What's curious is how some people who won't attend church tomorrow out of "caution", went to St. Patrick parties and gatherings today. (I drive Lyft part-time. Talk to a lot of people.)

a reply to: TzarChasm

The word goes God could make healers of atheist but I figure we first need demonstrable scientific evidence of God so we can submit him to us.

originally posted by: Out6of9Balance
a reply to: TzarChasm

The word goes God could make healers of atheist but I figure we first need demonstrable scientific evidence of God so we can submit him to us.

Healing is a right, not a privilege. Treating it like a gesture of authority is the wrong reason to use that kind of talent.

Go to church, he will save you anyway...or she.

To be quite honest, I, 1. don't go to church and 2., I'm no fan of organized religion but I'm not going to go there now; they are people and their beliefs should be set aside. Taking precautionary measures is always a good thing; proactive, not reactive.

God wouldn't want you to purposely congregate and infect yourself with the virus. It is common sense to cancel church services, especially if you are the type of person who is responsible and takes accountability for their actions and is interested in protecting the health of the community.

In Iran, people flocked to healing shrines in the center of the outbreak and licked them. Don't be like these Iranians and let your emotions get in the way of reality.

God doesn't want you to act like this. You are representing him here on Earth. If Christians decide to defy the government and have services together in large groups anyway during the outbreak, you are going to be making God look bad / kind of like an idiot and I doubt he will be pleased, especially since he knows better. And he definitely doesn't want you to get sick!

My church is broadcasting its service over the internet! There are still possibilities to explore!

a reply to: carewemust

It does say in the bible you don't need to go to church anyway, something most churches seem to forget...

originally posted by: djz3ro
a reply to: carewemust

It does say in the bible you don't need to go to church anyway, something most churches seem to forget...

I'd say that in Christianity, getting to heaven is a group activity, part of a community, and not the purview of spiritual athletes. But I know what you mean.

A miracle is the exception to the rules, the laws of nature. A miracle is a gift, not a birthright.

God did give us the thirst for knowledge. That whole "tree in the center of the garden" thingy. There was a long stretch of western history when medical advancement was the special provenance of the church. Right up into the Renaissance, most of the scientists were clergymen, and they "pushed the envelope" of real-world observation over church doctrine.

The same year that the Catholic Church put Galileo under house arrest (1636), protestants were busy founding a non-denominational university, named after the largest donor, Rev. John Harvard. The church and the lab are not always enemies.

And now that we know about germ theory (and virology, for that matter), God expects us to use it.

In the gospels, it is Satan who tries to tempt Jesus to make a blind "leap of faith" in defiance of natural law.

Jesus responds with,

"You shall not put the LORD your God to a foolish test."

That "other voice", the voice telling you that if you really believed....

that's the devil, trying to trick you into abandoning common sense.

a reply to: Graysen

Some good theology in there, I found it very interesting, thanks

The Coronavirus was first reported on 31st December 2019 regarding new cases in Wahan or Wuchang in China, link below:-
www.who.int...
I'm an archaeoastronomer, so sit on the fence regarding astrology reports, but have a number of astrology and astronomy programs, i thought that report below would interest:-

originally posted by: carewemust
Friday, March 13, 2020

Just received a message from Church that it's cancelling "in attendance" service this coming Sunday, due to CoronaVirus-19.

Instead, the Pastor and Choir will be there, along with a cameraman/tech guy to Stream the service live via the Internet.

Does this represent a lack of FAITH in God protecting his faithful, as promised in the Bible?

Or, is it exercising good common sense, since a lot of Senior Citizens are among the 1,200 members? (Seniors are most at-risk from Covid-19)

I don't know how collection of Tithes and Offerings ($$$) will work. Maybe that capability will be online too.

-CareWeMust

It's common bloody sense. Protect the older people in your life by not being an idiot.

originally posted by: AnonymousMoose
a reply to: carewemust

I originally thought lack of faith, then I read an article about churches that postponed services during the 1918 Spanish Flu and thought well, I guess being cautious isn't the same as being fearful

Some churches want to hold in-person services on Easter Sunday. But in Kentucky, the parishioners must self-quarantine after the service.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned Friday that any state residents attending a mass gathering -- including church services -- will be forced to self-quarantine for 14 days in a preemptive bid to slow the coronavirus outbreak in his state over Easter weekend.

"I think we’re down to seven churches statewide that are thinking about having an in-person service," Beshear told reporters. The governor has warned that churches should switch to virtual or drive-in services to accommodate worshippers while protecting public health.

www.foxnews.com...

April 11, 2020

In parts of Mississippi, "Drive In" Church services were disbanded by police and attendees fined $500.00.

GREENVILLE, Miss. — Churchgoers who attended a drive-in service at a church in Greenville, Mississippi, were fined $500 for reportedly violating a curfew order from the mayor.

During Thursday night service at King James Bible Baptist Church, while parishoners sat in their vehicles listening to Pastor Charles Hamilton, Greenville Police surrounded the church parking lot.

Jeremy Dys, with First Liberty Institute, is representing Pastor Hamilton and says police were violating the church's constitutional right while enforcing a curfew order from Mayor Errick Simmons.

“They park in their parking spaces, they keep their windows up, the doors closed, they never get out of the cars like the CDC recommends they do,” Dys said. “There's no exception to the United States Constitution for a pandemic. What Mayor Simmons has done is to apply an order without regard to equality and he's singled out churches in particular.”

King James Bible Baptist isn't the only Greenville church police visited.

“We have everybody stay in their cars, with their windows up and go to a certain radio station, a low frequency station,” said Lee Gordon with Temple Baptist Church.

Source: wreg.com...

Here is my 2 cents on this.
The bible set up a hierarchy of power. Slaves submit to their masters, wives to their husbands, and men to the governing bodies.
Slaves obey your master. Wives obey your husband. Men, obey your government rulers.
It seems that all those pieces of advice the church has given to women who are finding their husbands rule over them too burdensome would also be good advice to the church now with this disagreement with the government.
Women in abusive relationships in the past were encourage to remain with their husbands. If disagreement did come up, they were encouraged to try to reason with him and pray to god to lead him to a better understanding. And of course there was the well, if he doesnt want her to go to church, maybe she shouldnt. Not once has anyone ever suggested to me to just not obey him!!

Biblically speaking, I think these churches are in the wrong to hold services against the govts orders. The should plead with the state to change the rules, they should pray to god to sway the govts in their favor.. but, the shouldnt be just doing what they want blatantly disobeying the govt.

a reply to: dawnstar

The Department of Justice may be about to intercede, to ensure that local governments are even-handed with enforcement of their respective Covid-19 related orders.

The Justice Department (DOJ) may take action next week against local governments that have cracked down on religious services as widespread parts of the country are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, a DOJ spokesperson said Saturday.

“While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly [and] not single out religious [organizations],” DOJ Director of Communications Kerri Kupec tweeted.

More at: www.foxnews.com...

a reply to: carewemust

But, are they singling out religious organizations?
If they aren't allowing birthday parties of 50 people, how are the singling out churches that have services with a few hundred attending?

a reply to: dawnstar

At least the William Barr' Department of Justice is intervening to keep anti-religious cities and states from going overboard, when it comes to church services.

A day after the Justice Department intervened on behalf of a local church in a lawsuit over a ban on drive-in services in Greenville, Miss., due to city COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the mayor now says such religious gatherings are allowed.

“Today, given the definitive guidance from the governor, in the city of Greenville we will allow drive-in and parking lot services in the city – so long as families stay in their cars with windows up,” Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons said in a press conference Wednesday streamed over Facebook Live.

The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in support of the Temple Baptist Church on Tuesday, although Simmons, a Democrat, said the reversal came after a conversation with the state's Republican governor Wednesday

More at: www.foxnews.com...

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about this. I since left churchanity when pastors became idiots and knuckleheads trying to tell us to support a particular politician, scaring us to death if we don't pay our tithes to them misquoting bible verses to suit their greed, and tellilng us to buy silver solution as a cure for covid.

The Evangelical movement is huge disappointment.

originally posted by: syndicatesyn
Fortunately, I don't have to worry about this. I since left churchanity when pastors became idiots and knuckleheads trying to tell us to support a particular politician, scaring us to death if we don't pay our tithes to them misquoting bible verses to suit their greed, and tellilng us to buy silver solution as a cure for covid.

The Evangelical movement is huge disappointment.

Good move. I take you left prior to being born then? Just kidding. Better late than never. Its a sham.

May 23, 2020

Yesterday, President Trump told states to immediately allow churches to begin having services again. And if the state wouldn't allow it, he (President Trump) would override their decision.

Story: www.foxnews.com...

He made a good point. States deemed Liquor Stores as essential providers during the Covid-19 "crisis", so places of worship should be also.