As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“If Americans are to have any hope of overcoming our deep polarizations, people of faith must be willing to cooperate with one another where they can, even when they strongly disagree on some issues. So said a panel of four faith leaders, including Dr. Russell Moore, in a webinar Thursday on faith and politics under Biden presidency.” - C.Leaders
“The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a lower federal court to reexamine California restrictions on indoor religious services in areas hard hit by the coronavirus in light of the justices’ recent ruling in favor of churches and synagogues in New York.” - CLeaders
“I too am troubled by the drift of public opinion on religious liberty, and I too am glad Trump will leave public office—that is, I understand why both perceptions make sense.
In the last article, we saw the Court determined public health considerations cannot run roughshod over religious liberty concerns. Justice Gorsuch, who seemed particularly outraged, quipped the Constitution does not take a sabbatical during a pandemic. However, Justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan disagree. They wish to continue to defer to Governors and public health orders.
This past Wednesday (25 November 2020), the Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”) barred restrictions on religious services in New York that Gov. Cuomo had imposed to combat COVID-19. The vote was 5-4. If the late Justice Ginsburg were on the bench instead of Amy Barrett, it would have gone the other way.
This is not a permanent decision. Justice Kavanaugh explains:
“When asked if they agreed with the statement, ‘If the government told us to stop gathering in person for worship I would want my congregation to defy the order,’ 34% of respondents who participated in the October survey agreed (with 16% strongly agreeing).
“…in July 2016, the president of Russia signed a package of “antiterrorist laws” that became known by their co-author name as the Yarovaya Laws. In practice the so-called anti-terrorist laws turned out to be anti-missionary and even anti-church laws.” - C.Leaders
“Jackson County, Ind., can enjoy its holiday cheer, at least for now. A federal appeals court on Thursday hit pause on a lower court order that found a Nativity scene in front of the county courthouse unconstitutionally promoted Christianity.” - WORLD
“Reaction to Gov. Andy Beshear’s request to halt indoor services for houses of worship over the next three to four weeks ranged from disappointment to compassion from a variety of Kentucky Baptist pastors.” - BPNews
“…a new survey shows that most Americans share Justice Alito’s assessment of faith in the public square, with surprisingly strong support among the generation thought to be the most secular.” - Acton
Discussion