Supreme Court: Religious Freedom More Important than Fighting Covid

What exemption was that? Is anyone saying that people can’t gather outdoors, before curfew, for religious services?

You mean, “kettle” them where they can’t escape, yell at them with impossible instructions to leave, and then forcibly remove their masks to spray pepper gas directly into their faces?

I think that would be a bit harsh to do to people peacefully gathering outdoors to pray.

I’m not aware of any crowded indoor protests. Can you point me to an example? Was that protest allowed?

Many reports pointed out that using masks and being outdoors is less of an issue than being indoors in a church.

And there is the CDC advisory that recommends outdoor activities with masks rather than indoor ones:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/personal-social-activities.html

Prioritize attending outdoor activities over indoor activities and stay within your local area as much as possible.

As do I. Either that comparison is overly harsh, or overly silly.
Or both.

I’ve seen outdoor church services recently, by the way. They’ve been in fields and parking lots close to the church, with light folding chairs. The chairs were spaced out and participants wore masks. I’m pretty certain those are legal everywhere.

Don’t forget kidnapping them in black vans and taking them to undisclosed locations.

Now we’re talking about a supreme court case!

It seems that one’s religious beliefs allows one to deliberately hurt or injure others.

So if my religious sect tells me that in order to get into heaven, I am required to randomly shoot bullets into a crowded street, that’s OK, right? The Supreme court has said that my religious beliefsare more important that that stupid concept of public safety.

Good to know.

Only if you use the prefered sect’s name for the same god.

The Supreme Court said no such thing. Why are you making shit up?

I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.

Yes it does, but if you think about it, Religion has been big on hurting others for centuries.

How are you managing to miss where I said “I think he ought to lock the doors of every church in his diocese,” and “I think the Diocese of Brooklyn (and the Archdiocese of New York, and every other diocese in the country) ought to lock the doors of their churches, or at least massively restrict the size (and spacing, and mask wearing, etc.) of all gatherings, including gatherings for Mass,” and “I wish he hadn’t brought this lawsuit. Bishop DiMarzio knows there’s a pandemic going on, and back in March, suspended the Sunday obligation. I wish he’d left it at that.”

You’re amazing.

Why, thank you!
If the law mandates that other social institutions be shut down, it shouldn’t be up to bishops and other church leaders to decide whether or not to do the same.
That clear enough for you?

Well, if as part of the religious ceremony destruction of public and private property, mass burnings of buildings, random assaults, throwing incendiary and explosive devices, using damaging lasers to blind, and looting takes place instead of hymns and an offering then sure.

And that was just Sturgis!

Modnote: This is hijack. Did you mean to start a new thread on this?

Keep on topic everyone.

This is just a guidance, not a warning. Nothing on your permanent record.

:thinking:

The case at hand was about whether the State of New York imposed a greater restriction on the Catholic Church in Brooklyn than on other, secular, institutions. You may or may not agree with the Court’s ruling, but that’s what it was about.

But yes, your position is crystal-clear to me.

@Jas09, I don’t think the Democrats are playing politics; they’re trying to save lives.