Senator: Ease gathering ban for worship

[Firestorm49]

Source: Milwaukee Journal

More mental diarrhea from a Republican politician. He just doesn’t quite get what’s going on, and yet, was elected to a position of authority.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/03/18/coronavirus-wisconsin-senator-asks-evers-ease-ban-churches/2865241001/

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Apparently, Wisconsin State Senator David Craig doesn’t quite get the gist of the pandemic.

“As state government takes steps to protect the well-being of Wisconsinites, it is also important that state government not infringe upon fundamental rights of our citizenry, including the free exercise rights of individuals seeking to worship according to the dictates of their conscience.”

Now then, aside the oblivious repercussions of group gatherings, let’s talk about the proximity of pews and the six foot social separation suggestions. Pews that from the back of one pew to the front edge of the following pew, might be three feet apart. Oops! Won’t work. More than half (wild guess) would never fit into the church under those circumstances.

This was just another mindless dribble from a Republican who still believes Lindbaugh and Hannity that this is no more than the flu. Absurd!

[dewsgirl]

1. Why don't they just use Skype or similar for church,

those megachurch nuts have been doing it for decades.

[Firestorm49]

11. The archbishop himself said that the services would be live streamed.

[AllyCat]

2. Do these people believe that God and prayer are going to save them?

I had a volunteer at the hospital where I work (why was she there????) tell me "this virus has no authority over me!" Not even sure what that means, but I know she is an evangelical believer because she tells me every time we work together. She told me she has never felt healthier than she does right now. She clearly does not get why she is at risk for passing it on to our patients and staff.

What is the matter with these people?

[drray23]

3. That person needs to be kicked out of the hospital

Before she contaminates patients.

[bobbieinok]

12. Pentecostal evangelicals pray 'covid-19, take your hands off me!!'

And continue 'I pray this in the name of the Lord!'

It's part of the 'name it, claim it' movement. You state your goal in prayer clearly and sincerely and it will be given to you. You also have to accept it clearly and sincerely.

Movement has also be called 'blab it and grab it'!!

[FiveGoodMen]

24. Sounds exactly the same as 'The Secret' that Oprah was helping promote some years ago.

[AllyCat]

25. Ugh...

[Firestorm49]

19. As much as I don't condemn anybody of faith, maybe they think that prayer alone will protect them

[customerserviceguy]

38. A lot

of religious people think "God will protect me" if they're doing things related to church-based activities. I had a Mormon friend who got severely cheated by a woman he found and married on an LDS dating site.

[Mr.Bill]

40. I volunteer at a hospital.

We had a meeting scheduled for last Monday, our regular monthly meeting day. I'm sure we would have voted to shut down operations. Well, the hospital took care of that for us. They issued an order to shut all volunteer operations immediately. They are only allowing limited immediate family visitors one at a time for patients during limited hours. They also cancelled all elective surgical procedures.

Some testing has occurred in our county, but none positive yet. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

[Politicub]

61. They are very superstitious. If they don't go to church, god

will dump them and plagues of locusts will rain down on their houses.

[Mad cow]

4. I think a suitable compromise...

Would be to let them gather and then keep them quarantined together

[brooklynite]

5. Doesn't the Bible instruct you to pray in private?

[Firestorm49]

13. Certainly seems suitable and a whole lot safer than what this idiot politician is saying.

[Igel]

15. It also says not to forsake the assembling together.

Worship is often corporate, not individual.

[csziggy]

17. It also says "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"

1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

And:

Matthew 18:20 ESV / 3 helpful votes
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

[customerserviceguy]

39. It says

anything you want it to say, if you're selective.

[Phoenix61]

6. I don't recall anything about "congregational

worship” in the constitution. That they are willing to risk the health on every community member says it all.

[JaneQPublic]

7. A good way to meet your maker...

...rather than just worship him from afar.

[Firestorm49]

16. I play in three bands.

In one of the bands, two guys are Republican and two are Democrats. One of the Republican members was spewing “its only the flu” talking points so I canceled practices with this band, which is my band. The other two bands have also canceled practice. This is minuscule to what’s going on, but necessary.

I feel bad for all small businesses, bands, and everybody else of limited means who will be taking it on the chin because this inept administration has bungled the job in the worst possible way.

[JaneQPublic]

30. Yep. I learned about the struggles of "gig workers" from an old friend...

...who, after decades of work as a newspaper photographer, has been self-employed in recent years by shooting weddings, corporate brochures, local bands, anniversaries, etc.

His work has all but dried up since the pandemic, but his rent, insurance, car payments, etc. keep coming like usual.

Sadly, stories like his are no doubt common all over.

[ret5hd]

8. Please do. And then "shelter in place"...

at the church. Make sure somebody brings some loaves and fishes... that way you can stay there for the duration.

Gullible hicks.

[kiri]

20. Distribution of loaves and fishes is socialism

Distribution of loaves and fishes is socialism. Don't do it.

[FiveGoodMen]

26. An awful lot of Jesus and his followers' statements and actions were socialist

You'd think that bible-bashers would know that.


You'd think.

[Aquaria]

52. And even more of them are actively

Conservative enough for the 2020 deplorables.

Unless you want to claim that socialists are all in for torturing people permanently for thought crimes.

[SamKnause]

9. Open up the doors for all the places of worship.

Announce and invite all to come and worship.

When they are filled, lock the doors.

Problem solved.

Congregate and pray until your hearts are content.

[CaptYossarian]

10. In the Catholic Church, you get your throat blessed.

Combine that with General Absolution and now you have super powers.

If my mother-in law is staying out of church, this is serious.

[Tactical Peek]

14. Let the Senator take up serpents

Let the Senator take up serpents, and let him drink poison to show how his God will protect him because he is righteous - a hoary religious practice. Then he can go to meeting.

[Firestorm49]

18. Whoa! Don't hold anything back. (I tried to add a smiley face, but I'm too inept)

[Igel]

21. There's a lot of panic and silliness.

Wife went to church on Sunday morning. Not my thing (neither Sunday nor morning).

Instructions:

Stand at least 3 feet apart at all times. Sit more than 6 feet apart at all times--don't use the pews that are marked "do not use". Do not hug or shake hands. Use hand sanitizers. Do not expect to socialize for very long after or before services--doors open 10-15 minutes before, they're locked 10-15 minutes after.

If you're sick or in any of the accursed classes (under observation, in a level-3 country, recent contact with known covid case or person under observation) do not attend.

But, you may say, how do you get everybody in?

Answer: Large church, they added services so that each service had a smaller congregation. With reduced turnout, it really wasn't a problem.

Next week they've opted to cancel services and move entirely online, reluctantly so. And they decided this before any county-wide ukase.

I can only note that there are more objecting to the idea of others going to church (with or without precaution) but concerned that having a bunch of strangers pass through a voting station is an absolute right and to postpone the vote is, well, tyranny and heresy. Each religion has it's supporters (my definition of religion is more functional at this point and doesn't require a supernatural deity ... secular deities work just fine).

[Firestorm49]

23. My wife and I are voting by absentee ballot.

I don’t even want to bring up the possibility vote rigging or misplaced ballots. Remember, we’re dealing with a very slippery party that usually wins not by platform, but by cheating.

[Aquaria]

53. Man

You know they held out until the bitter end because they were scared of losing all those collection plate donations.

[Lucky Luciano]

22. This guy really needs to fuck himself harshly with a chainsaw.

[Marcuse]

27. What could possibly go wrong?

[paleotn]

43. Ha!

[cstanleytech]

28. Hey everyone, calm down as I agree with Craig that the ban for religious reasons should be relaxed.

Of course all those that attend will have to be quarantined at the site of the services together for the next 2 to 6 weeks but hey I am sure its one that many of them will be more than happy to pay to pray right?

[matt819]

29. Oh, of course

Because the virus knows that groups larger than 10 are in church for prayer, so it will take a break for an hour or two and sit out infecting the prayerful.

Wow, this is a special kind of stupid.

[Alacritous Crier]

31. Lunatic. - nt

[MissMillie]

32. I have no problem with people going to church for services...

...as long as they all stay there.

[Marthe48]

33. We can pray anywhere

You go to church for religion, but you can have faith anywhere

[Miguelito Loveless]

34. Because, apparently

"God" can't hear your prayers unless you are in a church.

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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6: 5-6

[Lowell]

35. I would encourage all the

republican bastards to attend church.

[PSPS]

36. Yes, let's sacrifice everyone's grandmother to jeebus!!111! (and don't forget your wallet, suckers)

[mmbrevo]

37. OFFS!

Pray at home!

[Retrograde]

41. Meanwhile Catholic bishops

across the country are issuing blanket dispensations allowing Catholics to miss Sunday mass, along with instructions to parishes on how to clean their churches because, science.

[Beartracks]

54. Really? That is very good to know. n/t

[paleotn]

42. Kind of Darwinian in a way.

[Kablooie]

44. Sure. God will protect you from the virus he made and inflicted on the human race.

God's virus will kill everyone except those that huddle together and beg him not to.

[Stryst]

45. Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

~"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them"

There is no justification in scripture to keep churches open. Christian families are responsible for keeping the sabbath in their own homes. But it's hard to pass the plate over skype.

[frazzled]

46. I am not much of a religious person

But I can see how many who are panicked in general, or truly hoping for the recovery of a friend or family member might want to turn to their faith for some comfort (whether illusory or not).

As I said, I'm not a practicing member of my faith, aside from holidays observed with family in the home. But once a year, at the High Holidays, I stream the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services from far away at the Central Synagogue, in New York. They're beautiful, progressive, filled with music, and offer me the chance for focused reflection on myself and the world, a chance to assess where I could have done better in the previous year, and what I need to do better in the next one.

It is so easy today to conduct online events, I don't see why churches and mosques and synagogues aren't doing this universally. In my religion there's an important concept, or rather obligation, called "Tikkun Olam": repair of the world. Certainly we all, including religious institutions, should be doing everything in our power to help repair—heal—the current pandemic.

[Traildogbob]

47. Preacher needs the plate passed

DirectTV has dozens of Jesus shows 24/7. Jim Jones murdered his brainless followers. I spent 30 years teaching Forest and Wildlife science at a local college. Pathogens in both plants and animals were 2 semesters of the curriculum. From history and during my teaching years, there have been many hundreds of species wiped out from pathogens. I was lead to Believe God loves ALL his creations. He never came in to protect any of those species lost. From my perspective, Homo sapien is his biggest screw up. We suck as a species. Earth, his creation so I was told, will thrive without the cancer of humans. He ain't coming to help. He may have sent this to clean up the cancer that is Homo sapien. Ezekiel 25:17. That wrath is here. What did we expect. Kids in cages, seprerated from mothers, thousands of young girls missing, via the Ebstien underground. Let poor and old die, Greed, Greed, Greed, insulting his rep by saying God sent trump. Only my opinion, not a freaky theory. Just something to ponder. Be safe everyone, believe in science. Our only hope.

[mr_lebowski]

55. Interestingly Jones was communist/marxist, and fought vigorously for civil rights for AA's starting

in the 1950's, in his very racist (at the time) home state of Indiana.

In fact, he and his wife were the first white couple to ever adopt a Black child in the state of Indiana, in 1961. They adopted kids from all over the world as well.

Prior to the move to Guyana, the People's Temple was based in Northern California, and most of the people who died there were Northern Californians.

Although he was technically a Reverend, Jonestown was supposed to be a liberal hippy commune type of scenario.

From the Wiki:

According to religious studies professor Catherine Wessinger, Jones always spoke of the social gospel's virtues, but he chose to conceal that his gospel was actually communism until the late 1960s.[16] By that time, he began partially revealing the details of his "Apostolic Socialism" concept in Temple sermons.[16] He also taught that "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment—socialism".[42] He often mixed these ideas, such as preaching that, "If you're born in capitalist America, racist America, fascist America, then you're born in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin"

By the early 1970s, Jones began deriding Christianity as "fly away religion", rejecting the Bible as being a tool to oppress women and non-whites, and denouncing a "Sky God" who was no God at all

[treestar]

56. In reading about the People's Temple

It was interesting how much good they did in the earlier history of it. Sort of the true meaning of Christianity. Then the adulation got to Jones' head and he turned into a cult leader. Still, the experiment of communal living in Guyana was fascinating and could have been a good thing of sorts if not for Jones himself. They were learning to farm, adapt to the local conditions (indigenous people were there and they learned from them). Might have worked had Jones not kept them up all night and created a dictatorship where people ratted on others - the cult aspect.

[captain jack]

60. Made me think of a Woody Guthrie song.

The churches was jammed, and the churches was packed,
An' that dusty old dust storm blowed so black.
Preacher could not read a word of his text,
An' he folded his specs, an' he took up collection,
Said:

So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh.
This dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home,
And I got to be driftin' along.

[WestLosAngelesGal]

48. As a child during a flu outbreak, Communion was still from a communal spoon...

Mom said that germs could not exist in the communal Communion spoon because it was holy.

Dad said no way were we even going to church.

Dad was an engineer, a man of science.

Science is Good. Been there, "got the t-shirt."

[Progressive Jones]

49. Imaginary Gawd won't mind a couple of missed masses. nt

[roamer65]

50. No.

[Aquaria]

51. So did they miss the report

That the vector for COVID-19 in South Korea was a xian cult?

[totodeinhere]

57. I don't think so. We can pray at home. n/t

[captain jack]

58. The flip side. It's also important that faith not infringe upon fundamental rights of our citizenry.

[Alsteen]

59. Petition the Lord?

When I was back there in Seminary School there was a man who put forth the proposition that you could petition the Lord with prayer...

Thanks Jim ....

[rockfordfile]

62. That's how that virus will blow up even more

[lagomorph777]

63. And yet, Michigan's governor did just that. She'd better take it back

...or thousands of Michiganders will die on the altar of "Religious Freedom."

[orangecrush]

64. Stupidity kills.