Trump Calls On Governors To Reopen Houses Of Worship

[sandensea]

Source: Huffington Post

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was designating churches, synagogues and mosques as “essential places that provide essential services” as the nation continues to combat the coronavirus, despite lacking legal power over state governance.

“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out houses of worship. It’s not right,” Trump said. “So I’m correcting this injustice by calling houses of worship essential.”

“If they don’t do it, I will override the governors,” the president threatened.

Trump has previously attempted to wield his authority over state governors, particularly those who have criticized him - but legal scholars say he has little formal power to force governors or businesses to do what he wants.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-orders-governors-reopen-houses-of-worship_n_5ec805a7c5b6d58115252efc

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Lawd have mercy.

[milestogo]

1. Attending religious services in person is voluntary.

Religious leaders should require masks and find a way to seat people 6 feet apart.

[leftieNanner]

2. So let me get this straight

He claims to have the authority to force Governors to open houses of worship,

But when it comes to providing federal assistance to the states for the Covid19 pandemic, he has "no responsibility at all".

Can't be both at the same time Ass Face!

[teenagebambam]

3. I work for a church

Mainstream Protestant. We’ve been virtual since the 2nd week of March. Actually have higher “attendance” and more in donations than when we were meeting in person. No way we’re going back anytime soon.

[forgotmylogin]

15. Everything is easier when you don't have to leave the house!

Being able to roll out of bed early Sunday and log on in your pajamas is so much easier than getting ready and commuting.

I can't believe someone in this administration doesn't clothesline Trump and tell him, "Hey, yeah, a lot of your base attend these churches, and sure you don't believe COVID is an issue, but do you want to take that even potentially remote chance of wiping out people who will vote for you or at least having them turn on you if they catch it and survive since you're assuring them they'll be safe?"

Churchgoers would *seem* like the people he'd want to protect. But I suppose the megachurch owners like hearing those coins clink in the basket live immediately than doing it through PayPal where there's actual records of it.

[roamer65]

26. It's a lot easier to attend virtually.

You just flip on the computer and connect.

[GeorgeGist]

4. What would God do ...

without Trump?

[whistler162]

24. DO the happy dance

[badhair77]

5. Notice how he threw in that abortion clinic reference.

The evangelicals’ hearts are beating faster with that. Got to wonder how many abortions he paid for. Man of faith, my a$$.

[Evolve Dammit]

6. Puppet for the fundies. That cross up his ass must seriously hurt. Keep thinking of Sinclair Lewis

[Solly Mack]

7. Little formal power or not, Trump isn't relying on that.

Trump proclaims he demands the governors do something.

In this case churches, mosques, and temples/synagogues must be opened.

Those already in defiance of state laws/rules/regulations will cheer Trump.

They will use his words as justification for opening.

Armed domestic terrorists will offer to "defend" them.

Which governor is going to challenge the illegally gathered worshippers and/or their armed domestic terrorists?

Trump knows no one wants a shootout over religious services.

And it won't matter that it's not factually over religion, but instead over public health/illegal gatherings, and the only violence would come from the domestic terrorists attacking others.

Trump, his minions, and the rest of the GOP will call it an attack on religion.

Trumo wants to rile people up and put the governors in a bad situation. He wants the threat of violence from his supporters to stop the governors. Trump wants this.

[wnylib]

35. You nailed this exactly.

This whole thing is about energizing the base and presenting the image of himself as a patriotic defender of constitutional rights. This is the 2020 equivalent of the 2016 campaign slogan to "build that wall." The wall was a symbol of physically defending the country from "the other " The open churches is a symbol of religious rights and he will use it to vilify Dems as godless tyrants.

If it backfires because of increased spread through the churches and increased deaths, he will be toast. There will be no coming back from that because it will be clear cut and obvious to all after he has made such an issue over it, that he encouraged and enabled the spread. So he is desperate enough to take that risk.

Fot the sake of everyone, I hope that there are not new clusters breaking out from open churches. But I am very afraid that there will be.

I have heard people compare open retail stores to opening the churches. They don't recognize the differences. In a store, you pass by people. Even in line, there is a 6 foot distance.

In churches, you are stationary, seated close to people in an enclosed space. An infected person can spread the virus farther through a loud voice, e.g. singing. Just the act of seating yourself in a pew means touching shared surfaces by sliding along the same bench as other people, while often grasping the back of the one ahead of you for balance support. Or stepping over someone to leave if necessary.

There are the hymn books that everyone touches and the bulletins being passed out to people. Plus passing of the collection plate. In Catholic churches, there is the shared holy water. In all Christian churches, there is communion
which means passing bread (or wafers) and wine or juice out to everyone, either in their seats or by coming forward and brushing against others in the process.

Then there is the custom of sharing the peace. It means turning to the people around you and grasping their hand or shoulder, or hugging them, and speaking, face to face, to say, "Peace be with you." In most churches, this extends to crossing the aisles to greet friends, too, so that everyone is milling around in close contact for a few minutes.

In other words, without some BIG changes in how services are conducted, churches would become incubators for viral infection and spread.

Having never attended services in a mosque or synagogue, I can't speak for them, but I expect there are some similarities in closeness of people.

[totodeinhere]

8. Of course he doesn't have a religious bone in his body.

He is just pandering for votes and the health of the parishioners be damned. God I loath that poor excuse for a man.

[Fritz Walter]

9. And don't forget his so-called spritual advisor, Paula White

Who channels the evangelical hypocrisy to this anti-Christ. They can't wait to pass the collection plates once they finish guilt-tripping the captive sheep.

This would be the same advisor who said in January "We command any satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now!" per the Guardian.

Odd how the topic of a looming pandemic that was destined to decimate their fellow citizens just never came up back then...

[lagomorph777]

10. Go for it! Kill off your Evilgelical voters.

[OverBurn]

11. The orange messiah doesn't give one shit about church people, other than pandering for their votes.

[BadGimp]

12. What could possibly go wrong?

What could possibly go wrong?: Lots and lots of people standing still and close to each other for an extended period of time. No big deal right?

Listening to the press conference it's easy to see that this latest strategy is being announced right before Labor Day and is clearly intended to create Religious Freedom based division and rage within the base and beyond.

And Trump won't even go to Church himself! He won't subject himself to that. But he has NO PROBLEM sending millions into churches right now and to hell with them. All to improve his election chances.

[LisaM]

13. Is he trying to kill them all?

I mean, honestly, churchgoers should be outraged. I am a fairly infrequent attendee, but I enjoy going sometimes (and I missed going on Palm Sunday and Easter, that's for sure), and there is absolutely no way I'd go right now.

[Gore1FL]

14. If we are going to test the water, I guess those predisposed to fanaticism should go first. nt

[JudyM]

31. Right on. Why not.

Folks who believe in science are aware of how to stay safe and that ain’t it.

[Brainfodder]

16. Is this an admission that CHURCHES and such are places of BUSINESS?

Taxman, HELLO!

[Botany]

17. Trump is a lion

He wants to kill Christians.

[sandensea]

18. ↑ Thread winner

(God forgive me)

[Botany]

19. She will

BTW my cousin is an Episcopalian Rector and she is no hurry to open things back up.
She is of the God gave me a brain crowd.

[jmowreader]

20. I'm racking my brain here...

...trying to figure out how religion is an article of interstate commerce, which would be required before the federal government can step in.

[Jamastiene]

21. That is checkmate.

We don't stand a chance now. We are going to be stuck with the fucker for four more years.

[nitpicker]

22. Link to Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-trump-churches-essential-20200522-dah3fptnajcxfebvwyschsdt3u-story.html

[nitpicker]

23. One possible consequence

A bidding war on refrigerator trucks?

[roamer65]

25. He can not override state health orders.

That power is reserved by the states.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

27. Bring all thy sheep into this house of the Lord.......for slaughter.

KY.............

[locks]

28. Don't ever bet that Trump

can't go lower because you will lose. Just watch a replay of his big "announcement" today that he is going to override the governors who don't want to open churches because they are concerned that the parishioners will die from Covid-19.

[murielm99]

29. Yeah. Big Christian trump.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

30. Fat Donnie: "If they don't do it, I will override the governors."

Someone on his staff really needs to explain the 10th Amendment to him, in small words with pictures.

He.is.not.king. Period.

He wants to open the megachurches so he can use their super-sized sancutaries to hold his rallies.

[Jamastiene]

32. Anyone else notice how he is standing in that picture?

He is in front of that cross in the background just right to give his worshipers wet dreams. I want to now that I noticed that.

[tclambert]

34. I'm sure at some point he complained that he gets treated worse than Jesus Christ.

Jesus never had to deal with such a hostile press, or fake news or something like that.

[tclambert]

33. States' rights! States' rights! That used to be a thing Republicans would yell about.

I'm sure in Trump's view the Constitution allows states' rights for states with Republican governors, but states with Democrats in charge have to be nice to him or they get smacked. That's the Trump version of the Tenth Amendment.