Freedom of Religion or Defiant Self Promotion

Freedom of Religion or Defiant Self Promotion?

Let me start this out by saying that if you’ve come here for answers, you’re in the wrong place.  I have some opinions but age and wisdom have taught me that they don’t always have a place in polite society.  Some will become obvious, but I’m more interested in the conversation this can spark rather than convincing anyone of anything.

What I do have is questions.  A lot of questions.  The purpose of my writing these days is to pose those questions in a space where I think others may have answers or at the very least be able to relate to the questions.  I think that some questions we won’t be able to answer on this side, but I think it’s our duty to think about them and ask the unanswerable questions. 

With that being said, I have heard (and it might be written down somewhere) to judge not lest ye be judged.  That is becoming harder and harder every day that we are involved in this pandemic.

If you follow everything the government is telling you to do you are either a sheep or a hero.  If you defy those orders and forge your own path you’re an idiot, you don’t care about people or you are truly the image of Christ fighting against the oppressors.

At what point should freedom of religion end and simply following the rules take over?  Do those roads ever cross?

As a Canadian, we like to sit north of the border and say, “at least we’re not like this group or that state, we’re different”.  However, now Canadians have protested the quarantine and there are churches meeting in varying capacities in direct defiance of Police orders.  We’re not really any different, there are just less of us so it doesn’t make the news as well.

My real question is why people and seeming especially Christians are feeling the need to fight.  A North American White Christian does not know oppression at any real level for the most part.  Not being allowed to gather on Sunday is not a slight against our Constitutional or Charter rights, it’s been deemed a necessary step to avoid the spread of a deadly virus.  If a Pastor defies this and encourages his/her parishioners to gather, is it really for the glory of God or is it for the marketing and promotion of their own church?

Should we be listening to people who have spent their entire lives studying virus’ just like this or should we listen to the Pastor telling us that we “better not stop tithing”. 

Ultimately it comes down to a simple truth for me that I’ve only recently discovered.  I love my church community and I miss them dearly, but church isn’t a building.  Jesus told us whenever two or more are gathered in his name, he would be there.  I’ve stated before that I’m not a bible scholar, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t any translations out there that say “except on zoom…that doesn’t count”. 

I want this to be over as much as anyone and I pray that we can have the leadership on both sides of the border and all over the world to keep us as safe as possible.

I hope that you and your loved ones stay safe from this virus and that we can look forward to a world where a hug or a handshake don’t have to be greeted with apprehension.  Until that time, I will follow the guidelines as laid out by people much more educated than I and pray that they’re right.

God bless you all and I welcome your feedback.