Most churches in Columbia and throughout the United States have closed their doors temporarily, following the advice of public health officials who are asking for no gatherings of more than 10 people to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
This is a difficult decision for congregations to make. It robs Christians of the support they get from being around their church families on a regular schedule, and it causes some, often the most devout, to question if they are faithfully following the commands of the Lord to assemble on the first day of every week. Furthermore, it puts a financial strain on churches, particularly in their ability to pay their preachers and other employees, because it makes it more difficult for members to give.
Yet in this case it’s the right decision. The “shelter in place” strategy that Mississippi and many other states have adopted is essentially a numbers game. Every personal interaction creates a chance — no one knows the exact odds — of transmitting the virus.
Every time you’re in a new location, that number is multiplied. And the amount it is multiplied by is the number of people at that location.
If you decrease both numbers to zero, then the risk of spreading the disease is stopped. Of course, that’s impossible, but the less interactions and the smaller the groups when you do interact, the less likely it is for the disease to be transmitted.
Churches, with large gatherings that include many older people who are most susceptible to the virus, are a key cog in making social distancing work. They are sacrificing right now for the sake of others. Isn’t that what Christianity is all about?
Yet what about those few churches in our nation that have declined to shut their doors? As I’ve spelled out, I disagree with that approach. But, as has famously been stated, I’ll defend to the death their right to take it.
Several pastors, including notable examples in Florida and Louisiana, have been arrested for refusing to shut down. Those church leaders who have been arrested, from my outside observations, tend to be crass attention seekers who figure all publicity is good publicity.
Yet it’s not my place — and certainly not that of the government — to judge their motives or the sincerity of their religious beliefs. This nation was founded on the principle that every man can worship as he sees fit. Our success as a country can directly attributed to that. The people who thrived in America were the same kind of people when they were in Europe, but over there they were restricted by endless religious wars and a rigid social system that stifled freedom and innovation. They came here and created a nation where government served the people’s needs rather than the other way around, becoming a beacon of hope for oppressed people all over the globe.
Freedom of religion is so vital that it is forever enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution, along with freedom of the press, speech, assembly and protesting against the government.
So when the government shuts down a church or arrests a pastor, it is violating three of those sacred precepts: religion, assembly and protest. As a beneficiary of one of the remaining “freedoms” — the press — I feel an obligation to speak out on their behalf.
This pandemic is a serious problem, but it’s not so bad that we should be willing to wipe out the civil liberties that make this nation great. If we do that, we’re stooping to the level of communist China, which is efficient but achieves that efficiency by holding a knife to its people’s throats.
We’re better than that here in America.
In fact, most all of us have voluntarily followed what the government has asked us to do. That’s something to be proud of and a far greater triumph than a despot forcing his people to comply. Choosing to do the right thing shows more character than being forced to.
Respecting the rights of the few who disagree with the majority is an American ideal that trumps any virus or other external threat.
Charlie Smith is editor and publisher of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him via email at csmith@columbianprogress.com or call (601) 736-2611.
