“Satan is still working through every means which he can control to destroy religious liberty” (Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 4, p. 163).
Welcome to life under lockdown and executive orders. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered all places of worship to close in an effort to slow down the spread of coronavirus infections. In the above video, Bill de Blasio says that any place of worship that violates his order could have their buildings closed “permanently.”
Most churches in New York City have already closed voluntarily and have started streaming their services online. With the explosion of coronavirus cases in New York City it makes sense to temporarily stay at home; however, the mayor doesn’t have the authority to “permanently” close churches forever.
The mayor is talking about a lifelong ban of certain churches even if the coronavirus crisis ends. No government official has the power to forever ban people from coming together to worship God. That would be illegal and a clear violation of the US Constitution. That is a tyrannical threat by a totalitarian government.
“Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected” (Great Controversy, p. 592).
In a free society any U.S. Federal Court would overturn this order in a heartbeat. But in times of “crisis” the population lives under executive orders. During a “state of emergency,” civil leaders can ban anything, including our Bill of Rights, under the pretext of “keeping us safe.”
Our civil and religious liberties are under threat. We should be wise and take prudent steps to protect worshipers from coronavirus exposure. But the government does not have the right to permanently close houses of worship, at least not without tearing down our United States Constitution, which according to inspiration will eventually happen.
“Our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 451).
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