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Chicago fining churches for violating state-wide lock down order.


Religious free exercise is explicitly protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, and supercenters aren't. Religious belief is also the foundation for our political rights and the most important aspect of existence because it deals with ultimate meaning and our eternal souls.

Guess which are deemed "essential" by Democrats.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-fines-churches-violation-statewide-lockdown-order

"Chicago has begun fining churches for holding services that do not comply with the Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's statewide stay-at-home order, with the Chicago Police Department telling Fox News that three churches will be hit with penalties for services held on Sunday, May 17.

Because religious services are considered nonessential under Illinois' current order, they are limited to fewer than 10 people. Philadelphia Romanian Church of God limited its congregation to 75 people on Sunday -- less than 10 percent of its capacity -- and was among the houses of worship fined by Chicago for its weekend services.

Philadelphia Romanian had congregants meet 13 requirements to attend -- including having no coronavirus symptoms and being younger than 65 years old -- and will have to pay a $500 citation, according to the Chicago Police.

Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Metro Praise International were also fined for their Sunday services...

A number of other churches in Illinois have filed lawsuits arguing that the limits Pritzker places on houses or worship are unconstitutional, and pointing out that liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries and supercenters are allowed to accommodate large crowds.

“Governor Pritzker clearly does not seem to know that churches have the First Amendment right to exist, but businesses do not," Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel founder and chairman, said in a statement to Fox News."

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Oh but I guess you would be all for atheist gatherings being shut down.

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Why would atheists gather together, they believe in nothing.

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But they do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3Dllo9kyY

Not me personally, though.

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Not really. Atheists have God-given rights too, whether they realize it or not. That said, reread my first paragraph actually explaining why the government shouldn't be shutting down religious services, especially when they're arbitrarily allowing things like marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores to remain fully open. You haven't made a similar argument unless you're admitting that atheism is a religion (albeit without the vital eternal soul concern I mentioned), explicitly protected by the First Amendment.

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No one needs to be in a group to practice their religion. Even Jesus said to pray in a closet, not out in the open.

Weed is used by cancer patients, it's medicine.

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Don't distort the truth. Jesus was warning against hypocrites praying ostentatiously in a big show to impress random people while walking down the street. He's very much in favor of people gathering to pray and worship. It's about sincerity. If you do pray publicly, which is obviously endorsed, make sure you also pray secretly and really believe what you're saying.

Matthew 18:20 (Jesus himself speaking, in the same book as the "closet" reference you garble): "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Hebrews 10:25: "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Corinthians 5:4: "In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,"

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Church-Gatherings

"Medical marijuana" is a scam. Doesn't mean some individuals here and there don't alleviate pain through it, but most customers aren't using it for medicine. Even those truly doing that could have it delivered or picked up like take out food or prescription drugs without those businesses getting special exceptions from gathering restrictions. Having an entire business devoted to a single drug isn't "essential". Vastly more important antibiotics and other drugs (many more effective at pain relief than marijuana) don't get that special, inefficient treatment.

That said, I didn't say they should be shut down either. I said it's arbitrary at best to allow them to operate normally while shutting down churches, which are infinitely more important and have explicit First Amendment protection.

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Beautifully stated, krl!

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Talking about the first amendment?

Freedom of religion is freedom to choose your own religion.

You're discussing freedom of assembly, technically... And you can assemble in a group if you wish. Just look at protesters out there who don't wear masks and are gathering to protest lockdowns.

Feel free to congregate and pray... Hell, I don't even know why the quarantine orders can affect church, since they're not businesses and don't get taxes collected. I suppose churches have some sort of official zoning as public services.


""Medical marijuana" is a scam.... most customers aren't using it for medicine."

That doesn't mean it's a scam. If a medicine gets used in other ways, that doesn't invalidate it as a medicine. If kids pop Flintstones chewables as candy, that doesn't turn them into candy.

Medicine is not democratic.

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It's a scam because those big dispensaries wouldn't exist if they were only or primarily being used for medicinal reasons. Marijuana would just be some obscure herb extract on a drug store shelf somewhere, along with all the others.

I'm discussing the First Amendment, which protects the "free exercise" of religion, in addition to the freedom of assembly and the rest of the Bill of Rights. It helps to actually read the Constitution.

It also helps to follow the news. Some politicians have used police to break up private weddings or other gatherings of only 10 or so family members on private property in people's homes or back yards.

Unchecked authoritarianism is not compatible with a free country.

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