It's Sunday morning in America. No one is going to church, it isn't allowed, it is for your own good and the well being of others. What a statement of fact. A statement that seems like a storyline from the twilight zone. It doesn't seem real. I'm not a regular church goer, this ban isn't an imposition on my routine. The significance of it isn't lost on me however. The church doors are bolted shut. One could argue in opposition to the first and fourth amendments to our constitution. I'm not going to expound on any of that. It is just that as I sat here this morning, the window open and listening to the silence that is Sunday morning, I realized I couldn't go to that church and pray even if I wanted to. Quite a shocking thing really. Yes, I know you don't have to go church to pray, you don't have to a building to worship in, I'm aware of all that. It isn't that I am thinking about. I'm merely thinking about an occurrence that I have never experienced in my lifetime, the closing of the church.
I'm aware that some reading this will counter with all the obvious arguments about church, God, and all of that. I'm prepared for those comments. Some will tell how they are still going to church in some parts of the country, or the world, how I'm wrong about that. They are going to church in their cars, at drive in theaters, whatever venue is available. Yeah, I know all that. They are attending virtual church services. Yes, yes I know that and have no issue with any of that, at any time. What I'm writing about is closing the church doors to prevent us from, " congregating. " Congregate means to gather together in a physical sense. You could say the government has now prohibited the " congregation" from the church. You are not allowed to visit the house of God. The government has decided what is best, what is prudent beyond any faith, any belief, you may hold. You may believe that God will protect you from this virus, but you have to believe that at home. Amazing isn't it? It is, but we must realize it would be the same if it were discovered there was some other valid reason for doing so. If the church were found to be structurally unsafe, or it had mold or some other hazardous conditions. The local, state, or government authorities would condemn the building. The public surely wouldn't be allowed to congregate there! The situation we are facing now is a temporary one. The doors will be reopened one day. The parishioners will return. They will return for various reasons. Some will return to pray in those familiar pews just as they have done for years and in some cases generations. Others will return for the social aspects, the fellowship and support. I'm certain there will be many celebrations when we are allowed to congregate once again. The question being, what will we celebrate?
I write these blogs with the hope that they will remain. I've said in the past I don't expect them to be of much interest to anyone beyond my descendants. A sort of journal, a commentary on my life, my thoughts, and what is going on in the world. My descendants will be living in a different world, that's an inevitability. It's also a topic for another day. I wonder if this closing of the church doors will be a once in a lifetime event, or will it become a common practice whenever public health concerns arise? I'm wondering if in the future someone reads these words as historical perspective. They could then state. well in 2020 in the United States of America, it was a Republic then, the government ordered the shuttering of all churches and synagogues. It was the first time that had ever happened. The question I have is, will this be the first and last, or the beginning of what is normal?
I'm aware that some reading this will counter with all the obvious arguments about church, God, and all of that. I'm prepared for those comments. Some will tell how they are still going to church in some parts of the country, or the world, how I'm wrong about that. They are going to church in their cars, at drive in theaters, whatever venue is available. Yeah, I know all that. They are attending virtual church services. Yes, yes I know that and have no issue with any of that, at any time. What I'm writing about is closing the church doors to prevent us from, " congregating. " Congregate means to gather together in a physical sense. You could say the government has now prohibited the " congregation" from the church. You are not allowed to visit the house of God. The government has decided what is best, what is prudent beyond any faith, any belief, you may hold. You may believe that God will protect you from this virus, but you have to believe that at home. Amazing isn't it? It is, but we must realize it would be the same if it were discovered there was some other valid reason for doing so. If the church were found to be structurally unsafe, or it had mold or some other hazardous conditions. The local, state, or government authorities would condemn the building. The public surely wouldn't be allowed to congregate there! The situation we are facing now is a temporary one. The doors will be reopened one day. The parishioners will return. They will return for various reasons. Some will return to pray in those familiar pews just as they have done for years and in some cases generations. Others will return for the social aspects, the fellowship and support. I'm certain there will be many celebrations when we are allowed to congregate once again. The question being, what will we celebrate?
I write these blogs with the hope that they will remain. I've said in the past I don't expect them to be of much interest to anyone beyond my descendants. A sort of journal, a commentary on my life, my thoughts, and what is going on in the world. My descendants will be living in a different world, that's an inevitability. It's also a topic for another day. I wonder if this closing of the church doors will be a once in a lifetime event, or will it become a common practice whenever public health concerns arise? I'm wondering if in the future someone reads these words as historical perspective. They could then state. well in 2020 in the United States of America, it was a Republic then, the government ordered the shuttering of all churches and synagogues. It was the first time that had ever happened. The question I have is, will this be the first and last, or the beginning of what is normal?
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