U.S. Judge Allows Easter Drive-in Service Amid Coronavirus Concerns
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – A judge in the U.S. State of Kentucky has prevented a mayor from stopping an evangelical church’s drive-in service planned for Easter, despite a new coronavirus pandemic. The ruling came as Republicans condemned Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s statewide plan to force people into quarantine if they attend mass gatherings, including religious ones.
On Fire Christian Church had sued Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and the city after they announced drive-in style religious gatherings were not allowed on Easter. U.S. District Judge Justin Walker agreed with the church in Louisville, the state’s largest city. He said the city is prohibited from “enforcing, attempting to enforce, threatening to enforce, or otherwise requiring compliance with any prohibition on drive-in church services at On Fire.”
On “Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter,” Judge Walker added in his sternly worded 20-page opinion.
“That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of [the satirical paper] The Onion.” Walker stressed that “The Mayor’s decision is stunning. And it is, `beyond all reason,’ unconstitutional.” Fischer had argued that drive-in church services weren’t “practical or safe” due to the spread of the virus, COVID-19. However, Walker noted that “the Mayor” is permitting patrons to pick up drive-in restaurant orders and make purchases inside shopping centers.
“Thank God for a judge who understands the First Amendment prevents the government from prohibiting the free government exercise of religion,” said Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky.
It comes as broader debate rages in the United States on restricting church services due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some pastors defied local orders and went forward with in-person services. The U.S. has surpassed Italy as the country with the most coronavirus related deaths, topping more than 22,000 on Easter Sunday, official estimates showed.
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