The BIble on disease prevention for Christians affected by COVID-19
This extended period of social distancing and prevention of public assembly has put the noses of a lot of Christians I know out of joint because quite understandably they want to congregate to worship the Lord. Digital services, discord channels, and via other electronic substitutes just aren't the same. Also, some of my brethren in Christ feel it's an attack on their faith to close places of public worship while other areas of assembly are deemed essential and remain open, with penalties under law for violating these sanctions imposed on the places closed for assembly.
While the legal side of this is not perfectly implemented by any means in any country, and while there is understandable resentment over how bars, restaurants, and some other things are considered essential for the public while churches nigh universally are demanded shuttered until this COVID-19 pandemic passes, I do believe generally, contrary to what some Christians may believe, this is NOT an attack on their faith.
No prohibition (at least in the US which I'm generally addressing) is in place restricting the private faith of anyone in whatever they profess to worship as deity, merely the right of public assembly in places like churches is being curtailed to prevent the spread of epidemic, as there are known cases of churches turning into disease vectors for congregations who ignored this prohibition and most of them were struck with COVID-19 as a consequence.
Ergo, until this emergency passes, I concur with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' assertion certain otherwise guaranteed rights may be suspended if the interests of public safety require it, such as restrictions on the right of the public assembly during a period of a known pandemic. There is a Constitutional precedent for quarantining ships known to carry disease, and both states and federal authorities are allowed to authorize health inspections and medical detainment of citizens for whom they can present plausible legal cause to suspect such action is required for the safety of other citizens.
However, for those who don't feel the laws of Man are sufficient, here's the Bible on the topic:
The Books of the Law go into extended detail about how God had rigorous health laws, and how quarantines, restriction of public assembly rights, medical inspections, and proper hygiene and medical care for illness and disease were mandated from on high to be enforced by a proper mortal authority.
For those in doubt, I recommend reading the books of Leviticus and Numbers, which go in profound detail on this topic.
The proscriptions against disease were enforceable by both civilian and religious authorities, and as the Law stipulated, the latter had broad discretionary authority in enforcing such matters of their own accord, though willing cooperation by the law of Man was not considered unwelcome for the same reasons, rather it was considered acceptable and complimentary.
In the modern-day, here's how each of those Biblical topics matches what various provincial and federal authorities in most countries are doing:
1. Quarantines: It was ordered then by God's Law to obey a period of separation from the people, only to be broken for regular medical inspections and then one was to resume that isolation until the danger had appeared to have passed inspection as clean.
The modern-day equivalent by the laws of Man is no different.
2. Restriction of Public Assembly: Those known to be ill had to live away from others, outside the camp or city in ancient times. In times of plague, when such was to the point as to be universal, the Assembly of the Lord was closed to the public, as God would NOT allow any disease inside his House under penalty of death, and there were times when there periods of universal pestilence and plague where this was in effect.
The modern-day prohibitions for public safety follow a similar rationale under Man's law, but it's more for the purpose of disease prevention and the spreading of the further disease to other people rather than to prevent it inside God's houses of worship specifically, but otherwise, the rationale is quite similar.
3. Medical Inspections: In ancient times, the priests and physicians were the only parties authorized to be near an unclean/diseased person during their time of quarantine for the purposes of medical inspection.
Modern-day strictly involves the latter, but the same logic holds.
4. Proper Hygiene and Medical Care: The Bible had many rules for the maintenance of personal and public health and how to prevent the spread of disease and other forms of spreading filth.
While lacking the religious underpinnings of the Law of God, the law of Man today has many rules of the same nature with the same practical and medical reasonings.
The conclusion is this: Unless it gets to the point churches and their parishioners are singled out explicitly on grounds of their faith and are persecuted for it, there is no practical reason not to abide by the restrictions on public assembly.
Until matters of personal conscience and choice of whom to worship as deity come under attack, this spate of quarantine and assembly restriction measures that affect churches is not something that any Christian should regard as a personal insult nor should feel they are less faithful to the Lord by not meeting in his home like they usually do.
God's Holy Spirit is with us wherever we go, we do not need a building to contain his presence. The veil of the temple was rent in twain after Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, signifying God was not bound to any building or structure and that no priest was needed to act as an intermediary for his presence in our lives.
So, granted, I know it is painful for many of my brethren who wish to congregate in person with their brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrate God's glory, I too sympathize greatly with my brethren in that wish and hope that this period of plague passes so that we may all resume that very act.
However, until then, I urge my fellow Christians to keep in mind in this case both God and Caesar ask for reasonable sacrifices for the safety of others, and that I advise honoring both until this pandemic has run it's course.
While the legal side of this is not perfectly implemented by any means in any country, and while there is understandable resentment over how bars, restaurants, and some other things are considered essential for the public while churches nigh universally are demanded shuttered until this COVID-19 pandemic passes, I do believe generally, contrary to what some Christians may believe, this is NOT an attack on their faith.
No prohibition (at least in the US which I'm generally addressing) is in place restricting the private faith of anyone in whatever they profess to worship as deity, merely the right of public assembly in places like churches is being curtailed to prevent the spread of epidemic, as there are known cases of churches turning into disease vectors for congregations who ignored this prohibition and most of them were struck with COVID-19 as a consequence.
Ergo, until this emergency passes, I concur with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' assertion certain otherwise guaranteed rights may be suspended if the interests of public safety require it, such as restrictions on the right of the public assembly during a period of a known pandemic. There is a Constitutional precedent for quarantining ships known to carry disease, and both states and federal authorities are allowed to authorize health inspections and medical detainment of citizens for whom they can present plausible legal cause to suspect such action is required for the safety of other citizens.
However, for those who don't feel the laws of Man are sufficient, here's the Bible on the topic:
The Books of the Law go into extended detail about how God had rigorous health laws, and how quarantines, restriction of public assembly rights, medical inspections, and proper hygiene and medical care for illness and disease were mandated from on high to be enforced by a proper mortal authority.
For those in doubt, I recommend reading the books of Leviticus and Numbers, which go in profound detail on this topic.
The proscriptions against disease were enforceable by both civilian and religious authorities, and as the Law stipulated, the latter had broad discretionary authority in enforcing such matters of their own accord, though willing cooperation by the law of Man was not considered unwelcome for the same reasons, rather it was considered acceptable and complimentary.
In the modern-day, here's how each of those Biblical topics matches what various provincial and federal authorities in most countries are doing:
1. Quarantines: It was ordered then by God's Law to obey a period of separation from the people, only to be broken for regular medical inspections and then one was to resume that isolation until the danger had appeared to have passed inspection as clean.
The modern-day equivalent by the laws of Man is no different.
2. Restriction of Public Assembly: Those known to be ill had to live away from others, outside the camp or city in ancient times. In times of plague, when such was to the point as to be universal, the Assembly of the Lord was closed to the public, as God would NOT allow any disease inside his House under penalty of death, and there were times when there periods of universal pestilence and plague where this was in effect.
The modern-day prohibitions for public safety follow a similar rationale under Man's law, but it's more for the purpose of disease prevention and the spreading of the further disease to other people rather than to prevent it inside God's houses of worship specifically, but otherwise, the rationale is quite similar.
3. Medical Inspections: In ancient times, the priests and physicians were the only parties authorized to be near an unclean/diseased person during their time of quarantine for the purposes of medical inspection.
Modern-day strictly involves the latter, but the same logic holds.
4. Proper Hygiene and Medical Care: The Bible had many rules for the maintenance of personal and public health and how to prevent the spread of disease and other forms of spreading filth.
While lacking the religious underpinnings of the Law of God, the law of Man today has many rules of the same nature with the same practical and medical reasonings.
The conclusion is this: Unless it gets to the point churches and their parishioners are singled out explicitly on grounds of their faith and are persecuted for it, there is no practical reason not to abide by the restrictions on public assembly.
Until matters of personal conscience and choice of whom to worship as deity come under attack, this spate of quarantine and assembly restriction measures that affect churches is not something that any Christian should regard as a personal insult nor should feel they are less faithful to the Lord by not meeting in his home like they usually do.
God's Holy Spirit is with us wherever we go, we do not need a building to contain his presence. The veil of the temple was rent in twain after Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, signifying God was not bound to any building or structure and that no priest was needed to act as an intermediary for his presence in our lives.
So, granted, I know it is painful for many of my brethren who wish to congregate in person with their brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrate God's glory, I too sympathize greatly with my brethren in that wish and hope that this period of plague passes so that we may all resume that very act.
However, until then, I urge my fellow Christians to keep in mind in this case both God and Caesar ask for reasonable sacrifices for the safety of others, and that I advise honoring both until this pandemic has run it's course.
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