Trump Declares Worship ‘Essential’, Orders States to Allow Churches to Reopen

There have been no shortage of heated arguments as of late on the subject of our current pandemic lockdowns.

Some believe that we’re not quite ready for concerts and packed restaurants, while others want to know why grocery stores are essential but schools are not?  These arguments have been spun six ways to Sunday via the infotainment industry and social media, and we as Americans have grown irritated and ugly with one another on account of this.

No segment of this debate was more heated than when we spoke of religion and religious services.  The animosity grew so ill at one point that a church in Mississippi was razed by lockdown loyalists, complete with a condescending note at the scene of the crime calling the parishioners out for gathering during quarantine.

President Trump has taken action today that should clear up any confusion on the subject.

President Trump on Friday announced that new Centers for Disease Control guidance will classify houses of worship as “essential,” as he called on governors to allow them to open “right now” after being closed during the coronavirus lockdowns.

Trump announced the policy for churches, synagogues and mosques, during a short briefing at the White House.

“The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now–for this weekend,” Trump said. “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors.”

“In America, we need more prayer not less,” Trump added.

And, in a nod to the rhetoric that much of his base was using online…

“Some governors have deemed the liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential,” Trump said. “But have left out churches and other houses of worship. It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.”

The new CDC guidelines offered some church-specific recommendations, including the use of facial coverings and the reduction of singing and choir size, as COVID-19 is most easily spread via respiratory droplets.