Trump announces that houses of worship are ‘essential,’ calls on governors to open them up
By: Marisa Schultz
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you Mr. President for restoring the 1st amendment to believers of all faiths. We appreciate you. It’s also good that the secular progressive bigots who used this crisis to show their true contempt toward belief and believers with their discriminatory and capricious rulings be called out.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
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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.
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"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 said.
The announcement comes after Trump has been hearing concerns of faith leaders who are unable to hold Sunday services due to coronavirus restrictions at a time when their parishioners are grappling with the crisis. Families may be grieving the loss of loved ones from the virus or struggling with job loss but unable to seek respite in their places of worship.
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"I consider them essential," Trump said earlier Friday of houses of worship of all faiths.
On Thursday, Trump had a conference call with 1,600 pastors and faith leaders from around the country, including Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. He reassured them he wants to get churches reopened.
Trump telegraphed the decision Thursday when he announced he spoke to the CDC on finding ways to reopen houses of worship during the pandemic.
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"We've got to get our churches open," Trump said Thursday.
Churches across the country had to close down due to stay-home orders necessary to stop the spread of the contagious virus. Faith leaders set up online services and families tuned in Sunday mornings from their computers at home.
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Earlier in the pandemic, Trump expressed optimism that churches would be opened by Easter Sunday, April 12. But April turned out to be an extremely deadly month for the pandemic, and parishioners had to celebrate Easter from home.
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Some faith leaders have argued that social distancing rules have violated First Amendment religious freedoms. Others have defied state and local rules and tried to reopen.
Attorney General William Barr warned that coronavirus restrictions by state and local government should be applied evenly and not single out religious organizations.
Last week the CDC released new guidelines that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. The document, however, excluded guidance for churches and faith-based groups because the White House raised concerns about the recommended restrictions, the Associated Press reported.
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"I consider them essential," Trump said earlier Friday of houses of worship of all faiths.
On Thursday, Trump had a conference call with 1,600 pastors and faith leaders from around the country, including Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. He reassured them he wants to get churches reopened.
Trump telegraphed the decision Thursday when he announced he spoke to the CDC on finding ways to reopen houses of worship during the pandemic.
CHICAGO FINES CHURCHES FOR HOLDING SERVICES IN VIOLATION OF STATEWIDE LOCKDOWN ORDER
"We've got to get our churches open," Trump said Thursday.
Churches across the country had to close down due to stay-home orders necessary to stop the spread of the contagious virus. Faith leaders set up online services and families tuned in Sunday mornings from their computers at home. https://thenewstalkers.com/vic-eldred/group_discuss/8520/trump-announces-that-houses-of-worship-are-essential-calls-on-governors-to-open-them-up
Trump to Governors: Open Houses of Worship 'Right Now'
President Donald Trump swarned governors Friday that if they don't reopen the nation's houses of worship "right now," he will "override" them.
Trump demanded the reopening in brief remarks announceing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at his direction, will issue new guidelines to smooth the process.
"Today I am identifying houses of worship, churches, synagogues, and mosques, as essential places that provide essential services, Trump said at his appearance, during which he took no questions. "Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's not right."
He called on governors to "do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now. For this weekend. If they don't do it, I will override the governors. In America, we need more prayer, not less."
Trump said with his action, he is "correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential, adding that he wanted to thank CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and the CDC for their work on this matter, but if there's any question about reopening churches, "they're going to have to call me, but they are not going to be successful in that call."
"These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united," Trump said. "The people are demanding to go to church, and synagogue, or to their mosque. Many millions of Americans embrace worship as an essential part of life."
The nation's "ministers, pastors, rabbis, imams, and other faith leaders will make sure that their congregations are safe as they gather and pray," said Trump. "I know them well. They love their congregations. They love their people. They don't want anything bad to happen to them or to anybody else."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week issued a 60-page document that details how the United States should go about reopening schools, businesses, and public transportation after months of coronavirus-related closures.
However, information about how churches and other houses of worship should reopen was not included. According to Politico, the Trump administration did not want anything on the subject included because it could be construed as religious discrimination. https://www.newsmax.com/us/trump-coronavirus-shutdown-worship/2020/05/22/id/968611/
States Rights.
Trump is power hungry, he doesn't believe in states' rights!
The bill of rights applies to the states including the free exercise there of in the 1st amendment
Trumps actions during the pandemic crisis is proof positive that he is a federalist who believes in states rights to handle it as they saw fit while coordinating aid to states needing it
Progressives have discovered the 10th Amendment?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoDu7NHTsS/?igshid=1qcfzh6wejo45
People want to get exposed at a church like the one where numerous people got infected and deaths occurred, go for it.
People are no more likely to get it at church than by going to any business or grocery store while using social distancing and precautions. It’s time to end the discrimination against religious believers of all faiths.
They (priests and pastors) aren't stupid. They can and will practice social distancing at my church. FFS if a restaurant can open at 33-50% of capacity, a church should be able to do the same thing.
Without a doubt that’s true. I’m just glad that the President is calling out the blatant bigotry of some mayors and governors against believers on this issue.
Nothing wrong that sentiment.
Churches should have every opportunity to come together in safety like everyone else, which is the way most are trying to do it.
I haven't heard about the churches that are insisting they want to gather in dense groups, stand in a circle, and cough on each other for an hour; but that's the way some people are acting when they panic about churches reopening.
I agree with Trump. All his supporters should congregate together as often as possible.
[Deleted]
That sounds like a death wish?
Nothing but survival of the fittest. Nature tends to eventually rid itself of the dumb shits and species failures. It's just supporting natural selection to laugh at the total idiots rushing to congregate together even though they know we are in the middle of a deadly virus pandemic.
"We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated" - nearly brain dead Donald.
As if congregating together using precautions and social distancing is even slightly more risky than doing so at a restaurant or at an open government office or at a grocery or other essential big box store. It’s ridiculous that abortion mills and pot dispensaries and liquor stores are all essential but don’t you dare go to church ⛪️!
Is that how it plays out on campus with those impressionable young minds being indoctrinated with such apparent ease?
That must be why it’s trying to rid itself of secular progressives!
President Trump warns of broken America if churches aren’t reopened
President Donald Trump says he wants churches to reopen as quickly as possible as they are so important to the “psyche” he believes if they remained closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic “you’ll break the country.”
“We want them (churches) to reopen. I mean literally, I just got off the phone with CDC and I talked about churches. I said, ‘I want the churches to open.’ And the people want the churches to open, and I think you’ll have something come down very soon from CDC. We want to get our churches back and our country is coming back,” Trump told reporters during a round table meeting of African American leaders in Michigan Thursday.
He said while statewide shutdowns which began in March helped prevent up to 2.5 million people from dying, “it’s time for our country to open again.”
“I think you’ll start with churches, I think you’ll start with some other states that have been very resistant. You have a lot of, unfortunately in this case Democrat governors, I think they think it’s good politics to keep it closed. But what are they doing? They are hurting themselves. I don’t think it is good politics. They are hurting themselves. They are hurting their state and it’s not good,” Trump said.
“I think they are being forced to open, frankly. The people want to get out. You’ll break the country if you don’t. And I think they look at it as a possible November question. It’s not a November question, it happens to be very bad for them,” he added, alluding to the upcoming general election.
When asked if he was prioritizing the reopening of churches over other establishments, Trump explained that he believes the work of the church is “essential.”
“Churches, to me, they are so important in terms of the psyche of our country. Beyond to me, I think they use the word essential. Churches are essential. People want to be in their churches. It’s wonderful to sit home and watch something on a laptop but it can never be the same as being in a church and being with your friends,” he said. “They want to have it opened and I think that’s going to be happening very shortly, very, very shortly. So that (CDC guidelines) will be put out maybe tomorrow. Maybe today.”
A senior White House Official told NBC News that guidelines for the reopening of places of worship have been cleared by the White House Counsel’s Office and they include recommendations such as wearing gloves while distributing Holy Communion, social distancing and holding virtual services as a last resort.
While the majority of churches nationwide followed orders to suspend in-person worship services as the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 90,000people and infected more than 1.6 million in the U.S., a vocal minority of churches have challenged the orders as First Amendment violations.
Some churches, even though they complied with state orders and reopened when they were told it was safe to do so, have been forced to shut down again as they registered cases of coronavirus infections in their congregations. https://www.christianpost.com/news/president-trump-warns-of-broken-america-if-churches-arent-reopened.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAmOfvMl2ri/?igshid=112t1l02vz84n