How U.S. coronavirus restrictions are creating a split among religious liberty advocates
FILE PHOTO: Pastor Tony Spell talks with journalists before attending Sunday service at the Life Tabernacle megachurch challenging state orders against assembling in large groups to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Baton Rouge, Louisiana U.S., April 5, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Howard-Browne, who was arrested on March 30 after being accused of presiding over two services attended by hundreds of parishioners, is himself something of an outlier as most houses of worship have closed their doors in the interests of public health. David Cortman, an Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer, said that although some local governments have overstepped, most have sought to accommodate religious groups as much as possible.
Groups like ADF, which has a focus on conservative Christians, are on the lookout for any state or local orders specifically targeting religious groups, which would be an obvious violation of the 1st Amendment. If religious groups are treated the same as other secular groups, then it is difficult to argue that the state is guilty of discrimination, the lawyers said.
Media headlines have focused on the few churches that have remained open in various states including California, Ohio and Texas despite public health warnings. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Pastor Tony Spell has continued weekly services at his Life Tarbernacle Church in defiance of a state ban on gatherings of 10 people or more despite having been arrested last month for doing so.
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