Religious Freedom Can Rightfully be Called Religious Previlage

Among the court cases by churches against restrictions on holding services we see some successes and some failures. Always churches which want to open complain that bars and restaurants are not shut down.

I don't know what goes into the rules as to what remains open and what kind of businesses are closed. There is one rule that should be followed by all businesses whether allowed to open by government or not. The rule is "stay closed if opening poses a risk to those who enter." 

We all know some businesses are deemed more "essential" than others. Government does not take a preacher's word for it that his/her business, a church, is as essential as a hospital. Preachers, like all of us, like to think their work is important. This turns out to be a hard sell to public officials. In spite of that lots of them have been allowed to remain open.

A better solution is for preachers and other church officials to assume science is correct and agree that holding a church service is a dangerous decision. They should not assume they are essential businesses or are more important than most anything else.

If churches feel they are essential businesses would they agree our local Sunday morning atheist brunch is as important as their church service? If the Church of Satan believed it was as important as hearing about Jesus would Jesus worshippers agree? I doubt it. A lot of Christians would think their own church service is more important than any competing group.

We have seen several bombastic preachers declare their right to hold services only to see the disease go through the church like wild fire killing the preacher and lots of church members. Some critical thinking might help here. If your preacher/priest insists of holding services it is worth asking if the preacher benefits financially by holding church services?

This sense of privilege appears many other places. The doctor who will not perform an abortion or vasectomy is an example. His beliefs are more important than the health of the patient. Its the same with a private motel who turns away mixed race or gay couples. "My religious beliefs" give me the right to look down and be privileged over others.