Houses of worship

President Trump is correct in his request to the governors of all 50 states to reopen houses of worship. The President has recognized that the continued closure of churches is a violation of our constitutional right to freedom of worship.

Unfortunately, there are those who take an opposite view. The socialist Democrats disagree because they simply don’t believe in anything but themselves.

Considering that the coronavirus pandemic has made New Jersey one of the hardest hit states, I would hope that Governor Murphy will go slow in reopening houses of worship. Limiting church gatherings based on size and to persons who have been tested and are without fever, wearing a face mask, and keeping six feet apart is a prudent plan.

It should not be too hard for the governor to lay out a simple plan to restore our constitutional right to religious freedom and still provide for the public safety.

— Hamilton Reader

See, I disagree that houses of worship are essential. Your relationship with God is not dictated by you showing up to a specific building at a specific time and giving some people a specific portion of your earnings. You can pray right now, wherever you are. Any believer will tell you that God is all around us, so being packed into a room with other faithful is just asking to share germs.

But I agree that houses of worship should adapt and allow for distancing and masks in order to help keep their members safe, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Having more services per day would allow for spacing out members, and livestreaming already happens at some churches, so the folks who are more tech savvy should be encouraged to watch online to make more space for folks who need to be in-person at the service.

— Ed Note