April 11, 2020
By Anna Morris, Editor
Christ arose from His tomb on Easter Sunday but tomorrow many Christians will be under 'stay-at-home' orders from government officials. Neither church services nor family gatherings will be allowed in some states. Saving our fellow human beings from deadly corona virus spread is the reason. Even so, people in the U.S. are growing more and more apprehensive as they watch constitutional rights curtailed with governors' signatures.
Today The Hill reports that Kentucky Gov. Andy Bashear has basically forbidden church services via a stay at home order with enforcement plans announced and in place. As The Hill article explains it, anyone caught out of their homes, attending church or other gatherings, will have their license plates photographed and will be notified "in person" that they must then quarantine themselves for 14 days! Easter services of course are not specifically singled out but cars in church parking lots make great photo-ops for government surveillance teams.
In other news the last couple weeks, some state governors, for instance Greg Abbot of Texas, have declared religious services to be "essential", therefore not forbidden.
Tragically, the underlying reality is the deadly, new corona virus sneaking around in droplets and aerosols, from surfaces to fingers, fingers to faces, noses to noses, person to person around the globe. As with rogue, man-eating beasts of times past, the virus prowls silent, unseen and unknown until it finds just the right prey which it can destroy utterly.
Some have tried to compare this virus to the regular, known, deadly influenza viruses but these comparisons lead to strife and do no good. A huge risk is that this 'novel', meaning new, corona virus will be added to the roster of yearly viral epidemics that annually kill tens of thousands without much notice taken by press or politicians. We already experience influenzas A, B, C and D. Meanwhile, retroviruses do some awful things, including Coxsackie virus as a likely cause of Type-1, juvenile diabetes. Additionally, have scientists yet pinpointed the cause of crippling, devastating flaccid paralysis, largely affecting children after viral infection? If we are not VERY CAREFUL RIGHT NOW, COVID-19 can be added to this list of maiming and life threatening nasties.
Balanced against all that is reasonable concern among Americans that government spawned emergency orders enacted to save lives during this sudden threat and confusion, may lead to permanent loss of rights. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution lays out the right for citizens to peacefully assemble, and what about religious freedom and separation of church and state? Easter church services fit nicely withing those definitions.
To what extent can constitutional rights be abridged during a deadly epidemic? For how long? If curtailing rights for 'Public Health' is acceptable now, isn't it possible government will find many 'Public Health' excuses to keep us locked down and disabled from here on? Those are reasonable questions though answers from politicians at this time seem to be threats of extended stay at home orders.
In this sudden flush of pandemic driven government control, Americans conveniently forget they have allowed many erosions of rights and freedoms for decades, many under the threadbare guise, 'for the public good'. Is the current pandemic a tipping point where citizens will learn to bow down before the strong arm of government and beg for more controls? Will we give away our rights and freedoms in the name of "Public Health" and "for the greater good"?
It is wise to be alert but not a very good or proper time to severely oppose government. Now is the time to know our strengths and plan how we will block future overreach when the viral reign of terror has subsided.
Jesus resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday and He taught us, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." An alternate wording is, "Don't do to others that which you would not want done to you." I know I don't want this new corona virus and I don't want responsibility for passing it to others, possibly killing a few along the line of infection. So this Easter Sunday, 2020, is not a good time to fight politicians and their executive orders.
Perhaps Americans in future will decide safety is more important than freedom. A majority with that mindset gather strength all the time and they might rule for awhile. Eventually the pendulum should swing the other way, though freedoms once taken, require decades of struggle to regain.
Whatever condition follows the pandemic restrictions, believers know the power of Christ is more powerful than any government. A priest once told the following story on Easter Sunday:
Back in the bad old days of the U.S.S.R., the Soviet Communist party controlled everything, including peoples' thoughts and beliefs. One Easter Sunday Communists decided to reinforce the government position that there is no God. A large group of Russians was gathered together in an old church, forced to listen to an extremely long tirade by a Communist official. For more than an hour the Comisar thundered and harangued the helpless comrades forced to listen. 'There is no God! The Party takes care of people, God does nothing because he does not exist! Depend on the government for everything because there is no God to help you, only the Party!' On and on, the Comisar blurted party propaganda to his captive audience.
After more than an hour, the red faced party leader finally sat down, certain everyone, after that length of time, must certainly agree that there is no God and only the Party.
In the following, stunned silence a very old man slowly rose to his feet and with difficulty began tottering toward the lectern just vacated by the Party official. The old man faced the audience and in an amazingly loud and strong voice declared these few words:
"CHRIST IS RISEN!"
Instantly the audience in one thundering voice shouted the ancient reply to the Paschal greeting:
"HE IS RISEN INDEED!"*
With those simple words of faith the otherwise helpless people demonstrated that no party would control their hearts or deepest beliefs.
We have no idea what days and weeks ahead will bring to our people and country or to all other countries and peoples in the world. Tomorrow on this restricted Easter Sunday, remember that CHRIST IS RISEN, RISEN INDEED, and that faith in His power will overcome and shine light into any darkness!
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Wishing all of you, our readers, a happy and Joyous Easter from us, Lynn and Anna, at FFOA!
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Traditional Russian Orthodox Paschal greeting:
Kristos voskrese! (Christ is risen!)
Voistina voskrese! (Truly He is risen!)
Freedom Fighters Of America
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