A rapid test concerning COVID-19 and religious freedom
November 20th, 2021
At the heart of religious liberty is the issue of worship. Religious liberty is the freedom to worship according to one’s own conscience.
Are COVID-19 health restrictions a violation of religious liberty?
At least seven major factors must be considered when evaluating whether or not health restrictions violate religious liberty:
Are the health restrictions endorsing if there is a God?
Are the health restrictions directing us to worship a particular God?
Are the health restrictions telling us why we should worship?
Are the health restrictions telling us how to worship?
Are the health restrictions telling us what we should believe, what doctrines we should follow?
Are they telling us when to worship?
Are the health restrictions telling us where we should worship?
COVID-19 and religious freedom
The criteria of “if, who, why, how, what, when, where” are vital components of determining if a law or regulation is a violation of religious liberty.
In the health regulations I am aware of, none of these criteria are met and so in and of themselves these COVID-19 health restrictions do not violate religious freedom.
Brad Thorp is a pastor, executive assistant to the president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the first president of Hope Channel (from 1990 to 2016).
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