A megachurch in California sued the state and Los Angeles County on Wednesday in an effort to stop officials from banning large indoor gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
Los Angeles County was prosecuted back Thursday.
The Grace Community Church lawsuit “seeks to ban California from enforcing its unconstitutional and outrageous pandemic coronavirus lawsuit against Grace Community Church and seeks a ruling that health care violates the California Constitution,” according to a statement from the Thomas More Society, whose lawyers represent the church.
“The complaint states that the American people began to see themselves being deceived by their own government,” said the statement from the society, a non-profit group of religious freedom.
“They have witnessed how the severe restrictions imposed on them by public officials to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are simply not applicable to certain, favored groups,” the statement said. “When many took to the streets to engage in ‘political protests’ against ‘racism’ and ‘police brutality’, these protesters refused to comply with the pandemic restrictions. Instead of carrying out public health missions, they were public. officials are all too happy to provide a de facto exception for these favored Protestants. “
On July 29, the county of Los Angeles sent a report of violation of public health orders to Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church after health officials knew he had held personal worship services on July 26.
“Media coverage of the services included photos depicting hundreds of people within Grace Community Church,” the letter said. A survey of the service posted on the church’s Facebook page shows people stuttering in pens, with no apparent concern about social distance. Many people in the video do not seem to be wearing a mask.
The county requests that you immediately stop holding worship services for indoor or other indoor meetings, and follow the guidelines of the Health Officer Order regarding activities at houses of worship. If you or Grace Community Church continue to hold services for incidents in violation of the law, you will be subject to criminal and civil liability, “the letter from the province said.
On March 19, Govin Newsom ordered the closure of almost all establishments, including places of worship. On June 18, Los Angeles was again allowed to hold “indoor operations with reduced capacity at houses of worship,” according to the county. But “case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths increased at an alarming rate” and the order was reversed on July 13, again banning most operations within.
Places of worship in California are now limited to 25 percent of building capacity as 100 participants indoors, which is lower, and singing and singing are prohibited.
A statement from Grace Community Church leaders said they had originally cooperated with the government in the interests of public health, but that would no longer be the case.
“Once the devastating lockdown began, it would be a short-term stopgap measure, aimed at ‘flattening the curve’ – meaning they want to slow down the rate of infection to ensure hospitals were not overwhelmed,” he explained. the statement said. “But we are now more than twenty weeks into unforgettable constraints.”
“Therefore, we can and cannot accept a moratorium imposed by government on our weekly church worship or other regular business meetings. Fulfillment would be in violation of our Lord’s clear commands,” the statement said. “We, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, inform our citizen leaders, respectively, that they have violated their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ forbids us to observe the restrictions they want on our business services.”
On Thursday, the day after Grace filed her lawsuit, Los Angeles County “involuntarily, after working with the church for several weeks in hopes of gaining voluntary compliance with the Health Officer’s Orders,” the church continued.
The province has indicated that the church has the ability to provide services for open and virtual services, but chooses to keep services inside in violation of government orders.
“The province always wants to solve these problems with kindness to all members of the community, including churches. We use education as the primary step in achieving compliance; however, if compliance is not achieved, we must use the other tools that ‘. t we have, ”Los Angeles County said in a statement Thursday.
“COVID-19 is a highly infectious virus and it is easily transmitted inside, in crowds and when people are talking, raising their voices or singing. Research shows that meetings outside with participants keep physical distance and wearing face masks are less risky, the province of “One thing is for sure: we will not be able to sustain our way out of this pandemic and we need everyone to do their part to keep themselves and each other safe and healthy.”
California on Thursday became the first state to transmit 600,000 cases of coronavirus.
As of August 12, nearly 11,000 people in the state have died from coronavirus, according to the California Department of Public Health. Los Angeles County reported about half of those deaths.
