Wales lockdown isn’t only absurd; it denies freedom of religion
by Archbishop Cranmer:
[…] Since greeting cards shops have been closed by the Welsh Labour Government, supermarkets may not sell cards either. “Supermarkets can sell anything that can be sold in any other type of shop that isn’t required to close”, tweeted Welsh First Minister Mark Drayford. “In the meantime, please only leave home if you need to.”
The First Minister is of the view that it is “unfair” to force greeting card shops and clothing and hardware retailers to close while similar goods were on sale in the big supermarkets. So, in order to create a level playing field, if Clinton’s can’t sell a birthday card, you can’t buy one in Tesco either, or in Asda, or Sainsbury’s. So your Mum won’t be able to write a card for you this year, even though it might be her last, because it would be “unfair” on Clinton’s, where there’s a card for every occasion except a Covid lockdown.
And in Wales the churches have been closed; corporate worship banned. “Places of worship will not be open to the public, other than for wedding or civil partnership ceremonies or funerals, where people can attend at the invitation of the organiser.” So Christians can safely meet to tie the knot and bury their dead, but they may not meet to hear the Word or worship the Living God.
Church leaders have objected: “The forced closure of churches by the state is an extreme interference with Article 9 rights”, they write to the National Assembly for Wales. “Such a far-reaching and large-scale intervention may only be justified by the most compelling scientific evidence of a resulting benefit to public health.” And since churches aren’t closed in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, it’s hard to see what “the most compelling scientific evidence” is which justifies a blanket ban on Church services in Wales. They take the view that Church closure is a matter for Church authorities, not secular governments:
Please right-click links to open in a new window.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
