The rationality of government decisions appears to be based on fear, not fact; A closer look at what is happening with Churches in British Columbia

BY AMANDA WILLIAMS

The rationality of government decisions appears to be based on fear, not fact; A closer look at what is happening with Churches in British Columbia

Frustrations grow within the Caribbean community around the inability to attend in-person church services. Most churches have transitioned to online services, while dozens of others in British Columbia challenge and defend their right to worship in person.

On February 17^th, 2021, a judge ruled against the injunction requested by B.C. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry, which would allow police to detain anyone they thought to have intentions of attending church services. Marty Moore (a Lawyer from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms) representing the three Fraser Valley churches and individuals involved, spoke to Toronto Caribbean Newspaper and provided some insight into the challenges his clients face.

“We are seeing egregious acts by the governments targeting the charter freedoms of Canadians, and that should be a concern for all Canadians,” says Moore.

Referencing his clients’ affidavit, Moore cites that “They must meet in person to worship their God based on various scriptures in both the old and new testaments. They need to celebrate the sacrament of their faith, including the practice of communion, which cannot be done via zoom service.

Other members cannot access zoom services. There is an on-going crisis, and mental health for many people is at a breaking point. These churches see themselves on the frontline, protecting individuals’ mental health, and ensuring that those in vulnerable situations can be observed, whether it’s in relationships or food security.

Observations can then be followed up, and the church can engage the ministries that seek to meet the: physical, mental, emotional, and other well-being needs of these individuals. There are many important roles that these churches play, and they feel they are being overlooked.”

Moore explains that his clients have taken extraordinary measures, changing their services dramatically to more stringent guidelines than other places permitted to meet in person indoors. Churchgoers are pre-registered for a contact tracing system that can tell you where any individual sat in their congregation at any point within the last nine months. Services are strictly limited to fewer than 50 people; there is no fellowship time, and there has never been a single case of Covid transmission within any of these services.

In a news conference in October 2020, Dr Henry stated, “When places of worship, hotels, restaurants, follow these protocols, we don’t see transmission. Yet, they are seeking to justify a rule against religious gatherings,” says Moore.

The B.C. government has been able to point to 186 cases associated with religious settings within B.C. The government admits that there is no indication of how that occurred or whether or not those settings were adhering to health and safety guidelines. In comparison, there have been over 75,0000 cases of COVID in BC, with 150 cases reported in restaurants in less than six weeks. The data suggests that the rationality of government decisions appears to be based on fear, not fact.

Anyone, including those in the medical and scientific field, who question these (measures), becomes a target rather than a topic of conversation. In a free society, we depend on a marketplace of ideas to allow good solutions to rise to the top as evidence is heard and discussed. In our current society we much rather call things misinformation if they go against popular narratives. We lump critical thinking in with conspiratorial accusations, which are well founded in many cases.

I think many people have forgotten what a democracy and a free society are. We see laws being enacted not by a vote from your elected representative, but simply by an oral or written statement of one individual appointed by a government.

We look forward to holding the government accountable before the court, and then the decision will rest with the Chief Justice of the B.C. Supreme Court.  The absolute prohibition on religious services will be reviewed at a hearing on March 1-3, 2021.

In British Columbia, gatherings of up to fifty people are permitted for support groups as long as it is not a religious group. Pastor James Coates is currently being held in prison for defying orders to continue church services in Alberta.

What do other pastors across Canada have to say about these measures? What will it take for Pastors to stand up and defend their rights to worship, and most importantly, why are religious groups so harshly targeted?