A CHURCH FENCED OFF?

 

An government action that we have not seen except in times of war is a church being fenced off, barring the entry of any persons until April 27.  What is going on in Alberta? The RCMP accompanied the fencing company that began erecting the fence around the church building at 6:00 AM this past Wednesday. 

 

There has been much controversy over the past twelve months between supporters of the church and citizens in the district. The health authorities have tried to work with the pastor and people of the church to meet the health regulations that have been given to worshipping communities throughout Alberta. 

 

Grace Life Church in Parkland County (West of Edmonton) has refused to comply with directives given by the Alberta health authorities to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Their pastor, James Coats, has already spent thirty-five days in prison for violating the law. 

 

What an ego!

 

The people of the church strongly claim that they have a fundamental right to freedom of worship. This means that no one, including civic authorities, can interfere with the exercise of this fundamental human right. 

 

This is correct – but limited!.

 

All citizens have an equal responsibility to care for the well-being of their fellow citizens. We do not have only rights; we have equal responsibilities. It is the absence of any talk of responsibility for the common good that makes all the arguments of the above church congregation empty and very selfish. 

 

The government authorities and the citizens of Alberta are working to protect and promote the common good. Every citizen has a responsibility to protect the health and well-being of their neighbor. 

 

In every disagreement within a society we must be aware that a positive value (i.e., the right to freedom of religion) can be misused and abused by self-serving people. The good can be misused for very sinister purposes! You, the reader, must make an informed decision about the right or wrongness of the actions of this particular Alberta church.

 

Secondly, the parishioners and pastor of  Grace  Life Church must examine why all the other worshipping communities (Christian, Jewish, Moslem, Hindu and Sikh) in Alberta have agreed to work with the directives given by the Alberta Health Department. Are they misguided? All worshipping communities are suffering in this year of pandemic. Some are on the verge of financial collapse. We want to recognize the strong sense of social responsibility these worshipping communities have for the common good of the people of Alberta. Cooperation with the health directives indicates the strong sense of social responsibility that is present in our worshipping communities.

 

The fence will probably not end the conflict west of Edmonton but I want to name this irresponsible non-compliance of the Church for what it is: selfish and motivated by a grossly exaggerated sense of self-importance.