Not a Weak Faith

 Why do devout Christians feel that the restrictions on gathering to worship are more than just a public safety measure? There are many people that believe that the government is doing the "right thing", maybe even not enough of the "right thing" by setting myriad restrictions on the general public in their efforts to fight Covid-19. These people seem to include those from virtually every walk of life, economic status or religious conviction. So why is it that those pesky Steinbachers seem to think that they need to protest our benevolent government's actions to protect us from ourselves?

They claim to be Christians, but they can't be very good Christians because the Bible says that we are to submit to those placed in authority over us, as those people are placed in their position of authority by God Himself. So why do these Christians seem to think they have the right, the obligation even, to try to thwart the carefully considered actions of our magnanimous leaders? I think it is because the Christians have observed how these actions seem to favour one type of people group and subjugate another. I truly doubt that this observation can be proven to be the willful actions of those in charge, but as believers, we are warned that  "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesian 6:12. This is to say that our leaders, who may very well be unaware of the existence of a spiritual realm, may not even realize if their actions are not taken entirely of their own accord.

These restrictions may seem fair on the surface to those who blindly trust our leaders to have our best interests at heart, but please indulge me a little bit as I attempt to dive just a little bit below the surface to what some can view as targeted restrictions.

Let's start with the repeated shutting down of private businesses while the large and other select retailers are allowed to stay operational. Many small businesses in Manitoba are struggling right now to remain viable. The inability to sell their goods or services while still needing to meet their monthly obligations is undoubtedly adding severe strain to many households. This can lead to spouses arguing which may lead to domestic violence, or it may result in depression setting in and the inability to function in the most basic ways. This is an assault on the family, the basic building block of civilization and the result of obedience to God's command to populate the earth. This is also an assault on personal productivity and leads to dependence upon the government instead of God Himself.

This resulting stress of these shut downs can also lead to an increase in substance abuse, substances such as drugs or alcohols which are readily available for purchase from retailers that have been allowed to continue to sell these items deemed as "essential", the irony of the situation I'm sure is not lost on these poor souls who cannot operate their own businesses but can visit another business in order to purchase items to help them forget their problems related to said inability to operate their own businesses.

Let's look at what items are deemed as "essential", the sale of which determines whether your business can operate at this time. Food, personal hygiene items, health and mobility items, infant needs, household items, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, pet supplies, etc. Do you want to know what is not included in that list? Books, toys, puzzles, games, general clothing items. 

That means that you cannot purchase, for example, a Bible to give to someone who may need to hear it's message, but you could buy that person a mickey or a 2-4.

You cannot purchase a game or puzzle with which to whittle away the time as we are locked in our homes with our family members, which even in the best of families can lead to disharmony and fighting.

You cannot purchase decorations for the upcoming Christmas season, nor gifts for that matter. Did you know that you can buy pet toys but not children's toys? How is that logical?

And speaking of Christmas, we are being conditioned by our leaders and government to be prepared to accept that we will not be able to meet together with our loved ones to celebrate Christmas with them, as has already happened at Thanksgiving, and which will likely happen at Easter too. Two of these celebrations are the biggest holidays in the Christian calendar, and the third was instated as an act of thanksgiving to God for His provision. Did we see such harsh restrictions like this during the summer when people love to get outside, go to the beach and, incidentally, there are no major religious celebrations? Nope.

We also see that there is no acceptance of religious gatherings. None. Churches are closed by mandate of the government. Sports activities have opened up, including at least some professional sports. And dare I mention that any Costco or Superstore or Sobeys will have indoors at any given time more people than most churches can hold, or that liquor stores are allowed more people per square foot of retail space than are churches at this time?

Now let's get really pretentious. How is it that, all around North America BLM or anti-trump protests or a women's march can pop up with nary a police presence, how is it that police do not enforce the laws of the land when people groups block train tracks or street traffic, but if a few hundred people protest the restrictions on our freedom in a "Christian" city, or 100 people attend an in-person worship service, or a small business owner defies an unconstitutional order and opens up his restaurant we see cops by the dozen in some cases, converge on, disrupt, fine and arrest the individuals involved, while also seizing personal property by changing the locks on a privately owned business, and that is only if they are bold enough to act immediately. They typically seem to like to act under the cover of darkness and when the perpetrators of above crimes are alone.

And we are seeing more and more that those around us are decrying the fact that these people dare defy the government, especially the Christians, and people make plans and take actions to try to deter or disrupt the protest actions of believers, but apparently that is not a problem worthy of police action in itself.

Here in Manitoba, we have a Premier who claims to read a "certain book" and likes to quote from it when it suits him, but it is arguable that his actions are aimed discriminately at those that also read that same "certain book", but who actually take the words therein to heart.

But this is for our safety.

So everybody is supposed to obey unquestioningly, and if you are a Christian you are commanded by your own Holy Scriptures to do so and to submit to your leaders. But that is not the example that we see in Scripture, not even close.

Just off the top of my head I can think of Moses defying Pharoah and repeatedly entreating him to allow the Israelite people to go. We see Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego actively disobey direct orders from the kings of their day, who were also their employers. We see the Old Testament prophets sent again and again to speak to their kings in order to call them out on their corrupt ways and beg of them to repent. Then we see Jesus Himself who over and over again insulted and undermined the religious leaders of His day, to their faces and in front of large crowds, and the New Testament and other historical documents are full of stories of the words and actions of the apostles and how they also called out the religious leaders on their corruption, all the while spreading the gospel message against the orders of these same religious leaders, men who oversaw the laws and edicts of daily life in much the same way that our current day politicians do.

No, we are not called to meekly obey all edicts of those that are in authority over us. When we see wrong, we are to work to right that wrong. When we see corruption and favoritism rearing their ugly heads we are to speak up and fight to correct the injustices. Do not be deterred by those who do not understand that ours is not a faith of the timid, but of the brave and the bold. Do not let other well-meaning Christians lead you to believe that we are commanded to quietly obey even the unjust rulings of our legislators. Do not forget that we are not the spiritual descendants of men who practiced a domesticated religion. We come from a line of warriors and prophets who boldly spoke truth to power and fought to uphold justice for all, not only for those whose ideals aligned with their own. We come from a spiritual heritage of people who wrestled with angels and slew giants. Ours is not a religion of fear and trembling, but a faith of power and strength, truths that have been forgotten through the generations. It is time to remember those truths.