Freedom of Worship

Posted on by Thor

Pope Francis dubbed the COVID-19 vaccine an “act of love.” He encouraging people around the world to get the COVID-19 vaccine in a new public service advertisement. “Thanks to God and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19.” In an August 18, 2021 tweet he said, “Vaccination is a simple way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable.” He continued, “They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths and the closure of Sunday schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages, ceremonies and festivals. Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have offered worship through live stream as an alternative to in person worship during the pandemic.

Gallup says that the halting of in-person worship “is one of the most significant sudden disruptions in the practice of religion in U.S. history. Some pastors defied CDC health guidelines that restrict indoor gatherings. On July 26, 2020 Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church had his flock gather indoors in Sun Valley to sing hymns, defying California regulations that aim to limit the spread of COVID-19. This is only one of many examples of pastors defying health guidelines.

On February 26, 2021 the Supreme Court of the United States issued a  decision that could foretell sweeping limitations for public health measures related to the free exercise of religion. The Court’s ruling in the case, Gateway City Church v. Newsom, blocked a county-level ban on church services, despite the fact that the ban applied across the board to all indoor gatherings. This religious exceptionalism is emerging as a key trend in recent Supreme Court decisions, particularly those related to COVID-19 restrictions. This ruling could become a serious health threat as the highly contagious, deadly Delta variant continues to be a public health disaster.

A pastor in Riverside County, California, told his congregation in the spring that the vaccine was “unclean” and directed them to a downloadable form Christians could use to claim religious exemptions. Some Catholic clergy and groups have made such resources available, despite the pope’s very clear opposing position on the matter. Greg Locke, a right-wing evangelical head pastor of Tennessee’s Baptist Global Vision Bible Church, told a cheering congregation that “elites” were trying to push an unsafe vaccine on the public while injecting themselves with sugar water. It is sad that some houses of worship have become conduits for misinformation that can spread sickness and death.

Daniel Darling, senior vice president of communications for the National Religious Broadcasters, was fired on August 27, 2021 after refusing to say his pro-vaccine statements on Morning Joe were mistaken. Darling, an evangelical pastor and author, told host Joe Scarborough about how his faith motivated him to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Darling described the vaccines as an amazing feat of discovery by scientists, some of whom share his Christian faith.

Darling said he was proud to be vaccinated.

“I believe in this vaccine because I don’t want to see anyone else die of COVID. Our family has lost too many close friends and relatives to COVID, including an uncle, a beloved church member and our piano teacher,” Darling told Scarborough.

Freedom of Speech

Posted on by Thor

The Guardian reported, School board meetings have become the front line in the culture war battle over wearing masks to keep children safe. These meeting have the energy of a Trump rally or January 6th insurrection. The few are by far the loudest.

I spend the day as I painted watching videos of school board meeting about the issue of children wearing masks in school. The level of anger and disrespect shown by many parents who do not want their children wearing masks was amazing. Some meetings devolved into out of control shouting matches.

Many meetings have been disrupted or even cancelled. In Bend, Oregon, proceedings had to be put on hold twice in two weeks, as angry parents shouted at school board members and heckled a Spanish-language translator. “School boards are a uniquely vulnerable spot in the culture war landscape, because they’re open to everyone and they’re not really prepared for it,” said Adam Laats, a Binghamton University professor who studies the history of education in the US.

In Texas, one parent assaulted a teacher by tearing a mask off her face, Eanes Independent School District Superintendent Tom Leonard said in a statement August 24, 2021. “A parent physically assaulted a teacher by ripping a mask off her face, others yelling at a teacher to take off her mask because they could not understand what the teacher was saying while her face was covered,” he said.

A California teacher was hospitalized after a parent physically assaulted her when a discussion about the use of face masks heated up. The teacher suffered “lacerations on his face, some bruising on his a face and a pretty good knot on the back of his head,” KCRA reported.

In a parking lot after a school board meeting in Franklin, Tennessee, parents harassed medical professionals who had spoken in favor of masks in schools. “We know who you are. You can leave freely, but we will find you.”

Man’s Dominion a true story about the nature of man.

Posted on by Thor

There are some stories in American history that need to be told because they resonate through the ages. In September of 1916 the god fearing people of Erwin, Tennessee lynched an elephant named Mary. She was a star in Spark’s World Famous Circus. The 18 year old elephant had grown up in captivity.  Red Elkridge, on his second day on the job got thrown and then had his  head crushed when  Mary stomped on his skull. For this, Mary was sent and to death, and the giant railroad cranes of  the Blue Ridge Railroad were to be the engines of her demise. She was chained by the neck and hung. Man’s Dominion provided  a voice for ten witnesses and participants in this  horrific event.

Presented by Pachyderm Productions, Tim Powell performed  in this tour De-force one man show this one man show That brought ten characters to life. The play written by David Castro and directed by, Dennis Neal peals away the  layers to show man’s basest nature. I’ve seen many one man shows at  Fringe but none of them compared  to the emotional punch of this  show. A circus ringmaster opened the show, setting the scene. The show became particularly powerful when Fish, an Irish Roustabout, spoke about the lynching feeling that Red, an outsider, deserved what he got. Captain Prescott who had seen slavery and lynching gave his insights into the white man’s blood lust.  Reverend George McKee became more and more demonic as he spoke a boot man’s dominion over the animals and the need for vengeance. Hobo Joe, a clown, had spent years working beside Mary and he blamed Red for his mishandling of the billhook. A bullhook is a sharp steel hook that is used to this day to inflict  pain when used to poke elephants where there skin is the most tender and sensitive. It is a tool of torture.

There was a talk back after the show. Tim who resides in Los Angeles confided that he had reached a low point in his career. He didn’t even want to get up in the morning. He was introduced to David’s play and his southern up bringing made him the perfect actor for the part. He asked Dennis Neal to direct. This was Tim’s first one man show, and it was Dennis’s directing debut.

There were just five shows of Man’s Dominion at the Mad Cow Theater (54 West Church Street Orlando FL). The show is heading to the New York City next at the United Solo Festival on October 9th, 2015 in Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, New York City). There is only one show at 7:30pm.

for tickets visit Man’s Dominion Ticket sales and specify the 7:30pm showing on Friday, Oct 9th.