The Right To ________ Is "Non-essential"

It shocks me, to be quite honest, how quickly and easily I've denied my own rights, ones given me by our Creator.

The right to religion and the free exercise thereof? Non-essential. Postponed. On hold.

The right to assemble? Not now, not at the moment. Stay apart.

The right to express myself by being proximal to others, or to walk about without a mask? Put your hands behind your back so we can handcuff you and place you in the backseat of the squad car. Watch your head. 

The right to express myself by worshiping God in the physical presence of my brothers and sisters in Christ? Sorry, sir, but at this time that's like shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater, though none of us think that will ever happen again since there won't be any crowded theaters in the coming New Normal.

The right to a speedy trial? The right to trial by jury? You can wait in your cell, sir, till we get the go-ahead on that quaint notion.

When I think about religion in this inherently free country and how immediately insurmountable the so-called wall of separation between the State and Church has become, I am, to put it mildly, rather dismayed, particularly by myself. Should my church, like many churches in America, care for its neighbors by providing space and staff for AA meetings, food pantries and soup kitchens; for housing and clothing for the homeless and counseling for the poor and ill, particularly the mental ill, let it be known that the State has told me such exercises of my faith are presently unnecessary. Such exercises the State declares non-essential today amount to a mere flourish of moral action; an extravagance; a frivolity, like mascara on a goat.

Evangelism? Non-essential, I hear, and I comply, wishing to be the good Christian who obeys his earthly authorities, as St. Paul and St. Peter tell the flock. In the moment of my acquiescence, I become a good citizen of the world, submissive to civil authority. Add to my obedience the honor of becoming a true believer "in science," and I find my joy complete, the abundant life overflowing my cup. For the good of all.

Eucharist? Dangerous. Not a vector of grace but of plague, as the chalice and paten are full of contaminants. Please step back from the chancel, sir, and watch from your computer screen. Home fellowship in a whole new, underground way.

Visit the shut-ins, the prisoner, the local nursing home? Not necessary.

Will any Faith ever be considered essential in the future – when things return to "normal" and are "at ease" – if Faith is deemed unnecessary right now, when the Angel of Death roams the streets?

An orthodox Jew recently spoke of the Seder and what it shows, namely, that the center of Judaism has never been the synagogue but the family. And yet, Seders have been celebrated this week in isolation, alone; with family members kept apart, denied by the State the free exercise of the faith. Break bread and share it with – yourself.

How about expressing your free-speech right – to protect yourself – by claiming the right to keep and bear arms is itself a form of expression, of speech; and that you'd like to express yourself by purchasing a handgun, a rifle, some ammunition? Amazingly, this, too, is under attack and limited, at least in some jurisdictions, particularly those jurisdictions where police forces have been told to limit arrests for all sorts of crimes in an effort to keep germs from collecting in jails. (Unless the crime is gathering in the name of Christ at church, and then pastors and priests can be incarcerated, for the good of all, I suppose.) Protecting yourself in the absence of a police presence is, well, non-essential. Move along, folks. 

Alas, at least one bright spot: The Kentucky governor, I believe, who stated that license plates would be recorded of those attending church Easter Sunday, was rebuffed by a judge, who announced the governor could do no such thing. Think of how nearly every attempt by President Trump to control immigration was overturned or rebuffed by a judge somewhere; and yet now, when rights are being denied left and right, we hardly hear a thing from the judiciary. Curious? Maybe not.

I remain dismayed: how quickly I have relinquished not just my God-given rights but the essential essence of my faith: To love. But perhaps I have it all wrong. It's not that love is essential, it's that in the time of germs, love is not love.

The New Paradox. Love stays away.

©Contratimes/2020