The Real Reasons People Defied Stay-At-Home Orders To Attend Church

This Easter, the United States was grappling with the rapidly spreading COVID19 virus--a highly contagious virus with an incubation period of up to thirty-seven days and initial symptoms that mimic less serious respiratory ailments. For that reason, many governors across the country have implemented stay-at-home orders that forbid large non-essential gatherings.

That hasn’t stopped worshippers in many states from defying these orders to attend Easter services. Pastor James Buntrock of The Glorious Way Church in Houston plans to hold in person worship services for Easter, saying, “But when it turned into Holy Week, when it turned into Palm Sunday and now approaching Easter Sunday, this is a special time of year. It’s never been shut down, and so we must do this.” On Fire Christian Church sued the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky for banning drive-in Easter services. A large church in Baton Rouge has repeatedly defied Louisiana’s stay-at-home directive in order to host religious services.

What gives?

It’s not because the pastors and parishioners of these churches dispute the basic science of disease transmission. Every adult who attends these churches grew up at a time when it was customary to wash hands and cover coughs to avoid spreading cold and flu germs.