News

Published: 25 May 2020

A lawsuit has been filed against the Governor of Nevada for permitting restaurants and stores to operate at 50% capacity while only allowing churches to gather with less than 10 people.

Alliance Defending Freedom has commenced the action on behalf of Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley.  The suit also seeks an immediate stop to the order while the lawsuit is finalised.

“If groups of people can meet, then the state can’t play favorites,” said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker.

“The government can certainly prioritize public health and safety, but it can’t move businesses and non-religious activities to the front of the line for reopening and push churches to the back.

Ryan said that the move is not constitutional and “that’s why we filed suit.”

According to ADF, “the governor has refused to allow churches and other places of worship to open their doors to 10 or more people under any circumstance.”

The church wants to reopen on May 31 with less than 50% of it’s building capacity.

It has implemented social distancing and health and safety protocols, but risks the church with criminal and civil penalties if the Governor’s order is not overturned.

“The governor’s refusal to allow churches to reopen commensurate with what is allowed for businesses and other groups is baseless,” according to ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus.

“The Constitution doesn’t allow the governor to make arbitrary decisions as to who can meet and who can’t,” he added.

Published: 21 May 2020

The Palaszczuk government should not open the door to state-sanctioned killing, according to advocacy group FamilyVoice Australia.

“Governments should be doing everything they can to combat feelings of hopelessness and suicidal ideation, particularly during this time of severe anxiety during the corona pandemic,” said FamilyVoice spokesman David d’Lima.

“Euthanasia laws convey to terminally ill people that they are a burden on loved ones and also to the economy.

“Millions of Australians are vulnerable to sickness and economic ruin. Queensland Labor politicians should not endorse suicide.

“Politicians who endorse suicide among the elderly and unwell should hang their heads in shame.

“The Queensland parliamentary committee foolishly recommended suicide should be available to people facing depression or anxiety – as if they are unfit to manage those conditions.”

“Instead of pushing euthanasia the government should address the underfunding and inaccessibility of palliative care.”

Published: 20 May 2020

South Australian State Director continues to encourage concerned people to urge MPs against any weakening of abortion law.

Joining a state and federal MP, David d’Lima addressed a Zoom meeting hosted by Australian Christian Lobby recently on how best to write to MPs. David’s input encouraged positive connection to MPs as a basis of exerting wise influence.

“The most powerful letter that we can write to parliamentarians is to congratulate them about something they have said or done,” he said.

“The second and subsequently most powerful letter is one offering our help.”

Most of the work done by MPs is not partisan and is not controversial but is related to helping in the community, David d’Lima explained, suggesting we can help that process without necessarily agreeing with the MP.

“But we earn the right to speak by having rolled up our sleeves,” he explained to the activists who participated in the Zoom conference.

On that basis, concerned constituents are in a better position to raise such issues as abortion - seeking to win the heart before winning the argument, he said.

In the Zoom meeting, the MPs shared practical advice as to how best to communicate with their parliamentary colleagues. One cautioned against an overly faith-based approach while another advocated personal meetings relating real-life examples.

“Our prayer is for Zoom participants and others to be better equipped to connect positively to influence civic leaders,” David d’Lima said.

Published: 14 May 2020

US legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has told a local health board to back off its church crackdown.

On May 13, ADF sent a letter to Dedham town officials demanding they rescind their cease and desist order. The order prohibits the church from meeting with 10 or fewer people, a number that is permitted for other gatherings under the Massachusetts governor’s COVID-19 emergency order.

Victory Baptist Church received the cease and desist order from the town after the church posted on its website that it would resume services with no more than 10 people.

“The government can certainly concern itself with public health and safety, but it can’t target churches for special punishments that it doesn’t dole out to anyone else,” said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker.

“It makes no sense for the town of Dedham to demand that this church refrain from meeting with 10 or fewer people when the governor’s executive order explicitly allows that gathering size. The only apparent explanation is that the town wants to harass this church,” he added.

According to the ADF, Pastor Nick White of Victory Baptist Church made clear that the services would be limited to 10 people to comply with the guidelines.

The church has imposed additional conditions upon itself including:

• Requiring congregants to provide notice of their intention to attend a church;
• Restricting each service to one hour;
• Spacing services to allow the church to be cleaned
• Taking each churchgoer’s temperature;
• Issuing and requiring congregants to wear gloves and face masks; and
• Encouraging elderly congregants and those with underlying health conditions to stay home.

“Victory Baptist did not host services last Sunday, but it plans to do so this coming Sunday, May 17, 2020, pursuant to the plans expressed in its previous announcement. And it should be permitted to do so without fear of disruption,” the ADF says in the letter.

“For these reasons, we demand that the Board and Town of Dedham rescind the Order by 12:00 p.m. on May 14, 2020, and refrain from further harassment of this church.”