Modern Martyrdom

As Coronavirus spreads, debates on the separation of church and state are renewed.

When the United States of America separated from the United Kingdom, the new nation prioritized the separation of church and state. Such a decision was quite radical at the time, with most nations endorsing and even enforcing a particular religion. The United States held its freedom of worship in high esteem and was quick to quash any transgressions on this foundational civil liberty. As a result, many immigrants fled religious persecution and created new lives for themselves in the US.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem closed for the first time in more than seven hundred years.

The separation of church and state has remained a contentious debate topic since our nation’s founding, however, and has only become more relevant as issues such as abortion and evolution education remain in the mainstream. Additionally, the protections provided by freedom of worship are the same safeguards that ensure the longevity of cults such as Scientology. The government’s laissez-faire approach clearly has its pro’s and con’s.

As regional governments around the country institute bans on large gatherings and closings of non-essential businesses, though, the debate has only become more polarizing. A pastor in Louisiana made headlines last week after he was arrested for defying lockdown orders and hosting hundreds in his church. Despite his…