Oct 22 2020 12 mins 3
This is Toby Sumpter with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, October 22, 2020. Today you will hear about two Colorado churches win in federal court over COVID restrictions, the pope embraces two kingdom theology, COVID deaths are plummeting even while cases rise, and the Department of Justice has brought an antitrust lawsuit against Google. Remember: If you come across a news story you think we might need to cover, please send it to: news at crosspolitic dot com. This is a great way to share articles and stories with us that may end up in our daily or weekly shows: news at crosspolitic dot com Two Colorado Churches Win in Federal Court https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/10/20/colorado-churches-win-federal-court-decision-covid-19-mandates-governor-polis-coronavirus-worship-religious-freedom/?fbclid=IwAR0zkjnU1YFd_gIkl021e2MNe4_r2ZBxtIgm98lwu5zePQKLmcUV7KpNAPE Two Colorado churches will no longer be required to wear masks or limit their numbers as required by the governor of Colorado’s COVID-19 mandates. The pastors of two Colorado churches — Bob Enyart of Denver Bible Church in Wheat Ridge and Joey Rhoads of Community Baptist Church in Brighton – filed the lawsuit in August. “The lawsuit,” said Special Counsel Rebecca Messall, one of the Thomas More Society attorneys representing the Colorado pastors, “calls both the federal government and Colorado leaders into account for their violations of the right to free exercise of religion, among other abuses of power, primarily resulting from Gov. Jared Polis’ COVID-19 related Executive Orders.” A spokesperson from the governor’s office on Thursday indicated the state’s Attorney General filed an emergency motion for an injunction on Monday to keep the orders in place and the state plans to appeal the federal judge’s decision. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico stated, “…the Constitution does not allow the State to tell a congregation how large it can be when comparable secular gatherings are not so limited, or to tell a congregation that its reason for wishing to remove facial coverings is less important than a restaurant’s or spa’s.” “It’s like ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’,” Enyart told CBS4. “If it was a true emergency, people would not be inclined to ignore government orders because of government’s overreach. There’s so much evidence coming out that the lockdown is hurting people.” “We hope other churches will follow along.” In their own words, the churches’ attorneys argued that “Colorado imposes capacity limits on houses of worship that are more severe than those that apply to other so-called critical businesses whose settings pose a similar risk of COVID-19 transmission. The state also allows a variety of exceptions to its facial-covering requirement where it recognizes that removing a mask is necessary to carry out a particular activity.” The Pope Embraces Two Kingdom Theology https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-calls-for-civil-union-law-for-same-sex-couples-in-shift-from-vatican-stance?fbclid=IwAR2KCBKfPJgUAvxxRzxgwOcp2EHSj6i0eWLOlteiusM8yRK4af1wvwsbq34 In a documentary that premiered Wednesday in Rome, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples, departing from the position of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the pope’s predecessors on the issue. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” Pope Francis said in a documentary film, Francesco, released on Octobe 21st in Europe, set to premiere on Sunday in North America. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” the pope said. “I stood up for that.” Remember at least two things here: first, the pope, according to Roman Catholic dogma is still not merely the spiritual head of the church but the political h [...]
