by Tyler O’Neil, PJ Media:

On Wednesday, lawyers representing more than 1,200 California clergy sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), declaring religious services essential during the coronavirus pandemic and announcing that churches will start meeting in person on May 31 — the Day of Pentecost referred to as the birthday of the Christian church — with or without the governor’s permission.

“The Day of Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Christian church. May 31, 2020 is the 1,990th anniversary of the original Day of Pentecost that occurred in the year A.D. 30. We declare that on May 31, 2020, we will resume corporate worship as instructed in Hebrews 10:24- 25,” the clergy wrote. “Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Christian church and other faiths have been relegated to ‘nonessential’ status by governing agencies throughout the United States. But we, the signers of this declaration, believe and contend that gathering together in fellowship and worship is ‘essential.’”

The current California lockdown order considers religious services nonessential. The clergy — including pastors and at least one rabbi — sent a “Declaration of Essentiality,” explaining that religious services and their charitable activities are just “as essential as any grocery store or hardware store,” especially in a crisis where depression, as well as disease, threatens lives.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom, The National Center for Law and Policy, Liberty Counsel and Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, and First Liberty — firms representing the hundreds of clergy in California — sent the letter to Newsom, representing a demand that the governor either alters his order or receives notice that it will be violated on a massive scale.

The letter notes the societal devastation the coronavirus and the lockdowns have caused, including the fact that in Knox County, Tenn., more people died from suicide than from COVID-19 over a week period. It also cites a Kaiser Family Foundation that found 45 percent of adults say the pandemic has affected their mental health, while the Disaster Distress Helpline reported an 891 percent increase in March 2020 over the previous March.

“The mandated closure of religious organizations is having a significant and detrimental secondary effect on the citizens of California. For example, the closure of religious organizations is preventing the numerous ministries and social services provided by churches to the poor, unemployed and distressed. The humanitarian and spiritual support provided by ministries are innumerable,” the letter argues.”The spiritual services of ministries are absolutely essential to the health and welfare of the people of California.”

A recent JAMA Psychiatry study found that “religious service attendance is associated with a lower risk of death from despair among registered nurses and health care professionals. These results may be important in understanding trends in deaths from despair in the general population.”

Yet Newsom’s order does not regard religious organizations as essential, and therefore it singles them out for special restrictions. This targeting of religious groups is unconstitutional, the letter claims, and the clergy — like all Americans — have the duty to stand up for their constitutional rights.

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“The clergy is convinced that ‘we the people’ are ultimately responsible to protect the individual liberties that may be lost unnecessarily during times of crisis regardless of whether public officials’ actions are well intentioned. Without the checks and balances of the courts and legislature, the clergy now stand as a counterbalance to unchecked regulatory action,” the letter argues.

“With you, we struggle with finding the right balance of public safety and individual liberty considering the effects of COVID-19 and the clergy we represent collectively agree to pray for you as our governor to receive divine guidance and consider why we believe your Executive Order is unconstitutional, but more importantly, detrimental to the health and safety of California families,” the lawyers add.

Newsom’s executive order “carves out a very long list of ‘secular’ exceptions representing persons and places that are exempt from the stay at home prohibitions. The exempted persons and facilities include most governmental operations. The list also includes, among other locations: airports; public transportation facilities (i.e. train and bus stations); the entertainment industry (i.e. Hollywood); construction sites, news media facilities; childcare locations; marijuana dispensaries; liquor stores; cafeterias; big box stores, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, convenience stores, carry out restaurants and other retails establishments where large numbers of people gather and assemble.”

The lawyers argue, “We have no desire to see any businesses closed; however, the ECIW reflects upon the arbitrary nature of determining what businesses are ‘essential.’ To the chagrin of religious observers, religious organizations are generally deemed nonessential by the State and County.”

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