Concerns about restrictions on church services were peaking today given the importance of the Easter holiday to the Christian religious calendar. Here's my case for why churches should submit to the governing authorities during this crisis. 1/

A (1) temporary ban on (2) all (3) in-person gatherings people during a (4) public health emergency is not a gross violation of religious liberty.

If any variable were different, you could make a case for it. But as it stands, it is an acceptable limitation on assembly. 2/

(1) Temporary, emergency measures can be tolerated in a way that permanent restrictions cannot, as long as there is a compelling need.

(2) The fact that these restrictions are agnostic in application-- both church services & non-religious events alike are prohibited--means that the restrictions are not targeted. That's a crucial jurisprudential test for whether a restriction on religious liberty is acceptable.

(3) The ban does not prohibit all assembly, just physical assembly. Virtual assembly is allowed, and while it's not a perfect substitute for in-person meetings, it means the extremity of the ban is far less significant than it would have been thirty years ago. Impact matters.

(4) As mentioned earlier, the question of the ban's legitimacy hinges on whether there's compelling need. If this ban were temporary, agnostic, & partial BUT it was being done for a sinister purpose, say, to punish a religious group for its views, then (1-3) wouldn't matter...

But this is a legitimate public health crisis and we have a great deal of evidence both from the US and abroad showing churches as significant vectors of the disease. So this is as legitimate an application of public health restrictions as you can get.

It's fine to be suspicious of State encroachment on our liberties; it's that spirit that's vital to maintaining our Republic. And it's one of the reasons I work at the place I do. But...

...this is not similar in any way to the kind of anti-religious oppression that is common in authoritarian regimes. This is a legitimate response to a once-in-a-generation crisis. /fin