THE CHURCHES CLOSED …
… BUT THE CASINOS DIDN’T!
Part of my family just returned from New York City. You may recall that their Quarantine was invoked prior to the one here in Arizona. As a result, on Father’s Day they celebrated their “100th Day of Quarantine.” That got me to thinking about the early days of Quarantine here, and a memory that came to mind was the fact that the churches closed but the casinos didn’t!
When this first came about, I thought it interesting that gamblers seemed to have more Faith than Christians. Then, as I pondered on it a bit, the reality of the situation became apparent: Those individuals responsible for the closing of the churches were concerned about their flock and acted in a manner that protected them. The Casinos, on the other hand, were more concerned with the continuation of turning a profit!
Someone, during the early days of the Quarantine, asked me if I wasn’t exhibiting more fear than Faith by not insisting that the church be left open. I smiled and shared my Scriptural reasons for supporting the Quarantine.
First of all there is II Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. As I participated in life within the parameters of the Quarantine, I was not displaying fear, but rather, proceeded with “a sound mine.” It was only logical that if by staying home I could enhance my chance of avoiding the COVID19 Virus that I should, in fact, stay home.
Next is the advice that Jesus shared in Matthew 22:21b – Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When the Governor asked that we follow the dictates of Quarantine and stay home, he did not single out “don’t go to church,” he said avoid crowds everywhere! His attempts, as those of officials across not only the country but the world, was to minimize the spread of COVID19 if at all possible.
Let’s take a look at the results of their efforts. In the Dark Ages the Bubonic Plague ravaged Europe, taking the lives of an estimated 25 million people. Then, in the 1918 era, the Spanish Flu death toll ranged anywhere from 20 – 50 million. For our discussion, I will be ultra-conservative and go with the 20 million number. As I pen this Blog, the latest numbers I can find indicate that 50,000 have died. But, let’s assume that’s way off and actually 100,000 have expired. That means that thus far only .05% as many people have died as in 1918. That’s one half of one percent! I am prettttyyyy sure that both the Quarantine and Mask Wearing have contributed to these minimal numbers!
As I continue with my Faith Walk I will do so wearing a Mask when I go out, as “Caesar” has requested. The GOOD NEWS is that, in doing so, I am fulfilling Scripture, not proceeding with a lack of Faith. And, if you do so as well, you will not being showing a lack of Faith, either!