In the classic 1987 film The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya, after listening to Vizzini’s incessant use of the word “inconceivable” turns to his employer and says, “You keep using that word; I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
For the tens of millions of Americans of faith who worship together regularly, the onset of COVID-19 has been a spiritual tragedy. Houses of worship of every faith and denomination have been emptied by government fiat.
Two federal appeals courts last week issued decisions on challenges to coronavirus-related executive orders by the governors of Illinois and Louisiana.
In each case, churches and religious organizations challenged a governor’s restrictions on meeting in person at houses of worship while allowing other group activities to proceed, saying those orders violated the First Amendment.
This year maybe more than any in recent memory, Americans need a source of unity more durable than any source of contention. Let it be our flag.
“James, earn this…earn it.” The final words spoken by Captain John Miller, portrayed by Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg’s WWII epic Saving Private Ryan, are an exhortation to the film’s eponymous character to live a life worthy of the sacrifice made to save it.
As America struggles to reopen following the COVID-19 pandemic, some have openly suggested that, even though millions of Americans are returning to a variety of social settings—like retail businesses, laundromats and even cannabis dispensaries—attending church in-person is still too dangerous to be allowed.