© Getty Images / Joshua Lott for The Washington PostA woman prays outside Scott Food Mart at a makeshift memorial and a mural for George Floyd in the 3rd Ward on June 9, 2020 in Houston, Texas
The First Amendment of the American Constitution outlines that the Government will not show favoritism for or against any religion. As such, persecution against religious groups is decidedly unconstitutional. Keep in mind that the Puritans were fleeing England for America for exactly that reason. However, with the Covid-19 situation we've seen quite a bit of hammering down on religious services.
Gatherings of the Church of Woke, however, don't get such scrutiny.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the SACRED act (Safeguarding Americans from Coronavirus and Religious Exercise Discrimination) that would withhold Covid-19 relief funds from states that have hammered on the religious for exercise of religion. This would include situations such as Jews being fined during a New Jersey funeral for not practicing "proper" social distancing.
In another example, a drive-thru Christian church service in Mississippi saw people being ticked $500 each for attending. There is now a lawsuit being filed against the police for this action. Keep in mind they stayed in their cars. There was also the situation of Rodney Howard, though his case was much earlier during the pandemic, bringing much more scrutiny. Many churches were forced to shut down by the government, and as a response President Trump declared them essential in May.
Meanwhile, the NFL has banned players from going to churches with more than a 25 percent occupancy.
But here's the issue: they are allowed to go to Black Lives Matter demonstrations, where social distancing is not practiced. In fact, the official NFL Twitter account has promoted this. Leonard Fournette of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jameis Winston of the New Orleans Saints, and Dwayne Haskins of the Washington Football Team (formerly the Redskins) have been supported by the NFL in this.
And here's the question: why does the Church of Woke get special treatment?
It's not an official religion, but it's picking up the trappings of one, fast. America Magazine compared George Floyd to Jesus Christ. There are saints, the likes of Portland's 'Naked Athena.' There are sins: thou shalt not misgender, thou shalt not utter 'All Lives Matter,' thou shalt not doubt the inherent racism of being white. Sinners are punished via cancel culture, the modern-day crucifixion via social media. I compared them to the Inquisition for a reason. No matter what your political leanings, if you "sin" before this church they will destroy you. No forgiveness.
Several city and state governments within the United States appear to have applied for jobs in the woke clergy. Bill De Blasio, the mayor of New York, allows for Black Lives Matter protests but everything else is banned. He's also been hard on the Jewish community for having gatherings, in a blatant show of favoritism for his own ideology.
These are the situations that the First Amendment is supposed to protect against. Here in the United States, we may be majority Christian but we have a belief that people should be free to worship as they choose. As long as the rights of others aren't violated, there shouldn't be a problem. However, as cities burn and businesses are destroyed, some want to hammer down on peaceful religious practitioners instead of violent rioters.
Though I'll admit being fed to lions would be worse, I live in a nation that is supposed to honor that right to belief. It's time to cash in on the promissory note.
Micah Curtis is a game and tech journalist from the US. Aside from writing for RT, he hosts the podcast Micah and The Hatman, and is an independent comic book writer. Follow Micah at @MindofMicahC
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