Democrat Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued an executive order last week declaring no more than ten people can attend a church service, all but canceling congregations outright.

Since most churches host more than ten people, they are essentially being forced to close by the governor’s mandate.

The order, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is in effect from Tuesday, March 24, 2020, until 11:59 p.m., Thursday, April 23, 2020.

“All public and private in-person gatherings of 10 or more individuals are prohibited,” the statute reads.

Explaining what happens to those who disobey, the order says, “Violation of paragraphs 1, 3, 4, and 6 of this Order shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor pursuant to § 44-146.17 of the Code of Virginia.”

According to the Code of Virginia, the punishment for a Class 1 misdemeanor pursuant to that code is “confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.”

CNS News points out “Northam’s executive order does not use any terminology that specifically indicates it applies to churches or other places of worship. Nor does it include language listing churches and other places of worship among those ‘essential’ locations that are not subject to the ban on gatherings of 10 or more people.”

This is similar to gun shops being left off the list of “essential businesses” that are allowed to stay open.

Many city, county and state governments are declaring gun stores and manufacturers as “non-essential” companies, denying citizens the right to purchase self-defense tools.

Governor Northam hasn’t done this yet, but Second Amendment advocates in the state are worried he might due to his revolting record when it comes to guns.

However, Northam did list indoor shooting ranges as “nonessential.”

Thanks to another Democrat politician, Virginians now live in a state where a church service attended by 11 people is considered a gathering of 11 criminals by the government.

Meanwhile, religious leaders across the country are challenging the constitutionality of banning church gatherings.

For example, Louisiana Pastor Tony Spell defied the state order forbidding gatherings of over 50 people and plans on continuing to do so.

“If they close every door in this city, then I will close my doors,” Spell told CNN on Tuesday. “But you can’t say the retailers are essential but the church is not. That is a persecution of the faith.”

“There is a real virus, but we’re not closing Planned Parenthood, where babies are being murdered,” he told The Washington Post. “If they close those doors today, we’d save more lives than will be taken by the coronavirus.”

In contrast, the red state of Texas specifically left churches out of the crackdown on social gatherings.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated, “there was nothing specific in the executive order about churches because there is freedom of religion here in the United States of America.”

Remember, the official motto of the United States of America is still “In God We Trust.”

David Knight covers the COVID-19 crackdown on churches in the video below:

As churches and gun shops are deemed “non-essential,” the abortion industry has been given a green light to operate.

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