'Persecution': Statewide bans on assembly raise religious freedom concerns

As the coronavirus pandemic prompts more governors to issue stay-at-home orders, some Christian leaders believe that the pressure to cancel services infringes on religious liberty.

Governors have taken divergent positions on how to handle the question of religious freedom during a pandemic. In states such as New York and Ohio, churches are exempted from bans on large gatherings but are nevertheless recommended to abide by them. Michigan, too, does not include churches in its ban, but only after Republican state legislators convinced Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that shutting down worship services could constitute a conflict between church and state.