The majority of people believe that houses of worship and businesses should receive equal treatment in terms of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
The report, which surveyed 1,000 people for opinions on religious liberty, found that throughout the pandemic, religion became more important to many. More than 60% of respondents said they turned to faith as outbreaks spread, and nearly 80% said that religion has been a stabilizing factor in their lives throughout the year of pandemic restrictions.
Strong ties to faith carried over to opinions on religion’s role in public life, the report found. About two-thirds of respondents said that religion is a crucial part of their identity and ought to be protected by law. In addition to a general consensus that businesses and churches should be treated equally during the pandemic, a majority of people also said that outdoor church gatherings should be condoned by governments just as much as outdoor protests.
The report also found that, on the whole, more people thought their church did a better job responding to the pandemic than their state and local governments.
Becket, a prominent nonprofit organization, defended several churches in lawsuits against state governments.
Religious liberty, for many Christians especially, became a flashpoint in March when many governments ordered churches to close or restrict their gathering sizes. A small but outspoken group of Christian leaders filed a flurry of lawsuits throughout the spring, claiming that state-mandated restrictions infringed on their First Amendment rights.
As states such as California, Nevada, and Illinois continued to restrict services throughout the summer, more churches filed high-profile lawsuits. Two churches, one in California, the other in Nevada, appealed to the Supreme Court for a temporary injunction to hold large services. Both were denied. A third church filed a case in October and is still waiting for the court’s decision.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in November lashed out at governments for restricting the exercise of worship during the pandemic, saying that “for many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom.” Alito also criticized his colleagues for rejecting the Nevada case, saying that the court should have made a decision to force the state to treat equally churches and casinos, which are allowed greater crowd sizes.
