Critic of church closures failed to address the points I made about individual responsibility and our duty to care for our neighbours

(The letter can be read here: ‘Churches have been complicit in idea that worship is non-essential’).

Mr Ferguson accuses me of representing the teachings of the Westminster Confession as advocating fatalism, the false notion that God had so pre-ordered all things, therefore, there is no point in attempting to change or influence anything in this world.

As one who has subscribed to the Westminster Confession of Faith at my ordination, I did not, nor would I, charge the divines who framed the worthy document of any such error.

In fact, my letter dated July 12 did not even mention the Westminster Confession of Faith, so I am confused as to why Mr Ferguson would contrive such an ill-founded accusation.

I would suggest, however, that Mr Ferguson, is the one guilty of fatalism, of throwing caution to the wind, risking health and life by abdicating the responsibility that God has given to him.

In his reply he has failed to respond to the points I raised about individual responsibility and our duty to care for our neighbours and our own well being and of being subject to the temporal powers as Paul taught in Romans 13.

Mr Ferguson attempts to associate his views with the Apostles and the Scottish Covenanters who obeyed God rather than men, who preached even when the State forbade them so to do.

In an unjust and discriminating fashion the state removed their rights, a decision based on their beliefs alone.

The Covid-19 pandemic persuaded governments across the world to initiate what we call lockdown. Was lockdown discriminatory against one group of people in our society? It would be nonsense to argue that it was.

All forms of activities, especially those which involved the coming together of people in groups, were affected, including the gatherings of all religious denominations.

He is misplaced to make comparisons with persecuted believers. The Covid-19 lockdown was not an issue relating to freedom of conscience but was rather a public health matter.

The fact that the Gospel continued to be preached using the various media, despite the lockdown, proves that freedom of conscience was not the issue.

As Mr Ferguson wishes to invoke the Westminster Confession of Faith in his arguments I suggest he reads Chapter 23, where we are taught that God has ordained the government for the public good, for the protection of the church without preferring a particular denomination of Christians above another and that we are to pray for our lawmakers as well as honouring them through our taxes and obedience, for conscience sake.

Neither the Word of God nor the Westminster Standards were violated when churches chose to lock their doors in response to the pandemic which was sweeping through our nation, threatening to overwhelm our National Health Service.

We continue to pray that God would be merciful to our nation not only in alleviating Covid-19 but in turning the eyes of our nation to Him in these uncertain times.

Rev Peter McIntyre, Clogher Valley Free Presbyterian Church

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