Stormont has a distorted view as to what is essential, closing churches and opening off licences

A letter from Andrew McDonald:
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Nov 2020, 08:58 BST
Updated 2nd Dec 2020, 13:53 BST
Empty church pews, yet you can go to a garden centre or an off licenceEmpty church pews, yet you can go to a garden centre or an off licence
Empty church pews, yet you can go to a garden centre or an off licence

How does the Stormont executive understand the nature of what is essential?

You can go to a garden centre, but you can’t go to church (empty pews pictured). You can go to the off licence, but you can’t go to a prayer meeting. Your kids can go to school, but they can’t go to Sunday School.

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In the absence of any data which shows places of worship to be a haven for spreading the virus, we can only assume that the executive simply has a low view of the importance of public worship. It is apparently essential to buy garden supplies, and to stock up on alcohol, yet not to worship God?

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Schools with hundreds of children in attendance can remain open, yet a Sunday School of a dozen children cannot? In Luke 10:42 the Lord Jesus Christ said that ‘one thing is needful’, and that Mary had chosen that essential thing. What she had chosen was to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his word– she had chosen public worship. Perhaps in light of the calamity which has afflicted our land this year Stormont ought to amend its distorted understanding of what is truly essential.

Andrew McDonald, Newtownards

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Related topics:SchoolsNorthern Ireland