Texans vote in favor of restricting federal governments from restricting religious services
Texas citizens on Tuesday (Nov. 2) overwhelmingly supported a measure barring governments from taking any sort of action that restricts spiritual services, such as the public health orders that shut down houses of worship and services previously in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proposal 3, which will include a clause to the Texas Constitution prohibiting state or local authorities from restricting or limiting religious services, amassed 62.4% of votes, according to unofficial results from the Texas secretary of state.
The step had the assistance of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops some other– however not all– spiritual groups.
John Greiner, who pastors the nondenominational Glorious Way Church in Houston, called the step crucial. He stated individual churches and people who go to church “must be in charge of their own healthcare decisions, their own risks-to-reward behaviors.”
“The church ought to be the place where individuals go to get healed. There’s great deals of churches and some don’t believe in healing. … They should be free to close if that’s what they wish to do, but I don’t believe that the federal government should impose that upon any group at all,” Greiner informed Religion News Service.
Amanda Tyler, executive director for the Baptist Joint Committee, stated the measure was overly broad and unneeded. She previously told RNS it sends “a destructive message that spiritual people are more worried about special treatment than they are about the good of their neighborhoods.”
Tyler stated Texas already has strong defenses, indicating the state’s Religious Freedom and Restoration Act “that our company believe provides the ideal balancing requirement to decide problems in the complimentary workout rights of people and neighborhoods (that) might enter into conflict with federal government interests.”
