Extemporaneous musings, occasionally poetic, about life in its richly varied dimensions, especially as relates to history, theology, law, literature, science, by one who is an attorney, ordained minister, historian, writer, and African American.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
TRUMP REOPENS CHURCHES
TRUMP REOPENS CHURCHES
President Donald J.Trump’s Covid19 “reopening of the faith houses” may not only be illegal and unenforceable.
But it is probably unconstitutional for violating separation of church and state , and not being among the powers delegated by the people to any government.
But legalities apart, Trump’s temptation is much like that of Satan to Jesus, after his having fasted 40 days in the wilderness.
Most relevant to May 2020, Memorial Day weekend, is the Satanic temptation of Jesus Christ to jump from the pinnacle of the temple as proof of the power of God to rescue him before he even dashed his foot against a rock. Jesus stayed put ; saying “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Of course, President Trump’s challenge is more than personal, political, legal, philosophical, constitutional. It is broadly eschatological. It is a very bold move!
“Eschatology” is a part of theology that is concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.
For it raises the question whether religion is among the rights retained by the people, or whether it too was delegated to the state and federal governments under, in the 9 & 10 constitutional amendments?
I say that the manner of exercise of one’s religion, even whether opts to exercise any type religion, is obviously a non-delegable power that is divinely personal to all, being non-delegable as a matter of human law.
Below I quote the story from the Bible:
Bible
Matthew, chapter 4
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The Temptation of Jesus.
1
* a Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2
b He fasted for forty days and forty nights,* and afterwards he was hungry.
3
The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
4
* He said in reply, “It is written:c
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
5
* Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
6
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you’
and ‘with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”d
7
Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”e
8
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
9
and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”*
10
At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.’”f
11
Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.”