Like most places in the US, Louisiana has ordered people to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. But not everyone is listening, including some church leaders. Pastor Tony Spell is among those having a tough time sticking to the rules. While hundreds of church leaders all over the globe held virtual services yesterday (even the pope!), Spell held an in-person Easter service, as he had previously promised, and people attended.
Spell says he had more than 1,300 faithful attendees present, defying Louisiana's governor and potentially spreading the coronavirus further. The state of Louisiana is already struggling immensely with the outbreak, as it has some of the highest numbers and biggest hot spots in the country.
Many are enraged that Spell isn't doing his part to help slow the spread and is instead endangering the people — not just in his congregation who gathered yesterday, but also anyone those churchgoers could potentially spread the virus to.
The pastor had been urging his congregation to attend Easter services. Even though he has previously been arrested for holding services against state orders, he decided it was more important to carry out his plans. Not only did he open the church doors again to have services, but he also posted his service live on social media.
Spell bused in people from all over the state to attend services at Life Tabernacle Church in Central City, as he had done previously. In early April, he sent out 26 buses to collect churchgoers. Spell said he preached that people had “nothing to fear," even though Louisiana had recorded nearly 500 deaths at the time.
Police Chief Roger Corcoran issued a statement calling Spell's actions “reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community.” But this weekend, Spell was at it again. This time, he claims he had 1,345 in attendance — which he says is higher than his usual turnout.
It's hard to know exactly how many people were present, though. The footage from the event is mostly shots of the pastor himself onstage. You can see some attendees, and while it's certainly more than a handful, there's no telling if it was as many people as Spell is now claiming. Still, it's clear that Spell is breaking the rules that say gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed.
Pastor Spell has previously said that he doesn't believe Christians necessarily mind dying from COVID-19 and that living in fear in a far worse fate. He told TMCX, "People that can prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom." He definitely is unbothered by what the experts say. His philosophy is, "Let's get on with life."
Spell definitely believes that people would rather die while worshiping at church than having to stay home. He said that people are suffering from depression and anxiety at home, which is worse than death. “Could it be that it is worse than the people who have already contracted this virus and died?” he asked.
Yesterday, most who celebrate Easter chose to do so at home. People attended virtual church services and had egg hunts for their kids. Even Pope Francis presided over the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening in a near-empty St Peter's Basilica.
Some got dressed up in their Sunday best and made the best of an undesirable situation. Holidays are particularly tough times to stay home, especially when we're used to our traditional ways of celebrating.
Authorities definitely have their eye on Spell. While they didn't break up the Easter church service, they knew it was happening, and they say they are using it to build a case against the pastor. Assistant Police Chief Darren Sibley had said previously of Spell's ongoing church services that officers had no plans to try to stop them but that they would "document everything and forward everything to the district attorney."
"He is doing this for publicity," Sibley said of Spell. "He is putting the citizens of the community at risk. And he is putting the people in his congregation at risk."
There have been a few protestors showing up at the church while services take place. People are definitely not pleased, and the outrage can be seen online, as well. On Instagram and Facebook, dozens are condemning the actions of the pastor and calling for his resignation.
It's shocking that a church leader would be so negligent. But Spell is far from the only one. Others have faced criticism for continuing with church services and defying necessary shutdown orders. While many people rely on their faith, especially in times of great difficulty, it's important for us all to listen to experts and realize that we all have a role to play to help slow this pandemic. None of us are above science, even church leaders.
