Governor Says 1-on-1 Bible Studies Are Allowed After Banning All Religious Gatherings
One-on-one Bible studies are allowed in Washington state without restraint after a lawsuit was filed against the state claiming Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee’s March ban on religious gatherings prevented such meetings.
Joshua Freed sued the state last month so that he could continue to host in-person Bible studies, according to Fox News.
Freed and his wife have held Bible studies in their home for the past two years.
However, Inslee’s March 23 order prohibited public and private gatherings of any size “for social, spiritual and recreational purposes,” including “faith-based” events.
Freed found it difficult to host virtual meetings in light of the order, and wanted to start hosting outdoor, one-on-one meetings while following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social distancing guidelines.
Because nothing in the order specified such an exception, he enlisted the help of First Liberty Institute and the North Creek Law Firm and sued the state last month.
An interpretation allowing one-on-one Bible study was agreed to Friday during a hearing on the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
“Mr. Freed’s desire to hold a one-on-one Bible study session while practicing social distancing was always permissible under the governor’s order,” Inslee spokesman Mike Faulk said Friday, according to the Seattle Times.
“‘Religious counseling’ is deemed essential. We have never defined this phrase because we trust the individuals involved to determine whether an interaction is ‘religious counseling’ and whether that interaction must be performed in person,” he said.
Mark Lamb, owner and founder of North Creek Law, said the end result was an important victory.
“Religious community, even one-on-one Bible study, is essential to many people of faith,” Lamb said to Fox News. “We are grateful that, in this challenging time for our country, Gov. Inslee was willing to concede that the ban does not apply to Joshua Freed’s home Bible study.”
Freed said he achieved a victory over the state.
I stared down the Governor and he blinked. After more than two weeks of stalling and 146 pages of legalese, Inslee was forced to concede (under pointed questioning by a federal judge) that he cannot enforce his own order banning religious gathering regardless of size.
— Joshua Freed (@FreedForGov) May 8, 2020
“I stared down the Governor and he blinked. After more than two weeks of stalling and 146 pages of legalese, Inslee was forced to concede (under pointed questioning by a federal judge) that he cannot enforce his own order banning religious gathering regardless of size,” he tweeted.
When asked by the Judge if the Governor, as the chief law enforcement executive officer of the state, would enforce his order or expect local law enforcement to enforce his order against Freed’s religious gatherings, Gov. Inslees attorney was forced to concede, “No, Your Honor”.
— Joshua Freed (@FreedForGov) May 8, 2020
“When asked by the Judge if the Governor, as the chief law enforcement executive officer of the state, would enforce his order or expect local law enforcement to enforce his order against Freed’s religious gatherings, Gov. Inslees attorney was forced to concede, ‘No, Your Honor,'” he tweeted.
Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel at First Liberty, said the state gave way.
“The governor conceded that Mr. Freed can have a one-on-one Bible study and that he will not enforce the rules against home Bible studies on a one-on-one basis,” Sasser said.
“The governor’s attorneys, during the proceeding, made various statements that indicate the governor may not take any steps to enforce any shutdown orders that affect religious activities even beyond the Bible study at issue,” he added.
District Court Judge Benjamin Settle on Friday commented on the unprecedented nature of the times.
“We all have been engaged in a journey through territories never lived by this generation or really any other,” he said. “Never has the world seen a kind of universal quarantine in the form of required or advised stay-at-home orders from federal and state officials.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
