Committee To Save Christmas Reports Settlement In Challenge to COVID Religious Restrictions

The Committee to Save Christmas calls it a Christmas miracle: a federal case over COVID-19 restrictions on religious activities has been dismissed.

The Neuberger Law Firm said Wednesday the settlement recognized that Reverend Doctor Christopher Bullock of New Castle County legitimately challenged rules that required pastors to wear a mask while preaching, or to turn their backs to their congregations.

At one point, services were limited to ten people. The committee also said there were conflicting regulations such as forbidding baptisms or holy communion, but allowing circumcisions.

According to the law firm, a federal judge concluded that the Governor, in any future emergency, will be bound by The First Amendment and that churches and worship should be treated in a ‘neutral manner.’

“This is a Christmas miracle” attorney Thomas Neuberger said. “The Governor made many mistakes here but it was an emergency. No one questions his good faith, he just got bad advice from his purported expert religious advisors.”

The Committee to Save Christmas highlighted these sections of the settlement:

The terms of their settlement include: (1) use of the previous 10 person attendance limit in houses
of worship is forbidden in the future and, if “essential businesses” or essential activities are in the future
listed, churches will be included as “essential;” (2) restrictions solely applying to religious rituals such as
Baptism or Communion are forbidden; (3) no age based attendance limits can be imposed solely on
religious worship; (4) mask wearing and social distancing cannot be applied solely to church; (5) no
church can be limited to just one service a week; (6) no limits on other use of its building can be imposed
solely on churches, such as its other charitable ministries; and (7) no specific time limit on length of the
service can be imposed solely on church use of its building.