In the area where I live, about the only places that one is actually expected to wear a mask is the Hospital and the churches. While many stores have mask required signs, when you go in you find that neither the customers nor the workers are wearing masks. I have gone to bars and restaurants, and even school sporting events where most people were not wearing masks. And no, there is not a larger incidence of COVID cases or deaths than other areas that might be more closely following the mask mandate rules.
Now I can understand why the hospitals would require masks. This is a place where those with COVID go to get treatment. There is a definitely higher risk of infection there. But why are our churches so enamored with the masks? And what are the problems with this reliance on masks?
First, let me be clear. The people I see putting on, and often pushing others to put on, masks in church, are seen all over town not wearing masks at other indoor venues. This is not being led by people who are wearing masks because they believe these masks are going to keep them from getting sick. If that were the case, they would be wearing masks at other locations. Also, many people come all the way in to their seats with masks off, and then put them on once they get to their seats. Then they wear them religiously through the service. Others come in with the mask under their nose.
Second, I want to point out that if this was an area where mask usage is fairly universal, or at an earlier time in the pandemic when we knew much less, I would not post the suggestions below. However, in our area, vaccines have been around long enough that if they work those who want them should have received them. And we now have more than enough evidence to show that the masks we are wearing are not doing much to protect us or others.
Also, in no way should this be interpreted as an anti-mask post. I support the right of anyone who wants to wear a mask to do so without any repercussion. I support the use of mask mandated sections of church, where those who want to mask can sit in a mask only section. I think those who are uncomfortable with masks would be more than willing to sit in a delegated section of the church, in order to make others feel more comfortable.
What are the problems with the mask wearing? For one, I fear that we are starting to treat the mask as some sort of religious apparel. You are not properly dressed for church if you are not wearing a mask. It used to be that if you were not dressed in fine clothes, you were looked down upon at church. Now, you can wear whatever you like, as long as your face is covered. Other body parts can hang out like you might expect at a bar or club, but that face must be covered. We seem to be associating the mask as a religious icon, when it should at best be a health item.
Another problem with the mask being mandated in church is that it isolates and separates those who can’t wear masks comfortably from the church. Basically we are telling those who can’t or won’t wear masks that they are unworthy of the salvation that the church teaches. And this is not the teaching that the church is supposed to teach. Just as we should not isolate others such as the divorced, the drug addict, those with sexual addictions, or even the thief, we should not be isolating people whose trespass is to not wear a mask. Often, these will be the ones who most need the saving grace of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
So why are churches so mask mandate merry when the same people who go to these churches are not wearing masks outside of church? I really don’t know. One thought I have is that they are showing concern for the most vulnerable in our congregations. Many of our congregations include elderly. And while I can appreciate a concern for the well-being, health and even just a feeling of safety for them, this could be implemented in a way that is less intrusive to the rest of the congregation. In addition, many of the most vulnerable have yet to return to church because of safety concerns, even with the full masking.
A less charitable view is that churches are following mask requirements because they are getting paid to do so. While I do not see that as a truly likely scenario, it may none-the-less be time to bring money into the equation. It may soon be time to withhold or move our donations from churches that are not tending to our needs. This would best be done by moving those funds to a church that is working to meet the needs of all of its congregation, not just a select few. But first we must go to the church that is isolating others, and try to get it to see the problems with the path it is choosing. After all, each of us has a duty to try to protect the bride of Jesus from focusing on anything other than the bridegroom.