Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry Inc. allege in a federal civil complaint against the governor that the ban violates the right to religious freedom clause of th…
LOS ANGELES – A church with campuses in Pasadena, Irvine and Corona has filed an emergency request with a federal judge seeking a temporary restraining order halting the threat of enforcement of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ban on singing and chanting in places of worship — enacted to help fight the spread of the coronavirus — at Sunday’s service and all future services.
Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry Inc. allege in a federal civil complaint against the governor that the ban violates the right to religious freedom clause of the First Amendment, and the “cherished liberties for which so many have fought and died.”
The church contends that failure to gather in person for religious worship services “is disobedience to the Lord for which (the church) will be held divinely accountable.”
Recent guidelines issued by the state Department of Public Health, through the governor, discourage singing or chanting indoors due to fears that it increases the spread of respiratory droplets, thus increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19 among a crowd.
