Churches vs. "other businesses" such as casinos--great comment on Raw Story re: SCOTUS ruling

[DFW]

"Churches have more in common with casinos than any other business because in both the patrons are praying for an outcome rather than working towards one."

I would have put it this way: "Churches have more in common with casinos than any other business because in both the patrons are praying for an outcome that is highly unlikely to occur," but either way is fine with me!

[hlthe2b]

1. Both are intent on evading taxes...

[DFW]

2. And keeping their bosses in tax-free limousines and private jets. n/t

[Hortensis]

3. :) 5-4 with Roberts joining liberals to reject an emergency

plea that a Covid law is more restrictive on churches than casinos.

The justices don't HAVE to give reasons and they didn't, but:

WaPo: The Supreme Court in May rejected a similar challenge to California’s restrictions, saying local and state officials deserved some leeway in balancing constitutional rights such as freedom of religion with government’s responsibility to protect the public in a pandemic. ...

In that case, Roberts said judges should defer to local and state officials who are faced with a historically difficult task of preventing the deadly virus while attempting to reopen sectors of American society that have been shuttered for weeks.

Protecting public health is a “dynamic and fact-intensive matter subject to reasonable disagreement, but one the Constitution principally entrusts to elected officials,” Roberts wrote at the time.

Generally, he said, “they should not be subject to second-guessing by an unelected federal judiciary, which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people.”

Booring and sensible. Makes me wish it WAS about faith, maybe that God's commanding presence at one and Satan at another.