Bryan J Dickerson

In the Name of COVID Bryan J Dickerson

The year 2020 was a year unlike any other in modern times. It was a year that was dominated by a global pandemic which originated in Communist China and rapidly spread across the world, killing over a million people. Under the guise of protecting public health, governments on every habited continent imposed severe, even draconian, restrictions on personal freedom, including religious freedom. To be fair, much of the government reaction was driven by fear, uncertainty and confusion as to how best to deal with this unprecedented public health crisis. Yet, many anti-religious persons and organizations are taking advantage of the global pandemic to restrict religious freedom and inflict harm upon religious denominations. That is the focus of this study: the assault upon religious freedom under the guise of protecting public health amidst the global COVID pandemic.