On Friday, President Donald Trump called on the governors of the different states to open the houses of worship in their jurisdictions and he warned that he would override any orders to the contrary. The President made the statement at the White House and he added that if the governors have any questions regarding the order “they’re going to have to call me, but they’re not going to be successful in that call.”

Trump added that the churches, synagogues, and mosques are the places that kept the people united and kept American society together. He also added that millions see worship as an essential part of life and that he is confident that the leaders of the various religions will be responsible enough to keep their congregations safe.

First Liberty, a religious freedom organization applauded the move by the President. “We applaud the President’s strong stance today demanding that these attacks must stop and that churches and houses of worship be freed to safely open,” said Kelly Shackelford, the president, CEO, and chief counsel of First Liberty.

Religious leaders across the country have applauded the President’s call for the opening up of churches and other places of worship. Cristian Ionescu, the pastor of a church in Chicago which has filed a lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois for his stay-at-home order said that President Trump is right and the order to governors is very timely.

There is a great deal of controversy now over the question of whether churches should be allowed to open in the middle of the pandemic. Others say that religious gatherings will potentially spread the virus. People on the side of the churches say that the restrictions are going against the constitutional rights of citizens.

In an alarming development in Mississippi, a church that has been fighting against the restrictions placed on religious gatherings actually burned down. The fire took place in Holly Springs and it burned down the First Pentecostal Church. The police found a graffiti on the parking lot of the church that supposedly read, “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits.”

There is fear that the church was burned down by those who are supporting the lockdown order of the city, which it has been fighting. The restrictions are rapidly dividing the country, with the people supporting the lockdown becoming intolerant of the rights of those who want to return to a normal life.