There are reasons to be concerned long term about religious liberty. I think the threats could come from the left & the right. When it comes to the near term, we should be thoughtful & precise about what we fight for & seek to do so w/other faiths, including non-Christians.

I also think we miss a lot when we focus on legalistic approaches to the issue of the practice of religion. So many systematic issues that afflict the U.S. (including housing, healthcare, nutrition, & policing & the prison system) may not be existential threats to us, but...

...they do more to interfere with the efforts of our members, esp. our poor members & non-white members to be fully active in the Church. (oh, also: immigration).

I also think that we need to much more comfortable with being anti-authoritarian--both as a culture and as an institutional church. The Pres. Hinckley model of rapprochement is teetering (if not already over).

Which is not to say that we shouldn't seek friends among those in power (political, cultural, economic, community/activist) & works towards goals w/them. But that we should be both specific & flexible about how we go about doing that.

And maybe even be a bit less cautious about that. I mean, it's possible that such a liberal idea as common ground is no longer tenable. But it's worth trying.

As for COVID-19 restrictions on gathering: what happened to all of our stories of faithful Saints who had to meet on their own or in small groups for years behind the Iron Curtain or in countries where the Church wasn't legal yet? Are we really that fragile?

I get that the freedom of assembly is crucial to religious freedom. But a pandemic has always interfered with that--or it hasn't & people die.

Perhaps there is a slippery slope up ahead, but the number & trajectory of COVID-19 cases suggests to me that it's a little early to draw any strong conclusions.

Or to rephrase: let's wait until it's no longer dangerous to meet in large groups indoors before we judge whether or not religious groups are being unjustly barred from meeting.

Also: let's recognize that restrictions being lifted--whether in relation to churches or movie theaters or restaurants, etc.--aren't happening due to a lack need for precaution. They're being lifted b/c governors & mayors are being told people are going to do it anyway.

Here in MN, the restrictions on religious meetings were lifted because of pressure from high-profile churches.