Indiana BBQ Restaurant Shut Down After Christian Owner Defies Mask Mandate

Authored by friendlyatheist.patheos.com and submitted by mepper

Yergy’s State Road BBQ, a restaurant in Indiana, isn’t just open for indoor dining right now; owner Matt Yergler isn’t requiring staffers or customers to wear face masks despite the state’s mandate. The whole place is just a COVID trap waiting to burst.

What’s Yergler’s reason for not requiring the masks? God gave him that restaurant… therefore the state’s rules don’t apply to him.

He said as much on Thursday during a meeting of the Wells County Board of Health.

“God has given us a restaurant 3 and a half years ago,” Yergler explained at the meeting. “It is his. And that’s the way we view it.” … He is seen in the video adding that science does not back up the claim that masks work before analyzing the list of complaints the business has received. He also said customers and employees had the option of wearing masks in the restaurant. “You people have no power over us,” Yergler told the board before walking out of the meeting. “Christ is king. So, you can’t take my business from me when we are willingly laying it down. That must make tyrants angry but it should soften the hearts that you oppress.”

A bunch of maskless buffoons applauded his Christian rant as he walked out.

Here’s the good news: The Health Department wasn’t moved by his faith-based ignorance. Last night, they shut the damn place down.

If Yergler can’t keep people safe by doing the bare minimum, he shouldn’t be running a restaurant. It’s that simple. No one would question the shutdown of a restaurant that served moldy spoiled food; by the same logic, they shouldn’t complain about the shutdown of a restaurant where customers could get deathly sick.

MaybeEatTheRich on August 29th, 2020 at 15:38 UTC »

What a lunatic.

Losing your business because you believe that Christ compels you to and will protect you seems very dangerous.

idliketoseethat on August 29th, 2020 at 15:35 UTC »

The belief that many Christians have concerning their "rights" for believing in Jesus are not taught in the Bible they say they read and understand. Instead they are expressing a self-serving argument that Jesus is the only authority they recognize. 1st century Romans would have taken their heads instead of their business license.

TomTorgersen on August 29th, 2020 at 15:21 UTC »

"Please have your king contact us directly, should he wish to dispute the closure."