Oklahoma's Religious Freedom Act Just Passed the State SenateBy Benjamin P. Sisney16177175400001617717540000 During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions swirled about what was “essential” and what wasn’t. At the ACLJ, we firmly believe that churches and worship services are essential, and we have fought to safeguard those constitutionally protected rights and institutions. Shockingly, we learned that certain states and municipalities exploited the pandemic to target churches, using the pandemic as an excuse to mistreat these sacred institutions. The pandemic has been terrible on many levels; for families who have lost loved ones, and for many small businesses which have been crippled. Government efforts to cripple churches and crack down on worship made a terrible situation even worse. The current – and future – implications of this kind of abuse are terrifying.