The number of Christians is so overwhelming that if any significant portion had a spine there would have been no lockdowns at all. Meeting in secret would make sense if they were some insignificant & violently oppressed minority. The problem is that they are a majority, but most of them are mindless & cowardly sheep.
Discussion
There are some things you’re not understanding when you claim it was sinful for Christians to not attend church in defiance of lockdown orders:
Many legitimately thought complying was the right thing to do because they trusted “experts” telling them it was dangerous to others to meet in person.
Trusting an expert in itself is not a sin or even a mark of being a “sheep.” No one can be expert in everything, and it makes sense to be humble and trust others when you recognize you don’t understand something, especially if stakes are supposedly high.
Many churches opened up other options to allow services to continue remotely. People used these options and in some cases still do, particularly the elderly who are still legitimately at higher risk.
Not attending a church, in person or remotely, for one week or any number of weeks, does not make you not a Christian.
I do believe Christianity is essentially anti-state, but this is NOT widely understood. What I also believe is that the point of Christianity is much larger and more encompassing than only anarchy, or even than standing firm against lies. Just like we can’t all be experts in everything, no one is going to get the whole picture about Christianity and have every decision or doctrinal opinion exactly right all the time. For the overwhelming number of people who haven’t yet seen enough to make them distrust the state, and who’ve been conditioned from generations past to trust and respect it, I hope you’ll develop more sympathy and open your mind to the idea that there are probably other things about Jesus they DO understand, and other aspects of His life they emulate well.
We’re all sinners on a journey to become more holy.
The stakes weren't high. Rather than show compassion or try to understand, many actually condemned people who tried to tell them the truth. Those people might as well have been throwing stones at Jesus on the cross. These are not special events that are some special exception, they are the real world tests that show you who people really are.
Most people failed the test in a dramatic way. A few have learned a lesson & did actually repent in some form or fashion. But many have made excuses while others doubled down. People who are good Christians until tested are not good Christians.
Weak people like to compete to demonstrate obedience because it's something they can do to feel like they are gaining social status over those willing to speak out. People who pursue status over truth are just spreading evil.
all who follow the laws of man in defiance of the laws of God commit evil.
but defying it openly isn't a law of God. fighting it in effective ways is, and fighting an over-powered enemy with open combat is suicide, which is a sin.
i should also add that the anger, when expressed in this way, is a vice as well.
I agree with all of that, but it was made very clear that life was not at stake by the people who stood up & survived. They were willing to sacrifice some temporary sense of social status & comfort in order to adhere to what was true while others were not, & many took pleasure in acquiring unearned social status by verbally attacking anyone who chose dissent.
christians are so not a majority. "nominal" maybe but those "nominal" people are watching all the same crap as the "non-christians". they are sending them to the same schools. they are feeding them the same crap food. they basically say the same things they believe the same things. they don't practise anything anymore. it's not even larping now.
as for the ones actually going to a church, way way in the minority. even in countries that are far more christian, and i've seen all of the varieties in eastern and southern europe. oh, so many shrines and whatnot but go visit the church to see how many actually show up for mass or anything. nearly none. the tax breaks they get are probably the only thing keeping them above water as far as maintaining the churches and halls.
clearly none of them get the message anyway.
as for the lockdowns, the majority of them have been trained to call such questioning of authority tinfoil hat paranoid conspiracy theories.
the armor and shield of faith are clearly not upon them.