Posts Tagged ‘vaccine’
Vax Shame: Why are so many Christians refusing to get vaccinated?
Many are getting vaccinated in secret because of the shame associated with it in their circles.
The Covid-19 vaccine has become so polarizing that some people in Missouri are getting inoculated in secret for fear of backlash from their friends and family who oppose vaccination, a doctor told CNN on Wednesday.
I've personally heard of this happening, so I don't believe it's obscure and I don't believe it's limited to Missouri.
Vax shame is alive and well throughout our nation and it is attached both to vaxers and anti-vaxers. This is an equal opportunity offense that is creating some of the most ridiculous and foolish division our nation has ever seen.
Controversial NBA legend Charles Barkley chimed in on the vaccine debate by saying, ““Yes, I’m vaccinated. Everybody should be vaccinated. Period,” Barkley said. “The only people who are not vaccinated are just [expletive].”
The shame is as intense for those who get the shot as for those who do not. No wonder people are going incognito through secret entrances during off-hours at their local doctor's office to get the vaccine.
CHRISTIANS MAY BE AMONG THE WORST OFFENDERS
It seems love, honor and civility have long been abandoned in this era of plagues and politics. The ability to share strong opinions while valuing other's positions seems to be rare today.
While I have an opinion on the matter (though I admit there are unknowns, I believe COVID could be neutralized in a matter of weeks if one hundred percent of Americans were vaccinated), my primary focus right now is the shame that is rampant among Believers.
Earlier today I posted the following to Facebook:
More than one has argued that getting vaccinated is sorcery. When asked if they personally refuse all medicine or if they would counsel cancer patients to refuse medical treatment, they didn't have an answer.
Others have questioned people's faith in God if they use medicine. Many are fully rejecting the statistics of those who have died or been hospitalized because of the virus. They are firmly suggesting it's all a hoax.
I've been called a liar for sharing the reasons for my position. I've been chastised for spreading fear. My faith has been called into question.
When I wasn't being personally shamed, I was entertaining common but bizarre conspiracy theories about the virus being a tool of manipulation, the injection equating to the Mark of the Beast and the vaccine killing more people than the disease.
Christians especially are turning to rogue news sources, doctors and others in their echo chamber that will report exactly what they want to hear. The tin hat crowd has gone mainstream.
Firsthand medical worker accounts like the following from Branson Tri Lakes News are rejected as fake:
“We’re the ones who see that look of fear in their eyes as they’re trying to breathe and know they’re going to have to go on a ventilator. They’re struggling with the bi-pap and they look at us so helpless and scared and desperate. It is like a prison for all of us, I think.”
The latest data about hospitalizations is being denounced by the religious right as propaganda.
Dr. Frank Courmier, a pulmonary critical care physician at Our Lady of Lourdes, tells KATC 99 percent of the new cases at the hospital come from people who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Malcolm and Kris Ehresmann, the director of infectious disease prevention for the Minnesota Department of Health, say more than 99 percent of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are people who are not vaccinated.
In Texas, 99.5% of people who died from COVID from February through July 14 weren't vaccinated, per the Texas Tribune's reporting on preliminary data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In southern Missouri, an area that leads the nation as a delta variant hot spot, “almost every COVID-19 patient in Springfield's hospitals is unvaccinated,” the Atlantic reported.
“Over 99% of the COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths we are seeing (in LA County) are among unvaccinated individuals,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Monday.
Apparently this is all propaganda and we should shame all who believe it.
WEAR A MASK, GET EXCOMMUNICATED
The shame doesn't end with the vaccine. Masks are back in the news and one pastor seems to be capitalizing on that fact.
MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — The pastor of a Mt. Juliet church has threatened to kick out members of his congregation if they show up in masks amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the delta variant.
During service on Sunday at Global Vision Bible Church, Pastor Greg Locke told the crowd, “Don’t believe this delta variant nonsense. Stop it! Stop it!”
Locke said, “If they go through round two and you start showing up all these masks and all this nonsense, I’ll ask you to leave. I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church. If you want to social distance, go to First Baptist Church, but don’t come to this one.”
This is not Christianity. This is not pastoral leadership. This is madness.
I fully support people's right to make their health decisions without coercion. While I believe we must be free to evangelize our values in an honoring, healthy manner, I reject the idea that any of us should be forced to get (or not get) the vaccine. To shame people who want to wear a mask to church is insane.
It's not that I don't understand the passion to rise up against any sort of propaganda, inappropriate government control or false narratives. It's that too many have done so in rebellious, arrogant fashion that brings shame to the name of Christ.
THE OTHER SIDE IS NO BETTER
While my primary viewpoint is Christian society, it's important to note that the aggression from the other side is just as strong. The shame vomited all over those who choose not to get vaccinated is despicable.
We need to be able to share strong opinions without shaming. Oh, and we should also be allowed to wear a mask at church and, if we so choose, go to our doctors without donning a fake mustache and glasses.
Photo credit: ““Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.” Margaret Atwood” by katerha is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Originally published by Charisma Media.
Conspiracy Theories Won’t Save America
Christians lose credibility and influence when they promote conspiracy theories in these dire times.
The last year of human history has proven to be one of the most bizarre thanks to the strange political divide that has widened over masks, vaccinations, Donald Trump and cultural troubles.
Speaking in generalities, those on the right are pro-Trump, anti-mask and anti-vaccine. The left despises Donald Trump, wear masks as a badge and are dumbfounded that anybody could oppose a virus-ending medicine.
Certainly, there are others who analyze the sharp contrast and are stunned at where the arguments have landed. Can a conservative not don a mask without the fear of being called out? Are there any liberals who are admittedly nervous about the vaccine? Is it at all possible for the left to appreciate anything our former President did for our nation? Can those on the right do the same with the current administration? Or is it all black and white? Well, I personally haven't seen the gloriously mundane shade of gray much at all since the crisis has begun.
THE RISE OF THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
We are living in a day when the world is in desperate need of balanced, biblically invested and prayerful Christians. The days are complex and confusing to most and fearful to many. This end-time season should have been a testing ground for the church, a time for us to grow in our faith, to learn how to love and to truly discern how to respond.
For many Believers, this in fact did happen, yet many others have instead adopted right-wing conspiracy theories as their go to reaction. This is deeply compromising the mission of the church and it is wounding our nation.
Sometimes I sit back and shake my head as I read the social media rants promoting ridiculous theories. Honestly, it's an embarrassment to the church, while also being an indictment on the church. Where are the biblically grounded pastors and leaders who are speaking into the lives of these rogue propagandists?
As an example, many believe receiving the vaccine results in taking the Mark of the Beast. This is impossible. The level of biblical illiteracy is stunning. Others actually are saying the vaccine changes your DNA, deeming you an unhuman hybrid. I'm not making this up. You are now unredeemable. With altered genetics, it's impossible for you to ever become a child of God, or if you already were one, impossible to remain in God's family. A visit to the drugstore to get vaccinated apparently transforms you into a Nephilim of sorts, resulting in a sentence of eternal torment in Hell. Others are saying the virus is entirely a media-driven myth. Nonsense. Any intellectually honest person will admit that COVID kills.
TRIGGERED CHRISTIANS
I believe we all need to err on the side of civility and endorse people's right to make their own medical decisions for themselves and their families. No shaming is ever appropriate for Christians.
Instead the mere suggestion of vaccinations triggers many who hold to an opposing scientific view. This is where the dividing line is drawn and the shaming begins. Again, I personally find it both suspicious and strange that a vaccination is where so many have chosen to divide. For those who believe the risk of the vaccine is greater than the reward, it's appropriate and good that they share their concern with others. But, good-hearted concern isn't mostly what we are seeing today. There's an underlying rage at play, anger that spikes when warnings about the vaccine go unheeded. There is an unholy spirit at work and we need to do a much better job discerning just what it is. Of course, you'll find rage on the other side too from those who are disgusted that some would defy national efforts to increase the vaccination rate. Everybody is triggered.
A RIGHT RESPONSE
It's important to admit that nobody has the full revelation on anything in this season. Both pro and anti-maskers and vaxers simply can't presume to be the resident experts on the topics. Too many are listening exclusively to their own echo chamber by finding supposed medical experts that are promoting their views. Statistics do suggest that vaccinations are extremely effective and are saving lives. Still, some are legitimately concerned about health risks. These concerns are valid, yet nobody can definitively say that all should be vaccinated or all should not. It is not black and white, which is why we must not respond with unfounded conspiracies or misguided fear-mongering.
The right response includes operating in a spirit of honor towards those who disagree with us. If someone does or does not want to get the vaccine, their decision can't be expected to include us (unless they are in our immediate family). Honor their right to autonomy.
Responding correctly also means we must go deep in intercession, in the Word of God and listening intently to the Holy Spirit. As someone who endorses true prophetic ministry, I must say that we need clarity regarding God's heart in this time. We can't presume anyone who experiences a flickering of their spiritual antennas to possess valuable and accurate revelation. Too many are spiritually immature or undisciplined to hear God clearly.
Does this mean we are to pull back and remain silent? No. We are free to communicate our beliefs on the subject if we admit we aren't privy to the full picture. If our concerns are severe originating from an authentic warning from God, shout it from the rooftops. However, that shouting must be from a tender, humble heart. Arrogance, presumption and know-it-all-ism isn't behavior becoming of a Believer in Jesus.
Lastly, abandon the conspiracy theories. Yes, even conspiracy theorists will be right every now and then, but the hour we are in demands sobriety and accuracy. We can't afford to provoke unnecessary scorn from the mockers. May God raise up true end-time people who are led by love, who reveal the heart of God and who refuse to be triggered by simple differences.
Photo credit: “Woman with tattoos receiving vaccine” by SELF Magazine is licensed under CC BY 2.0