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Thermal Thursday: Christianity and Vaccines [1]

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Date: 2022-11-17

And now onto our title topic. I received my Omicron Covid booster on Tuesday afternoon and am still feeling the effects — for me, muscles more sore than usual, extra tiredness, and most notably a headache. Blech! But I know if I had actual Covid, I’d feel loads worse, and in fact probably wouldn’t be able to write this diary right now. So I’ll tolerate vaccines’ mild side effects for as long as it takes.

There are, of course, “Christian” claims for not getting vaccinated. I won’t link to those claims directly because I don’t want to amplify them, but they are addressed in a great website I discovered here, www.christiansandthevaccine.com, founded and run by Curtis Chang, minister, missionary, senior fellow, and consulting faculty on the Duke Divinity School. If you have people you feel compelled to argue with regarding vaccines, I strongly recommend reading through this website for arguments, questions and answers.

For example, one fearful argument has been that vaccines could be “the mark of the beast”. This is from an interpretation of the Revelation book of the Bible. There are two beasts, one from the sea and one from the earth. Of the second beast, Revelation 13 says:

15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Our history has been Interesting in this regard because, Professor Chang explains, this has repeatedly been interpreted to refer to some institution that tries to force everyone to do something, usually associated with some number, and the “mark” is supposedly a forerunner of the “end times”. From the first Social Security numbers to the first area codes for phone numbers, “Christian” leaders have been pointing to the “mark of the beast”. The proven-false belief that vaccine shots include digital microchips is another attempt to equate institutional mandates with a suspicious number.

Instead, Professor Chang explains that Revelation can be read with hope rather than fear, that one day God Herself (my edit, heh) will return to Earth and that will be the end of all suffering and death. And in that context, doctors providing vaccines are doing their part to end suffering. So we can take vaccines and be thankful for the inspiration, divine or otherwise, that provided them to us. If we decide to interpret the Bible in the context of hope rather than fear.

In an interview with Pentecostal Bishop Doug Beacham, Professor Chang explores how they believe that God uses human healthcare providers as part of his plan for divine healing. To quote Dr. Beacham:

I would say this, because it's one of our core doctrinal beliefs, we believe in divine healing as provided in the atonement of Jesus Christ, but that is not to the exclusion of medical care... we encourage people to use wisdom. I do have some friends who are at a certain stage of life. In fact, I've got some very close friends who are at a stage of life with what amounts to be a terminal disease,... who have told me, I've made a conscious decision, I'm not going to pursue any further medical help. I'm gonna trust the Lord, because I know where I'm going. And that's a different kind of scenario to me.... I think we try to remember that Luke, who wrote two of the major books in the New Testament, was a physician, best we can determine, and so I think our theological construct as a movement is open to what God is doing and providing healing through multiple means, and certainly what we would call faith healing. We do believe in that.

So there does not have to be tension between having faith that God will heal injuries and illness, and also having faith that doctors and other healthcare providers can help us with healing. I think that includes preventing disease by natural means such as fruits and vegetables and physical activity, as well as preventing disease by means invented by medical professionals (modified from nature, really) such as vaccines and medications. Multiple means play a role in optimal health.

There are many more arguments pro and con and more detailed explanations at the above website, “christiansandthevaccine.com”. I hope if you’re interested in this topic, and especially if you have family or friends objecting to vaccines on religious bases, that you’ll explore Professor Chang’s website more thoroughly.

I also think that we have a Christian responsibility to each other and especially to the most vulnerable amongst us. That is why I think vaccinating (as well as masking, social distancing, hand washing, etc., etc.) is so important — yes we protect ourselves, but even more we protect each other. And children and the elderly and others with compromised immunity really need our help to live their best lives.

Thanksgiving is coming. Maybe you’ll have a chance to promote some of these viewpoints and it won’t even be a fraught argument! An effective way to reach Christian voters with sincere religious beliefs can be by providing alternative Christian beliefs.

If your Thanksgiving company isn’t this happy, maybe you can have a semi-serious discussion

And finally, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday, with some variations on bolding for variety’s sake.

PLEASE NOTE:

When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money.

COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 11/16/22:

I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing!

If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help.

If you have time, please visit the diaries above and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital!

If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net! (Maybe in 2 years.)

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/17/2136809/-Thermal-Thursday-Christianity-and-Vaccines

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