“I was hesitant initially because I was worried about side effects from a new vaccine. The rise in numbers from the Delta variant, and the fact that people who got the vaccine back in January seemed to be doing OK, helped me finally decide to get it.”
“The hesitation was the abuse of blacks in the Tuskegee experiment, then finding out that blacks, latinos, and asians were dying in higher numbers than whites. Making the vaccine mandatory in order to buy, travel or work also raises a red flag for religious people, since we’re taught about it in Bible text.”
“I was hesitant to get the vaccine because I was shocked on how quickly it was released. I honestly didn’t trust it because of all of the medical experimentation and unethical procedures that have happened to African Americans in this society. I was content with staying indoors and away from people so I wouldn’t need the vaccine. But, as a pastor, my job required me to be mobile more and more as time went on, and my partner was also actively going out during the pandemic. I help take care of my niece, who had a liver transplant, so her immune system is fairly weak. Out of concern from bringing the virus back to her, I eventually got the vaccine, for her safety as opposed to mine.”
Let us take a moment to review how we got to this place. The world learned about a deadly virus labeled COVID-19 in 2019. By early 2020, the unimaginable happened. Modern transportation made it possible for a local outbreak to swiftly become a global pandemic. People around the world became infected, and many began to die. Initially, scientists and the medical profession seemed baffled about how to combat this disease. Countries and economies began shutting down, and country-wide quarantines were required. Conflicting statements about what to do confused many people. This bred mistrust and suspicion. And where there is a vacuum, people will begin to fill that vacuum with their own ideas.
The response from presidential leadership in the United States of America was consistent with the character of the man in office at the time. Donald J. Trump had cultivated the country, for at least three years, on a daily basis to accept lies and deception as reality. The Republican Party made the decision that personal and party power is more important than serving the needs of people. So, the party almost uniformly abandoned truth and reality to support fabrications to manipulate supporters into embracing fantasies designed to consolidate power in their party.
No matter how outrageous the claims, there were plenty of people to accept the claims, uncritically. Support of evangelical leaders reached throughout the Christian community. Scientifically debunked notions became declarations of truth in churches, even while those who made these declarations died of COVID-19 themselves.
- Four out of ten of those in the “wait and see” group are people of color, while the most vaccine resistant group—those who say they will “definitely not” get a COVID-19 vaccine—is overwhelmingly made up of white adults (65% of the group compared to 50% of the “wait and see” group).
- Partisanship also plays a major role, with more than half (58%) of the “definitely not” group identifying as Republican or Republican-leaning.
- In addition, religious identity also plays a role as white Evangelical Christians make up nearly twice the share of the “definitely not” group (32%) as the “wait and see” group.—Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor (July15-27, 2021).
- “Mask-wearing has become a partisan issue during the coronavirus pandemic with majorities of Republicans saying they “never” wear a mask outdoors in crowded places, outdoors with friends and household members, at work, or in a grocery store. Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely to report wearing a mask in all of these locations, except when outdoors with household members and friends.” —Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF COVID Vaccine Monitor (July 15-27, 2021).
Then, a helicopter flew overhead and offered to lift the person to safety. But the person refused the helicopter ride, believing God would come to the rescue.
Eventually, the waters rose and swept this person off of the roof and the person drowned. Surely, given the opportunity, the person would ask God why He did not come to the rescue, the story goes that God said to the person, “I sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue you but you would not accept my help.”
So, how can we live together and give space to those who have decided there are legitimate reasons not to take the COVID-19 vaccine? First, it should be said that there are legitimate reasons not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Some people cannot take it for medical reasons. Ultimately, the Christian ethic of being our brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9) provides some insight.
If a person is not willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine for any reason, the Christian ethic of love for others (1 John 4) must guide their personal practice. This includes doing what they can to protect themselves and others from contracting the disease. Following the “eight laws of health”, wearing a mask in public, frequently washing hands, physically distancing from others, and avoiding large crowds must be part of the practice. Otherwise, all pretense based upon an idea of resisting coercion, becoming susceptible to accepting the mark of the beast, or a notion of personal freedom without regard to its effects on others, is exposed as selfishness. Whatever we believe, let us love each other as we would want to be loved.
