Religion and Anti-vaxxers

     I must admit to being perplexed after reading that after Denver announced this month that city employees and workers in hospitals and other high-risk settings must be vaccinated against COVID-19, that Colorado’s Catholic bishops told parishioners how to seek a religious exemption. That’s very odd because the Catholic Church does not oppose the vaccines and Pope Francis has said he believes that, ethically, everyone should get one. 

     In Louisiana, the Attorney General Jeff Landry created a form for those who object to mask and vaccine mandates, allowing them avoid having their children forced to wear a mask because their child "is created in the image of God.” The form goes on to state, “I believe that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that I am called to honor God in how I care for my body." I suppose that could also be argued as an reason to get vaccinated in order to protect yourself, your children and others, but we are talking about unreasonable people here.

     Even though most major religions don’t object to vaccines, the large number of people seeking religious exemptions threaten to undercut mandates designed to lessen the spread of the virus. 

     In the US back in 1905 the Supreme Court ruled that states could require residents to be vaccinated in order to protect the public in the event of a communicable disease. 

     Religious exemptions for school immunizations requirements began in the 1960s to accommodate Christian Scientists and other similar minorities. But, courts have since struck down religious exemptions limited to organized or established religions as too narrow. They must also apply if a person’s beliefs are “sincerely held.”  In 2012, a federal court in Ohio held that being a vegan could be considered a religious belief.

     Religious freedom is a core value in the United States, but one suspects many are falsely claiming religious beliefs just to avoid vaccinations. The bottom line is that most of those refusing are scared and somehow they believe the vaccine is a bigger health risk than the coronavirus itself even though far more people have died from the virus than from the cure! 

      I suspect that if questioned many of those objecting to the vaccine have not stopped wearing glasses, or taking their blood pressure medicine or diabetes medicine or any other medicine they take on "religious grounds."

     Yes, God can intervene and heal and certainly we should go to Him in prayer, but this doesn't mean we shouldn't seek medical advice when we are sick or injured. God gave doctors and their medical knowledge to us and one of the Apostle Paul's closest companions was Luke, whom he called "the beloved physician." 

     In Isaiah we read that when Hezekiah, king of Judah, was sick with a potentially fatal boil which some say suggests that he had bubonic plague, he prayed and, also, the prophet Isaiah said to take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover. Jesus said “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." The implication is that sick people need to see a doctor.

     The unvaccinated stubbornly ignore the facts and, as predicted, they are rapidly becoming sick from the ultra-contagious delta variant, and they are a source of frustration to everybody. The Santa Monica Daily Press called it "a surge of straight stupidity" as the levels of infections in unvaccinated people increase the risk to everyone and yet they persist.

     But, blaming and name calling only serves to entrench their decision not to get vaccinated. Nothing works with unreasonable people because, well, they are unreasonable. Many of them have subtle personality disorders. 

     According to Dr. Susan Biali Haas, an award-winning physician who speaks and writes about stress management, burnout prevention, mental health, wellness and resilience, some of the signs are: 

 

* In a conversation they twist your words or totally confuse you and then tell you that you're the one who doesn't know how to communicate. 

* They make subtly demeaning comments or say things to you disguised as a joke. * They don't respect boundaries and seem to enjoy stepping all over one after you've placed it 

* They aren't willing to consider your point of view or listen to your side of things. 

* They are bullies, verbal or emotional abusers. 

* They are manipulators. 

* They are liars 

* They are people who leave you feeling bad, sad, shaky or feeling sick in the pit of your stomach 

* They provoke you into acting crazy or unbalanced and love making you feel like there's something wrong with you when you do. 

* They are excessively charming and have an ulterior motive.