It is a fact that I am an Episcopalian, and I was raised Lutheran. Like other main line churchgoers, we are not known for church theatrics, nor do we feel it necessary to wave and dance and call out tongues of fire to celebrate our faith, not that we mind that others do.
For me, faith is quiet, it’s deep, and it’s personal. My faith is between me and my God, and this time of year is very important to me. I don’t need to be in a building, revealing a weak singing voice. I need to make no point to anyone but my God. Which is why it is incomprehensible that in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19 that there are ministers and congregations across this country flaunting the only defense we have against a virus for which we have no cure – to social distance and stay at home.
Why have some churches closed their doors and gone online, while others appear to dare fate?
These incomprehensible actions coincides with what experts call the rise of religious nationalism and the promotion of magical thinking. Those who say they reject public health orders and intend to pack churches seem to be cut from the same piece of cloth. This group rejected scientific and critical thinking even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Until now, it might have appeared harmless to believe the world is only around 7,000 years old, or that it was made in seven ‘earth days’ instead of God’s time.
But this distrust of the very scientific knowledge and expertise (which I believe should be celebrated as God-given) is contributing to our country’s inability to confront this crisis. I have actually heard some say (including locally) that God is going to protect them from getting this deadly virus – that in fact, they can’t get it. Really?
“Religion is complex and the non-denominational evangelical segment of the religious right has taken a hyper-partisanized view of the world,” said Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. “They reject the evidence of science. They spin EVERYTHING for political gain. The idea of staying home to flatten the curve is seen as an attack on Trump and their faith. As late as March 13, as the pandemic took off, they saw that scientific recommendation as an attack on Trump.”
“It took 70 days from the time that the president was informed of the [COVID-19] threat for anyone in the administration to do anything to address it,” MSNBC News anchor Brian Williams reminded us, as did The Washington Post this week; as the U.S.hit half a million cases and the death toll has topped 20,000. “It was seen initially as happening somewhere else … there was an inability to recognize the severity of it.”
The direct consequence of a swath of churches all-in for President Donald Trump and leaning toward a right wing national policy being promoted by one particular conservative news source, is that we do not have a fully developed infrastructure to do a collective response to this crisis. Their disdain for scientific expertise has flamed a public health crisis into a political battle. From virus testing to managing resources, to even believing that the pandemic is a pandemic – an entire far right movement has hijacked this moment, substituting magical thinking for sound policy.
It does not help when no less that Senator Ted Cruz (R – TX) sent out a text message today with the hashtag “#stop persecuting faith”, ignoring stay-at-home orders and demanding that churches be allowed to hold in-person services on Easter Sunday.
This situation is mixing religion with politics; something our founding fathers rejected when they separated church and state. “There is an evangelical tone to Trump’s followers – about the virus, about the drug treatment he is pushing,” said Tim O’Brian on MSNBC this morning.
I’ve spent the bulk of my adult life as an Independent. I had a brief stint as a Young Republican in the state of Wisconsin as a high school senior and represented the 10th District of Wisconsin at the Young Republican state conference. It did not go well. I came home from that experience and burned my membership card (why might be a topic for a future Our Voice). I respect traditional conservative positions. This – is something else.
“This” is also people who have communicated directly to us on the Ark Valley Voice platform, who call our team (whose role it is to report facts drawn after careful research from a variety of sources, including sourcing what others are doing or saying about this pandemic) names, such as — libtard, nut case, stupid, bitch, or the devil.
Our Ark Valley Voice journalists read dozens of news sources from all over the world, all week long in addition to covering dozens of county, municipal and board meetings to report on in our county. We report facts and actions, causes and issues. We are none of the names that have been hurled at us, some by people who I’m sure call themselves good Christians. “Religion – think of it as ‘re-ligion’ — is something that ties us together,” said historian John Meacham. “It’s a fundamental message of love one another as you love yourself . There is nothing more radical than that. Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Jesus – they all said this.”
Note: For those who appear unsure about what is a fact-based news article and what is an opinion – “Our Voice “ is the area of Ark Valley Voice which actually is our opinion.
Featured image”Rural church” photo by Christoph Partsch from Pixabay. Those further interested in this topic might want to read: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/03/05/religious-nationalism-christianity-united-states
You sound like you’re a Deist. You value science and see it as God-given. That sounds like the American Founder and Deist, Thomas Paine, who wrote in The Age of Reason, “It is a fraud of the Christian system to call the sciences human invention; it is only the application of them that is human. Every science has for its basis a system of principles as fixed and unalterable as those by which the universe is regulated and
governed. Man cannot make principles, he can only discover them.”
The reason some Christians are violating the science and common sense based social distancing rules is because, unlike many Christians, sincerely believe the Bible is the Word of God, and the Bible promises them healing powers, among many other false promises. They need to be shown that God gave them reason, not religion. Then they will truly appreciate and use their innate God-given reason, and we’ll all have a much better world.
Progress! Bob Johnson
http://www.deism.com
Bob, I don’t have any association with Deists — I’m an Episcopalian and I believe in common sense. I also believe in and read the Bible as the word of God – but the Bible includes many old testament outdated concepts — like slavery, the exploitation and subjection of women, and arcane food rituals — which we no longer practice. The English political theorist Algernon Sidney originated the now familiar wording, “God helps those who help themselves”, which is apparently the first exact rendering of the phrase. American Patriot Benjamin Franklin later used it in his Poor Richard’s Almanack (1736) and has been widely quoted.
Jan, with all due respect, how do you believe in and embrace common sense while believing the Bible is the Word of God? The New Testament promotes irrational superstition as much as the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament does. It’s also grounded in selfishness and fear as is evident by teachings such as Matthew 6:1-6 which has Jesus telling people not to make a big deal out of their giving alms because, if you do, God won’t reward them. Likewise, the anonymous author of the Gospel of Matthew has Jesus saying not to pray publicly but to pray quietly and in secret because God will then give you a reward. Nowhere in the Bible, to my knowledge, is altruism promoted.
The anonymous author of the Gospel of Luke, at Luke 12:5, has Jesus teaching people to fear God because God can not only kill you, God can burn you in Hell. It’s sad that people have such a horrible idea of God. As Thomas Paine pointed out in The Age of Reason, The Complete Edition, “Belief in a cruel god makes a cruel man.”
God Gave Us Reason, Not Religion! Bob Johnson
http://www.deism.com
Thanks Jan for saying what I am feeling and just Friday I had to get a plumbing part at a hardware store so I “masked up” and cautiously entered avoiding getting close to anyone as I moved to the plumbing aisles while noting that very few people had mask on!
I found the display and began to look for my part as two women were looking as something on the other side of the aisle but right in front of the display where I needed to be. The aisle was almost exactly six feet wide as I counted the 12″ tiles from one side to the other. So I could not safely be where I needed to be. So I walked past the women to look at another product more than 6′ away from them and next to what looked like an abandoned shopping basket as the workers often do when restocking. Within a few seconds a woman’s voice said, “your blocking my basket” . No Excuse me, or pardon or she could have called me the old man I am! It startled me that she was almost touching me at the elbow so as I turned I moved backwards to six feet minimum and just waited for her to get her cart.
As she took her cart she said as if defensively, “well you were blocking my cart and I was here first”. I said “no problem, I was just maintaining the safe social distance” She had attitude apparently as if I was judging her because I backed away. She looked at me with a sort of judgement expression of her own. As she turned to walk away with her cart I couldn’t help but say “and I would appreciate it if you would wear a mask” She yelled back “I am bathed in the blood of Jesus and I don’t need protection” . Well, I said, I guess you will be going to hell when you kill some people! to which she did not respond. That’s just one example. My unscientific estimate is about 20% of shoppers are wearing mask. I am trying not to go to a store if at all possible but I have run out of honey-do materials and I might go crazy if I don’t do something. Please folks, just wear a cloth over your nose and mouth and pat yourself on the back for being part of the cure!!
the cracks in the veneer of our society are widened by each freeze-thaw cycle like roads and sidewalks. We are headed for an extremely
dangerous culture clash that has been ignited, fanned, and promoted by one party and ‘him’.
The religious right wing haters should think, but they can’t, so be wary of the incendiary rhetoric you will see growing steadily to election day, if there is one. I won’t be surprised if “him” doesn’t make his move to declare martial law and appoint him self God, King, and Executioner!
Thank you for sharing this experience. I am so sorry that you have had this encounter with a person who clearly is not looking out for the “community” that is all of us. I think I share with so many people that this is the time for our better angels to prevail — that it is up to all of us to follow the public health directives, made by our extremely competent Public Health Departments.
Thanks Jan, nice soft shoe! that’s what we need and if the inconsiderate, if not sociopathic God fearers would wear mask
I will shut up!