There's a Biblical Q&A site I read last week that gave a labored justification for masking and other measures to "prevent" COVID. There wasn't explicitly a tone of trusting experts. Instead, they cited Biblical obedience to authority (i.e., government), and then they reconciled the obvious question that begs by not answering it at all. Instead, the pivoted to telling us we should comply with things, even if they're not necessary, if it prevents others from sinning, because we "offended" them.
Yes, they mentioned we're not supposed to live in fear, yet these measures were done deliberately out of fear, and these actions, using their own logic, led to "offense" and thus sin. The fact that some of the churches I know personally later on started preaching nakedly immoral sermons (ESG-related subjects) that were similarly political and following governmental narrative bolsters that argument.
On the vaccine issue, I remember listening to a pastor during his live-streamed sermon encourage everyone to get vaccinated. He stated having a "friend the works in healthcare" who told him they were "safe." The language sounded an awful lot like what came from that one "COVID-19 Community Corps" FOIA request dump. I strain to say that churches "gave in." Of the ones I know personally, it seemed more like they willingly acceded to show they were doing what was "Biblically correct."
There's a Biblical Q&A site I read last week that gave a labored justification for masking and other measures to "prevent" COVID. There wasn't explicitly a tone of trusting experts. Instead, they cited Biblical obedience to authority (i.e., government), and then they reconciled the obvious question that begs by not answering it at all. Instead, the pivoted to telling us we should comply with things, even if they're not necessary, if it prevents others from sinning, because we "offended" them.
Yes, they mentioned we're not supposed to live in fear, yet these measures were done deliberately out of fear, and these actions, using their own logic, led to "offense" and thus sin. The fact that some of the churches I know personally later on started preaching nakedly immoral sermons (ESG-related subjects) that were similarly political and following governmental narrative bolsters that argument.
On the vaccine issue, I remember listening to a pastor during his live-streamed sermon encourage everyone to get vaccinated. He stated having a "friend the works in healthcare" who told him they were "safe." The language sounded an awful lot like what came from that one "COVID-19 Community Corps" FOIA request dump. I strain to say that churches "gave in." Of the ones I know personally, it seemed more like they willingly acceded to show they were doing what was "Biblically correct."