Brother, those who refrain from vaccination are not all "distracted by conspiracies." Lumping them together under this one characteristic, as you have, is what the
racist does with groups toward which he is prejudiced. I know you're not a racist, so I am a bit astonished by your enormous, implicit over-generalization about the vaccine-hesitant.
There are, in fact, very good, data-driven reasons not to be vaccinated - reasons the pop-media and the political and medical Establishment are bursting a blood vessel trying to deny and obscure. Here are some links you might want to peruse:
www.covid19criticalcare.com
www.pandata.org
Great Barrington Declaration and Petition
These three sites offer hard data, not just defensive, angry rhetoric (though, there is some of this rhetoric, I'm afraid), in support of at least a fully-informed, careful analysis of the cost-benefit ratio of vaccination. These websites offer links to actual medical research abstracts and explanations from medical experts, physician-clinicians, as well as more academic researchers, all of whom offer very good reason to be highly skeptical of what the Establishment, medical and otherwise, are telling us, both about the virus and the vaccines.
Amen! But fear can drive a person to be vaccinated just as much as it might drive another person not to be vaccinated. Fear isn't, of course, necessarily a bad thing; it keeps us from doing stupid things, right? I don't pick up a rattlesnake because I'm afraid of its venom; I don't poke a big, angry bear with a stick because I'm afraid it'll tear me to bits; I don't stick my head into a roaring fire because I'm afraid of the damage and pain it'll cause me. This sort of fear is, generally, totally appropriate. The fear that God in His word tells us to avoid is the unreasoning, careless sort of fear that forgets God is in ultimate control, that worries over things beyond one's control, that crowds God out of one's view.
This sort of fear you are quite right to urge your brothers and sisters in Christ to forsake.
Amen x 2!
Aiki...
I am watching the Body of Christ dividing very deeply over this issue.
Some are so extreme as to believe the vaccination is evil and those who partake loose salvation as it is claimed to be 'pre-curser' to the Mark.
These are good folk who are sucked away from reality by social media.
The suggestion that ordinary folk can become armchair scientists and correctly ascertain truth from fiction from the internet is folly.
I have just made a careful reply to a close friend which I will post for those interested.
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Hi (Name withdrawn),
I have taken some time to lay out my position with reasons.
I refer to key scriptures that I take seriously and focus my remaining time on earth accordingly.
I conclude there is a choice – to be responding to what the world does, or to respond to what Jesus wants to do in the world.
A good example of this is recorded in Acts 4
In verse 17 freedom of speech is made illegal. (this would be read by many today, as a sign of being in the end times)
However the early believers did not protest or leave the district or start to operate underground.
27 summarizes the threats in their prayer but most importantly they saw these threats were not against them but against Jesus Himself.
28 signifies total trust in God being in control and no fear of what man (or the Govt.) might be planning.
29 they hold ground and trust God to act.
32 they looked after each-other.
33 they continued to demonstrate the resurrection power of Christ in the Spirit.
However Jesus had taught them to render unto Caesar what was Caesar's - so they would not cease to pay taxes or meet civil requirements.
Peter also stresses this in 1 Pet 2:13-15
Was the Government of the time corrupt ? Sure was, but Jesus even befriended the tax collectors.
What this means is that pietistic withdrawal has no place in our service to Jesus and nor does rebelling against civil law.
All this was happening when the early believers were expecting Jesus second coming to occur during their lifetime.
However according to Jesus the game only changes when important conditions are met.
Matt 24 records Jesus teaching on this concerning events prior to His second coming.
Verse 9 has not yet happened.
Verse 14 is not complete.
Verse 15 is Key... a single human individual demanding he be worshiped by all inhabitants on earth and holding the power to regulate all trade on earth.... This clearly has not happened.
Only then does Jesus indicate a time to flee and not stand in verse 16. In the meantime it is business as usual – and there is no panic or place for fear.
So what we see happening today does not qualify although various rulers throughout history have had the smell of the AOD but not all the conditions outlined in Matt 24 by Jesus were met.
There is no doubt that there is a spirit of fear associated with conspiracies.
Isaiah 8:12 clearly teaches not to believe or be in fear of conspiracies, otherwise He will no longer be our sanctuary.
It is a choice to fear God or fear what others perceive is going on in the world.
So why has Covid become so divisive?
Yes there is corruption at all levels of human endeavour but this should not threaten our peace.
God is ultimately in control – He will not stand back and see His faithful wiped out by any means.
He is our sanctuary if we do not fear.
He will also guide the steps of those who seek Him even to keep them safe from coming in contact with life threatening diseases. Even if they do, like Paul they will shake them off. (Act 28:3)
After all who determines the time of your homecoming?
We have seen this already – a close friend of ours missed working at a covid filled house by one day.
Does that mean we refuse official recommendations to control the outbreak? Not according to Peter quoted above.
Then the contentious issue...
The “vaccination” (not what we understood such to be)
This has become more divisive than Covid itself.
If we ignore the conspiracy theories, researches acted quickly to curb the outbreak and fast tracked the process, weighing the risk but with the experience of 30 or so years of research already done, presented a best possible solution at the time – to modify a tiny protein sequence to reduce symptoms and increase immunity.
Was it a silver bullet – no.
Has it reduced deaths and human suffering – yes.
Has the management of it been without corruption – likely not.
Has it provided draconian opportunities for oppressive Governments – yes.
So we were given the decision to jab or not.
Risks weighed both ways.
How did we decide ???
Back to the anointing that teaches us (1 Jn 2:27) a collective anointing among the mature.
We sought out folks we had closely fellowshipped with for 35 years plus and shared with their wisdom.
We took council and waited for His confirming peace.
Each stands before God (Rom 14:1-4)
None should condemn another for acting on the faith they were given.
Finally I urge seeking Him rather than searching Online.
Don't focus on what the world does, but respond to what Jesus wants us to do in the world.
I have spent some time putting this together and it comes with sincere concern for understanding and love.
Blessings,
Carl Emerson.
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