I'm a little confused at this point.
You're posting on a Christian forum, identified yourself as an Atheist, asking questions and making comments from a position of not having any faith in God's words...
Well, to be fair, the reason I identify myself as "Atheist" is because this forum won't allow me to identify myself as the way I prefer, so I have to choose the closest thing. I'd prefer to identify myself as "non-religious" as I do have a Christian background and don't have such a hardline stance on anything.
That said, though, your point still stands.
Can you at least understand that some people believe the Bible and trust in the Lord above the efforts of men?
I guess my intention wasn't really in trying to "make a point," but was more a question about your personal beliefs in the light of world events, such as preventative measures vs. god's will in who lives and who dies, and how you reconcile the evidence that safety measures
do seem to make a difference. It is an issue that doesn't have anything to do with the OP, though, so feel free to drop it. I just enjoy picking people's brains.
I agree.
My freedoms are given to me by the Lord and by the governments that He has ordained.
To be more specific, if the US government mandates vaccinations, then I will of course comply.
That in no way affects you.
I guess one reason I do feel strongly about it is that I work in a hospital. More specifically, I work in the ICU (intensive care unit), and the CCU (critical care unit). I live in a population dense area. The hospital I work at is 8 floors high, and each floor is bigger than a football field - it's the biggest hospital west of Seattle. I've seen a lot of people dying since working there, and it's been kind of sobering to see how many of them have been in isolation rooms due to covid infections (we've been keeping them in the CCU). Just my personal experiences on things, so it does color my biases. I realize my exposure to the virus' effects are concentrated and very specific to my region, but it's still something I have to look at every time I come into work.
Nevertheless, I trust it even less than conventional vaccine methods.
Can I ask why you don't trust conventional vaccine methods? Sure, there can be problems with getting a vaccine shot, such as allergic reaction, but what about vaccine shots do you intrinsically not trust?
My life isn't sacred to me...yours is sacred to me.
You should view yourself a little differently than that, IMO. Disregard of one's self limits the aspirations that one has for themselves. On the surface, that would seem selfish, but in strengthening one's self, folks can better lift up those around them. Meh, that's just been my own experiences, at least. For those predisposed to selfless action, neglect of the self can be harmful.
That said,
Did you get the vaccine?
You bet I did. I've seen what happens to my coworkers when they've refused it.
We just got through the third outbreak in my establishment (2 in the old hospital, 1 in the new one I work at now - we just moved into this one a few months ago).
If so, then me not being vaccinated is no threat to you, sir.
True. I'm concerned less about me, and more about my brother who suffers from an immunodeficiency disorder, though. I'm also concerned for my dad who is in his 70s and is allergic to vaccine shots. The age range that I notice that takes the hardest toll on folks seems to be 60+ who get infected.
When they make available other vaccines that are developed using the tried-and true methods ( other than the current ones ), I'll re-consider it.
The unvaccinated are certain to die?
