Covidolatry

 "Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or on the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark." ~Revelation 13:16-17

It's been over a year since the pandemic started, and things are finally starting to get back to normal. Churches are opening up, high school students got to have proms and graduations, and people are once again planning vacations. However, what caused these changes had nothing to do with finally reaching herd immunity or people stepping out in faith and trusting God more than they feared the virus. These changes are coming about because of a rapidly produced, not yet fully tested vaccine.

Now, I'm not against vaccines. I have received all the vaccines given to infants, and faithfully receive my tetanus booster. I think vaccines are a great way to help eradicate deadly diseases, but they have to be developed properly. This one went from necessity to distribution in under a year, which is not nearly long enough to ensure full safety and effectiveness. They rushed it through so that the pandemic could end sooner, but that decision may come with a cost we don't even know yet.

My real objection, however, is the response of many Christians to getting the vaccine. My church didn't open up until last month because they wanted to wait until more people had gotten it, and even now, we have to wear masks because children can't get the vaccine yet. There are people I know who are fully vaccinated, but still too afraid to go out in public again. Both of these things point to people trusting in the vaccine more than they trust in God, and since the vaccine can't take away fear like God can, they are still trapped by it.

There are also people who brag about getting the vaccine on social media. Some have posted pictures of where they got their shot or their vaccine record card, others have added a frame to their profile picture, and a few people have done both. In the captions or comments of some of those photos, I have seen people demeaning those who haven't gotten the vaccine or acting like others would assume things about them because they got the vaccine.

People have even tried to convince my parents and me to get the vaccine, but none of their efforts have worked. Some have told us that getting the vaccine is the loving thing to do, but don't seem to realize that trying to guilt people into doing something is not loving. One person responded to discovering that Mom and I weren't vaccinated by telling us about someone she read about who refused to get the vaccine and is now very sick with COVID. This effort failed for two reasons. The first was that she was trying to play off a fear of the virus that we just don't have. The other is that we know people who have gotten vaccinated and had severe reactions.

The media is feeding into this idolatry quite heavily. Throughout the pandemic, they have daily reported how many new cases and deaths there has been, and once the vaccine began to be available, they added in how many people had received it that day. Now that summer is arriving, they have started telling us about all the places we can go if we're vaccinated, but we can't go if we're not. They're also quick to tell us about how fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks and socially distancing, but those of us who haven't gotten the vaccine have to keep doing those things. Telling us this attempts to prey on our fear of exclusion and prompt us to get the vaccine so we don't stick out.

I also recently read about a concert promoter in Florida trying to prompt people to get vaccinated by offering discounted tickets to an upcoming punk rock show. However, the "discounted" tickets are $18, which is more than they're charging for a similar show later in the summer. The "full-price" tickets, on the other hand, are a whopping $999.99! Needless to say, they have not yet sold any of the ridiculously priced tickets, and chances are they never will. People would rather stay home than shell out $1000 for an $18 concert, and from perusing their Facebook page, it seems like few people, if any, got the vaccine just for the concert.

Now, I do know some people who have gotten the vaccine and see it in its proper light. My knowledge about some of my friends and family members getting it came from private conversations instead of public declarations. There are some people who post about getting the vaccine, not to pressure others into getting it, but to share their experience with it. This vaccine, like any other vaccine, is a tool that is used to help with a disease. We still have the choice whether or not to use it. At this point, the vaccine is still new enough that I would rather take my chances with the disease than get it, especially since there is currently no guarantee that it would actually prevent getting or transmitting the virus. Once there is a guarantee of sterilization immunity, I will happily get the vaccine, but until then, it's not a tool I wish to use. The virus has never scared me, so I have no need of an idol to make me feel safe.