But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. We need divine wisdom to know how to be best informed and make mature decisions. "Do you have a vaccine card or a religious exemption?". This story does not mean it is the medicine alone that is important. Jesus, in this statement, taught his followers that a pure heart does not condemn other peoples choices about whatever is ingested (including medicine) into their bodies. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. You must, by federal law, allow people their legal right to a religious exemption to the vaccine. 12:4). Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? This story that St. Luke tells in his gospel (17:11-19) is not the only Bible verse I have seen and heard evangelical Christians use to justify anti-vaccine convictions. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? This knowledge has been placed within our reach for use. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? Multiple positives overwhelmingly outweigh their minimal negatives and health risks. " Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 Where Does the Bible Talk About Our Bodies? Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Matthew 18:1-4, and Matthew 19:13-15 are just a few verses that illustrate the aforementioned children as blessings from God that are valued and loved by him, 34:4, 16). Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 4. It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom. And Esther said, If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king. Then the king said, Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked. So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 4 The city of Pergamum, too, had long been a hotbed for imperial worship. Sure he learned about religious practices and, because border was not clear for While viruses are created to protect our health, a number of Christians have been against COVID-19 vaccinations. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. However, the Scriptures teaches that there are natural remedies to various illnesses. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Protestants believed that the former approach was more compatible with the spirit of American liberty. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. They blame the misinterpretations of this Bible passage on social media and people . He is a better man after his trial of earthly suffering. 7:15; 28:60; Ps. While this fear of Catholics was mostly rhetorical in nature, there were a few moments of violence. You are not your own; you were bought at a price. When I ask those evangelicals who oppose vaccines how they come to their conclusions, they all seem to cite the same sources: Fox News, or a host of fringe media personalities whom they watch on cable television or Facebook. As a historian of the Bible in American life, I can attest that such shallow reading in service of political and cultural agendas has long been a fixture of evangelical Christianity. The evidence of science is transparently clear: vaccines save lives. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Cor. "This goes against our religious belief and religious teaching," the letter states without elaborating. Being healthy is not primarily about vaccination, but about establishing and developing a balanced lifestyle, resulting in being in good mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual condition to serve God and others in need in the most efficient way for as long as possible. And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Why die prematurely simply because we neglect remedies that are available to protect and prolong our lives, thus enabling us to be a blessing to others? See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. Some Christians believe if they get the vaccine, they will be marked for hell, but some pastors are trying to stop those rumors. By: JiMoskala, for General Conference Health Ministries Department. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. December 20, 2020. Life is Gods precious gift to us, not to be squandered. Evidence-based science is beneficial in this decision process, allowing us to choose the best available options in given life situations. W Repent, sinner! But there is another subset of the denomination that describes . And the angel said in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Small differences over how to interpret the Bible often resulted in the creation of new sects such as the Latter Day Saints, the Restorationists (Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ), Adventists and various evangelical offshoots of more longstanding denominations such as Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and Quakers. Jackie Gale has never had a single vaccination because she believes that the Bible commands Christians to honor God regarding how the care for their bodies and not inject extra chemicals into one's body, according to a letter to UAB President Ray L. Watts and the university's lawyer John Daniel from First Liberty Institute attorney Christine Pratt. Whatever the purported. 2013;31 . 1 6 Some of us have children who have suffered vaccine reactions. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? 3. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. We can thank God for the wisdom He gives for research and invention. Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? I still repeat this verse from time to time. The New York Times. Amid this flux of ideas, what hasnt changed is the Bibles advice regarding the care of our bodies. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied. God corralled the chaos into creation. Without a church hierarchy to reign them in, these evangelical pied pipers had little accountability. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace by the power of the Holy Spirit." Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Ps. Lets take for example the sickness of King Hezekiah. Biblical teaching can help to counter mis- and dis-information on health issues, even though it is not a medical textbook on health. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. Activities like conducting Sabbath School or participating in potlucks on Sabbath; celebrating the Lords Supper every quarter; building schools and hospitals, organizing the church structure with conferences, unions, and so on. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. In all its splendor, Solomons temple in Jerusalem housed the Spirit of God. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. We are not to expect that God will work for us when we overlook basic principles of life and are negligent, biased, or lazy about implementing them. On the other hand, Jesus did not always follow his cultures Jewish law. For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. Jesus went around healing lepers and touched them without fear of getting leprosy, he said. [Over 110,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. 1. 16). You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. While the Bible may not use the word "vaccine," it gives clear principles about medicine and handling disputes with other Christians. Ellen White wrote nothing about vaccination, but her life and practice provide good support for and confirmation of this articles reflections. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Vaccination, nothing magical, must be supported by other intelligent choices in life such as prayerful, devotional living, a healthy lifestyle, spiritual witnessing, and trust in God. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 8. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. . Vaccine. He lived among the tombs. The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, Why have you returned? And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. What have I been able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. Scientific and traditional medicine can be beneficial. And we can thank Him and His human agents for the good they do in preserving and restoring life (Dan. Note well that God first commanded freedom by creating for humans a safe space for life and growth (general rule), and then put clear boundaries: no eating from one tree, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was a specific command. Fair enough. Isaiah 53:4 and Matthew 8:17 say Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Clarence Haynes Jr. suggests that based on Paul's advice about "disputable matters" in Romans 14:1-4, Christians should remember the following in disputes about vaccines: "The most important thing to remember is that the ones making this vaccination decision are not your servants, they are Gods. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. We are rational beings, and our Creator gives us the ability to think and know what works best for our health. Into your hand they are delivered. JiMoskala is dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States.