Erick, your assessment of this pandemic pandemonium makes good sense. Thanks for your effort to tamp down unnecessary panic. Unfortunately for this nation, however is this: Your statement about the pandy problem is much more useful and effective than the president's irresponsible utterances about it.
There is only one "fear" that will get you where you want, or need, to be: Fear of the Lord.
All those other fears are, in this world of manipulative social media, thrown out there in cyberspace to be wielded by one side or the other to make you do what they want you to do.
Trust in the Lord, our Creator, not in Trump's legion of yes-men/women, nor int the Dems' cadres of political opportunists.
In the days ahead . . . wear a mask in public, keep your distance for the sake of others, and vote for the candidate whose public iteration of the truth is most likely to be, and reinforce, the real truth.
I don't live in fear of dying in a car accident . . . but I do wear a seat belt. I don't live in fear of being hit by a bus . . . but I still look both ways before crossing the street. Taking common-sense precautions is not the same thing as living in fear.
When it comes to locking the country back down, that might very well constitute living in fear. But to wear a facemask so as not to infect others, or be infected ourselves, is such an easy precaution to take. Moreover, health experts are basically unanimous in telling us that it will save lives. In sum, just like wearing a seat belt, that's just plain old common sense.
For this President not to be setting an example in this regard - indeed to the contrary, to be holding campaign and White House events indoors, with people grouped close together and without wearing masks - is irresponsible in the extreme. It cost Herman Cain his life and before all is said and done, I fear that one of the Republican leaders who more recently got a dose of the virus, courtesy of the President, will pay the same price. (But at least they asked for it, through their support of this President. Those Secret Service agents who had to drive that clown around the hospital the other day had no choice, and that was an egregious breach of faith with men who would give their lives to save his.)
And now we are being asked to believe that President Trump bravely contracted the virus in order to show us that it is not so bad as we think. If, as our leader, he "had to do this," why then was he and everyone around him being tested each and every day . . . right up until he caught it? (Remember, this was the original excuse offered for him not needing to wear a mask.) I'd sooner believe Pee Wee ("I meant to do that") Herman.
Knowing that if he loses this election he is going to jail, Donald Trump is showing as little regard for the health of HIS OWN SUPPORTERS as Jim Jones did for his at Jonestown.
Unfortunately, too many people involved in politics don't care a lot about the truth regarding Corona (or other topics). According to the latest CDC fatality rates for Corona, it is a relatively low risk disease for many age groups. But for elderly people and/or those with certain pre-existing conditions (like Erick's wife), it is a very deadly disease and these survival rates are not applicable: ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 -ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html ):
From a Biblical perspective, just because you have the freedom to do something, it doesn't mean that you should exercise that right (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23). On one hand, there may be valid arguments that masks have limits for Corona protection (to the wearer and to other people), but that doesn't mean that masks have no positive value. On the other hand, 33 states have mask mandates ( https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2020/states-mask-mandates-coronavirus.html ) and most other states encourage voluntary mask wearing and/or have regions where mask wearing is mandatory. Mandates such as this didn't prevent Corona from spreading in these states and the Governor of VA and his wife became infected with Corona despite the mask mandate.
Like Erick, I sit in the middle of the Corona debate. Both of us seem to believe in obeying common sense Corona rules like social-distancing, mask-wearing, and avoiding large crowds. But I think neither of us believes the right solution is to lock down the country or to keep all schools closed indefinitely. It is not good to live in perpetual fear of anything including Corona. But even if your odds of surviving Corona are very good, it is a deadly disease for many people and it should be treated with the respect that it deserves.
Very well balanced Erick. Fear is the polar opposite of faith. I've listened to you long enough and I know where your faith is and who it is in. It isn't "faith" that delivers, it's faith's object. A person. A person who can deliver us and will continue to do so.
Erick, your assessment of this pandemic pandemonium makes good sense. Thanks for your effort to tamp down unnecessary panic. Unfortunately for this nation, however is this: Your statement about the pandy problem is much more useful and effective than the president's irresponsible utterances about it.
Rather than "fear", I believe in the power of Prayer, and am praying for bad weather in all Blue districts on Election day.
There is only one "fear" that will get you where you want, or need, to be: Fear of the Lord.
All those other fears are, in this world of manipulative social media, thrown out there in cyberspace to be wielded by one side or the other to make you do what they want you to do.
Trust in the Lord, our Creator, not in Trump's legion of yes-men/women, nor int the Dems' cadres of political opportunists.
In the days ahead . . . wear a mask in public, keep your distance for the sake of others, and vote for the candidate whose public iteration of the truth is most likely to be, and reinforce, the real truth.
I don't live in fear of dying in a car accident . . . but I do wear a seat belt. I don't live in fear of being hit by a bus . . . but I still look both ways before crossing the street. Taking common-sense precautions is not the same thing as living in fear.
When it comes to locking the country back down, that might very well constitute living in fear. But to wear a facemask so as not to infect others, or be infected ourselves, is such an easy precaution to take. Moreover, health experts are basically unanimous in telling us that it will save lives. In sum, just like wearing a seat belt, that's just plain old common sense.
For this President not to be setting an example in this regard - indeed to the contrary, to be holding campaign and White House events indoors, with people grouped close together and without wearing masks - is irresponsible in the extreme. It cost Herman Cain his life and before all is said and done, I fear that one of the Republican leaders who more recently got a dose of the virus, courtesy of the President, will pay the same price. (But at least they asked for it, through their support of this President. Those Secret Service agents who had to drive that clown around the hospital the other day had no choice, and that was an egregious breach of faith with men who would give their lives to save his.)
And now we are being asked to believe that President Trump bravely contracted the virus in order to show us that it is not so bad as we think. If, as our leader, he "had to do this," why then was he and everyone around him being tested each and every day . . . right up until he caught it? (Remember, this was the original excuse offered for him not needing to wear a mask.) I'd sooner believe Pee Wee ("I meant to do that") Herman.
Knowing that if he loses this election he is going to jail, Donald Trump is showing as little regard for the health of HIS OWN SUPPORTERS as Jim Jones did for his at Jonestown.
By the way, what flavor is the kool-aid today?
Very well said.
Unfortunately, too many people involved in politics don't care a lot about the truth regarding Corona (or other topics). According to the latest CDC fatality rates for Corona, it is a relatively low risk disease for many age groups. But for elderly people and/or those with certain pre-existing conditions (like Erick's wife), it is a very deadly disease and these survival rates are not applicable: ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 -ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html ):
0-19: 99.997%; 20-49: 99.98%; 50-69: 99.5%; 70+: 94.6%;
From a Biblical perspective, just because you have the freedom to do something, it doesn't mean that you should exercise that right (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23). On one hand, there may be valid arguments that masks have limits for Corona protection (to the wearer and to other people), but that doesn't mean that masks have no positive value. On the other hand, 33 states have mask mandates ( https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2020/states-mask-mandates-coronavirus.html ) and most other states encourage voluntary mask wearing and/or have regions where mask wearing is mandatory. Mandates such as this didn't prevent Corona from spreading in these states and the Governor of VA and his wife became infected with Corona despite the mask mandate.
Like Erick, I sit in the middle of the Corona debate. Both of us seem to believe in obeying common sense Corona rules like social-distancing, mask-wearing, and avoiding large crowds. But I think neither of us believes the right solution is to lock down the country or to keep all schools closed indefinitely. It is not good to live in perpetual fear of anything including Corona. But even if your odds of surviving Corona are very good, it is a deadly disease for many people and it should be treated with the respect that it deserves.
Very well balanced Erick. Fear is the polar opposite of faith. I've listened to you long enough and I know where your faith is and who it is in. It isn't "faith" that delivers, it's faith's object. A person. A person who can deliver us and will continue to do so.
Fear is a Liar.
There is a distinction between prudence and fear.