Are you going to get Vaccinated? Why, why not?

[Nessa]

Can you link me to info you have already shared on vaccines elsewhere, Rick?

How is Brisbane, Scott? if you see this

Auckland also just had a major flood and people were evacuated. Auckland is really getting hammered all ways.

[Nessa]

Still watching it but looks interesting..

https://vsecretscc.com/episode-1-live?u ... ret_Ep1_E2

[RickD]

Can you link me to info you have already shared on vaccines elsewhere, Rick?

How is Brisbane, Scott? if you see this

Auckland also just had a major flood and people were evacuated. Auckland is really getting hammered all ways.

Nessa,

I’m not sure what link you’re looking for specifically. There’s a lot I’ve read, and a lot of videos I’ve seen. If you’re researching, I’d suggest using DuckDuckGo instead of google. I’ve googled specific things that google just won’t give answers to, which I’ve found in the first few hits in DuckDuckGo.

[DBowling]

Here are some links that you might want to check out

New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status — New York, May 3–July 25, 2021
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e1.htm

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... 54f5d5e187

90% of Canada’s COVID-19 cases are among unvaccinated, feds say
https://globalnews.ca/news/8059996/almo ... accinated/

Can Trump and Biden Agree on Anything?
Check this out...
White House Gives Rare Praise To Trump For Endorsing Coronavirus Vaccines
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsole ... 98456c4cd9

And saving the best for last
'Love Your Neighbor' And Get The Shot: White Evangelical Leaders Push COVID Vaccines


Franklin Graham's comments are worth quoting at length

The internet is full of articles, theories, data, and opinions concerning the COVID-19 vaccines — both positive and negative. There's a lot out there for you to read. I have been asked my opinion about the vaccine by the media and others. I have even been asked if Jesus were physically walking on earth now, would He be an advocate for vaccines. My answer was that based on the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, I would have to say — yes, I think Jesus Christ would advocate for people using vaccines and medicines to treat suffering and save lives. In this Scripture passage, Jesus told about a man beaten and wounded, lying on the roadside as religious leaders passed by and didn't help. But a Samaritan, considered a social outcast of the day, becomes the hero of the story when he stops and cares for the injured man — pouring oil and wine, which were the top medicines of the day, on the man's wounds. We also know that Jesus went from town to town healing "every disease and sickness." He came to save life — to offer us eternal life. Did Jesus need a vaccine Himself? Of course not. He is God.

So, my own personal opinion is that from what we know, a vaccine can help save lives and prevent suffering. Samaritan's Purse has operated COVID-19 emergency field hospitals, and we have seen the suffering firsthand. I also have staff and their family members who contracted the virus and spent weeks on a ventilator and months hospitalized as a result — I don't want anyone to have to go through that. Vaccines have worked for polio, smallpox, measles, the flu and so many other deadly illnesses — why not for this virus? Since there are different vaccines available, my recommendation is that people do their research, talk to their doctor, and pray about it to determine which vaccine, if any, is right for them. My wife and I have both had the vaccine; and at 68 years old, I want to get as many more miles out of these old bones as possible!

[Philip]

Rick: If you’re researching, I’d suggest using DuckDuckGo instead of google. I’ve googled specific things that google just won’t give answers to, which I’ve found in the first few hits in DuckDuckGo.

Absolutely! Google has become very politicized and applies its search algorithms accordingly - meaning, you'll often not find what you want to, but you will find what THEY want you to. Plus they are tracking your every search. My understanding is that DuckDuckGo does not track and does not manipulate!

[Nessa]

I don't find Franklin's comparing the good Samaritan story with getting a vaccine good....I am also not sure oil and wine is quite the same as a covid shot that has alarming issues in and of itself.

And how does getting a shot, help to love your neighbour?

You most certainly can still pass on the virus even when fully vaccinated.

[DBowling]

I don't find Franklin's comparing the good Samaritan story with getting a vaccine good....I am also not sure oil and wine is quite the same as a covid shot that has alarming issues in and of itself.

I think Franklin's point is that "a vaccine can help save lives and prevent suffering".
And "saving lives and preventing suffering" is a practical example of "loving your neighbor"

And how does getting a shot, help to love your neighbour?
You most certainly can still pass on the virus even when fully vaccinated.

Rick correctly points out that the vaccines are not 100% effective (and as Philip points out, no vaccine is), especially against the Delta variant.

However, as the links above show, even against the Delta variant, the vaccines are still effective at:
- preventing vaccinated people from catching the virus
- reducing the impact of the virus in breakthrough cases
- reducing the likelihood of transmission from a vaccinated person.
This is why the overwhelming majority of cases and deaths from covid involve the unvaccinated

So significantly reducing my own vulnerability to catch and pass the virus on to my loved ones and those around me is another very practical application of "loving my neighbor".

[Nessa]

So if a person chooses not to get a vaccine they are not loving their neighbour?

[RickD]

So if a person chooses not to get a vaccine they are not loving their neighbour?

That’s the implication I’m seeing.


There’s no evidence that getting any of the Covid vaccines “significantly” helps people who contract the vaccine from passing it to others. And actually, there’s growing evidence that shows that the vaccinated are passing the virus to the unhealthy, because many of the vaccinated either aren’t showing symptoms immediately, or are not concerned with social distancing.

There are so many things wrong with Franklin Graham’s quote, that it almost seems like he’s just speaking without really thinking about the issue.

But for the sake of beating a dead horse, I’ll post his part of the quote that I agree with:

my recommendation is that people do their research, talk to their doctor, and pray about it to determine which vaccine, if any, is right for them.

And FYI, I’d have a difficult time justifying that Jesus would advocate for us to take vaccines that use cell lines from an aborted fetus. I’d be more inclined to think Jesus would go into the moderna lab and overturn the tables.

[DBowling]

So if a person chooses not to get a vaccine they are not loving their neighbour?

We all have different ways and different opportunities to follow Jesus' command to "love our neighbor".
Christians can demonstrate their love for their neighbors in a variety of different ways.

One of the many ways that Franklin Graham has demonstrated Jesus' love is through his Samaritan's Purse Ministry and operating Covid-19 emergency field hospitals which has given him firsthand insight into the suffering of victims of Covid.

Unlike Franklin Graham, I have never worked in a Covid emergency field hospital, but God has given me different opportunities to "love my neighbor".

[RickD]