What are the COVID-19 commandments for Christians? Even United Church might turn to the bible for answers.
How about two of the Ten Commandments in Exodus:
You shall not murder.
Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long on the soil that the Lord your God has given you.
Then there is the portion of Jesus' response to a religious leader about the greatest commandment. He begins by telling him to love God and goes on to say "love your neighbour as you love yourself."
I figure these three just about cover the massive challenges of the pandemic we are facing. Loving my neighbour means I accept that we act collectively in the best interests of all, particularly the vulnerable. I stay away from others and observe stringent health protocols because being selfish or lax could kill others. We see that the elderly are the most susceptible to the coronavirus, so we must protect them.
A few days ago a British Columbia Member of Parliament, Marc Dalton, tweeted his disgusting opinion that "most" COVID deaths are among the elderly in care homes, and they aren't going to live long anyway, so we need to accept their demise and get the economy rolling ago. This has been voiced by politicians in the United States as well, and it infuriates me.Dalton quickly took the tweet down because he is not only a jerk, he's a coward. He's also wrong about the grim statistics, with just less than half of the deaths being people over the age of 65.
I did a little online sleuthing and discovered that Dalton is no stranger to controversy thanks to homophobic comments and the contention that child proverty didn't exist in the province.
I also saw that Dalton has served as an elder in his Mennonite congregation, which suggests that the ethical, moral, and spiritual bar for this role is incredibly low in this congregation. The term "elder" is ironic in this situation, wouldn't you agree?
I suggest that some serious bible study is in order for Dalton, and some genuine repentance. Christians need to act as...Christians in the midst of this crisis, and it sure helps if those in leadership have a moral compass. All of us need the regular reminders of who we follow and what that means for our own choices and behaviour.
God be with the elders of our society, their families, and all who provide them with care in such demanding and perilous circumstances.
2 comments:
I feel like a boxer in the ring being pounded by two heavyweight boxers. Jab, jab, hook, cross....relentless. That's how it feels like watching the news. Two absolute buffoons saying things that are disgusting, revolting and outright lies. Obviously Trump is the first boxer, but with this latest comment, Dalton is the second.
Perhaps that is another negative about this pandemic: watching too much news and being subjected to Trump's press conferences. I know it's all been said before, but this "man" is a joke of a president, and the latest - having his signatures on the outgoing cheques - just once again demonstrates his narcissism. The world cannot endure four more years of Trump.
I wouldn't trust Trump to sell hotdogs. And no, visualizing Trump sweating it out in a boxing ring is not for the faint of heart.
Apparently a popular joke in Germany at the moment is:
What borders on stupidity?
Canada and Mexico.
Let's hope that Canadian leaders continue to take a measured approach to the pandemic, and that we roundly condemn callous fools such as Dalton. We can be a compassionate society in the midst of uncertain times. Thanks Roger.
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