Poll #1: Perspectives Related to the Covid Pandemic

[RZehr]

But if one does believe in “evidence”, then you’ll have to deal with how covid is nonexistent in plain circles and has been for quite a while now.

That's not true. It's still around. A 71-year old Mennonite man I knew years ago died on Wednesday of Covid. A local plain-ish church had 10-15 people sick with Covid just a couple weeks ago. A family in my church had it about the same time. A church we were supposed to visit last week canceled service because one of their families had it.

I heard about Covid being in two conservative Mennonite churches here in Oregon last week. It went through our church in November. I suppose it will again sometime.

[Wade]

I can't find that quote I originally seen posted from Ernie about Mother Teresa being the example of the only person that knows what is going on in the world being down with the lowest of people.

I finally realized the huge disconnect here on MN - so many are promoting the "experts", listen to the government, listening to news, fact checking, posting Facebook posts, posting scientific charts and graphs... And so if the quote I can't find is true it makes so much sense to me now why people are saying and posting so much things that contradict what is happening down with the people. Continue to talk with such people seems to keep them from seeing what is actually going on...

[Josh]

I can't find that quote I originally seen posted from Ernie about Mother Teresa being the example of the only person that knows what is going on in the world being down with the lowest of people.

I finally realized the huge disconnect here on MN - so many are promoting the "experts", listen to the government, listening to news, fact checking, posting Facebook posts, posting scientific charts and graphs... And so if the quote I can't find is true it makes so much sense to me now why people are saying and posting so much things that contradict what is happening down with the people. Continue to talk with such people seems to keep them from seeing what is actually going on...

A lot of people here don’t believe truth is found in following Jesus, or in reading the Bible and sharing it with other believers. Nor do they believe in submission under Bible-following church authority.

Instead, they seek truth in the University; in proclamations from government officials; in what the modern day heralds and town criers say. They believe in the New York Times, The Lancet, or Nature. These holy books hold far greater import in their minds that the collective experience and biblical interpretation of 2,000 years of Christianity and 500 years of Anabaptism.

[Wayne in Maine]

I finally realized the huge disconnect here on MN - so many are promoting the "experts", listen to the government, listening to news, fact checking, posting Facebook posts, posting scientific charts and graphs... And so if the quote I can't find is true it makes so much sense to me now why people are saying and posting so much things that contradict what is happening down with the people. Continue to talk with such people seems to keep them from seeing what is actually going on...

Who else ought we to be listening to, the inexpert? the amateur? the ignorant? Lots of things seem to make sense that are utter nonsense - that's how charlatans, "snake oil salesmen" and advertisers get people to buy their useless products.

What's factually going on is that there is a global disease pandemic. The disease is new and it has taken scientists and people with authentic medical expertise time to know precisely how to prevent its spread and how to protect the vulnerable. People with training and expertise have developed the best strategies they know to stop people from being killed and allowing society to return to normal, including the development of safe, effective vaccines. There is indeed a lot of politics involved, because governments are generally charged with protecting the public, and regulatory decisions have positive and negative impacts. I've seen both as none of my wife's clients have died from this disease and as the local economy has been damaged by the restrictions imposed to prevent those deaths. Those are not easy decisions to make for those charged with being a terror to evil.

A lot of people here don’t believe truth is found in following Jesus, or in reading the Bible and sharing it with other believers. Nor do they believe in submission under Bible-following church authority.

Instead, they seek truth in the University; in proclamations from government officials; in what the modern day heralds and town criers say. They believe in the New York Times, The Lancet, or Nature. These holy books hold far greater import in their minds that the collective experience and biblical interpretation of 2,000 years of Christianity and 500 years of Anabaptism.

I suppose you take no medications nor ever visit a physician (or perhaps only take a little grape juice for your stomach)?

Where the scripture do not prescribe methods of developing drugs to treat diseases, where do you seek truth? The "University" or from "from the other world" (from which D.D. Palmer got chiropractic), or the Huangdi Neijing, or the Materia Medica Pura? Or from Mike Adam's "Nature News"? Where does Joseph Mercola get his expertise?

And what "collective experiences" are you referring to? Anecdotal evidences that swinging a pendulum over someone will heal their gout? Kinesiology to diagnose kidney disease? Reading meridians to detect and cure heart disease? Chiropractic manipulation to cure AIDs? CBD oil for everything? Does the collective wisdom reside in Mexican clinics that weigh the purses of Mennonite an Amish patients before dispensing their quack medicines?

I ask you in all sincerity, where is the expertise acquired of the practitioners of medicine you and the members of the Church of God In Christ Mennonite trust? Or Amish Pow-wow practitioners (with their 2,000 years of Christianity and 500 years of Anabaptism)?

[ken_sylvania]

I finally realized the huge disconnect here on MN - so many are promoting the "experts", listen to the government, listening to news, fact checking, posting Facebook posts, posting scientific charts and graphs... And so if the quote I can't find is true it makes so much sense to me now why people are saying and posting so much things that contradict what is happening down with the people. Continue to talk with such people seems to keep them from seeing what is actually going on...

Who else ought we to be listening to, the inexpert? the amateur? the ignorant? Lots of things seem to make sense that are utter nonsense - that's how charlatans, "snake oil salesmen" and advertisers get people to buy their useless products.

What's factually going on is that there is a global disease pandemic. The disease is new and it has taken scientists and people with authentic medical expertise time to know precisely how to prevent its spread and how to protect the vulnerable. People with training and expertise have developed the best strategies they know to stop people from being killed and allowing society to return to normal, including the development of safe, effective vaccines. There is indeed a lot of politics involved, because governments are generally charged with protecting the public, and regulatory decisions have positive and negative impacts. I've seen both as none of my wife's clients have died from this disease and as the local economy has been damaged by the restrictions imposed to prevent those deaths. Those are not easy decisions to make for those charged with being a terror to evil.

Wayne, I think you're right that most of the folks involved in creating policy, etc are giving it their best shot. I would say thought that the idea that scientists now know "precisely how to prevent its spread and how to protect the vulnerable" is quite wild.

[Wayne in Maine]

I finally realized the huge disconnect here on MN - so many are promoting the "experts", listen to the government, listening to news, fact checking, posting Facebook posts, posting scientific charts and graphs... And so if the quote I can't find is true it makes so much sense to me now why people are saying and posting so much things that contradict what is happening down with the people. Continue to talk with such people seems to keep them from seeing what is actually going on...

Who else ought we to be listening to, the inexpert? the amateur? the ignorant? Lots of things seem to make sense that are utter nonsense - that's how charlatans, "snake oil salesmen" and advertisers get people to buy their useless products.

What's factually going on is that there is a global disease pandemic. The disease is new and it has taken scientists and people with authentic medical expertise time to know precisely how to prevent its spread and how to protect the vulnerable. People with training and expertise have developed the best strategies they know to stop people from being killed and allowing society to return to normal, including the development of safe, effective vaccines. There is indeed a lot of politics involved, because governments are generally charged with protecting the public, and regulatory decisions have positive and negative impacts. I've seen both as none of my wife's clients have died from this disease and as the local economy has been damaged by the restrictions imposed to prevent those deaths. Those are not easy decisions to make for those charged with being a terror to evil.

Wayne, I think you're right that most of the folks involved in creating policy, etc are giving it their best shot. I would say thought that the idea that scientists now know "precisely how to prevent its spread and how to protect the vulnerable" is quite wild.

You are correct. That was a poorly chosen word. “As best as is humanly and reasonably possible”. Though scientists and engineers do strive for precision even if it is not finitely obtainable.

[Soloist]

While one group promotes obedience to Scripture and throws out maybe too much of the science, the other group does the inverse.

[Wayne in Maine]

While one group promotes obedience to Scripture and throws out maybe too much of the science, the other group does the inverse.

That’s a false dichotomy if I’ve ever seen one on Mennonet (or it’s predecessor, MennoDiscuss).

[Valerie]

While one group promotes obedience to Scripture and throws out maybe too much of the science, the other group does the inverse.

Imagine thinking that government and pharmaceutical companies always have your best interest at heart despite the history of each, now that is a real conspiracy theory!

[Soloist]

While one group promotes obedience to Scripture and throws out maybe too much of the science, the other group does the inverse.

That’s a false dichotomy if I’ve ever seen one on Mennonet (or it’s predecessor, MennoDiscuss).

Of course it is... But it does explain several people on Menno to a Tee. Argue it all you want. The point of there being people who don't neatly fit into a category is well known. This is a generalized statement with a point which you fit on one side like a glove.