What to believe? The US is reporting over 1,000 COVID 19 deaths per day now, but there are reports that even accidental auto deaths are being reported as COVID 19-related to boost numbers. Democratic governors are sounding alarms about reopening the states to business, but many believe they want to continue shuttering businesses to sway the election against President Trump. Scientists have been all over the map regarding how the virus spreads; some saying masks prevent it, others saying masks have no effect, still others saying that the most dangerous place to catch the virus is at home from family members who have been out in the world. It’s a lockdown mentality. One based on peddling fear.
The moving target on identifying exactly how this virus is spread and how deadly it is continues to gin up repeated conspiracy theories. But there is one thing that is common to all of it: This is a virus of fear. Look at the statistics. There are 3.9 million reported cases, 142,000 deaths. Reuters, who has been keeping a running tally of statistics, reports that there are 43 deaths per 100,000 people. In real terms, that’s a 0.043% chance of dying if you contract COVID 19. While any death from it is a personal tragedy, and if you know of anyone who has died from this virus, you have my heartfelt sympathy. Notwithstanding, there needs to be some perspective as to justifying shutting down an entire nation because of this virus.
The National Safety Council puts your odds of dying in a car crash at 0.877—far greater than dying from COVID 19. There is a 14% chance of dying from heart disease, which claim 375,000 American lives per year. There is an 18.6% chance of dying before you are born due to abortion, which claims nearly 750,000 Americans a year, almost half (about 260,000) are black. Does it seem hypocritical for Planned Parenthood, the worlds largest abortion provider, to post ads saying “Black Lives Matter” when it is systematically killing black babies by the thousands? Yet, with all these statistics there is no lockdown, but the industries associated with these deaths are thriving. Apples to oranges, I know, but just saying.
You have a 99.957% chance of surviving COVID 19. Yet you are not allowed to go to work, have your business open, do normal life things. But WalMart, for example, imports up to 70-80% of its products from China—the very country that sent America COVID 19. China also benefits by making COVID 19 masks. So American businesses and workers suffer while China continues to prosper. Something is wrong with this picture, terribly wrong. We need to quit operating in fear and start operating as a 2 Timothy 1:7 people, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Let us pray to the Lord and act in power, love and with a sound mind for an end to this nonsense. We need to demand an end to this craziness because the political games people are playing harm us more than the virus.
