Vaccine Passports: Common Sense Healthcare or Mark of the Beast?
In a culture driven by sensation and controversy, it is unusual to have honest dialogue. It is rare for a divided culture to engage in nuanced discussion about our generation’s critical issues. Compromise has all but gone extinct. But not on this show. We strive to be a beacon of common sense and thoughtful analysis from a biblical historical worldview.
Last week, we began hearing a call to start issuing passports to those who had received the Covid-19 vaccine. As always, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Let’s be clear; we are not against vaccines. Quoting Dr. Rand Paul, the junior Senator from Kentucky, “They are a marvel of modern medicine, and the speed and effectiveness of the COVID vaccines have been great.” Project Warp Speed will be one of the long-lasting legacies of the Trump administration. Thank God that we have such an effective treatment for our most vulnerable demographics. Thank God that at least 106,214,924 people, or 32% of the population, have received at least one dose as of the publishing date. Overall, 57,389,464 people, or 17% of the population, have been fully vaccinated. This ought to be a reason for us to celebrate and be grateful that we live in an era of unbelievable medical technology. Instead, we find ourselves in a political argument about how much liberty we can limit.
I also recognize that there are rare instances in which the government can mandate some vaccinations. As commentator Mia Brett writes onAlternet.org, “In 1905, the question of compulsory vaccination laws made it to the United States Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Massachusetts. At the time, Massachusetts was one of 11 states that had compulsory vaccination laws. Jacobson was a Swedish immigrant who had a bad experience with childhood vaccination. He refused the smallpox vaccination as an adult in Massachusetts. Jacobson was prosecuted and fined for refusing. He challenged the fine, claiming it was an invasion of his liberty. In a 7–2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory vaccination laws are not arbitrary or oppressive, as long as they don’t “go so far beyond what was reasonably required for the safety of the public.” Jacobson was affirmed in 1922 in Zucht v. King to support a school district refusing admittance to a student who was not vaccinated.”
But this should be the exception, not the rule. We should encourage people to be vaccinated, especially those in high-risk groups. But we shouldn’t need to mandate the vaccine, especially with so many unanswered concerns that many may have, including:
- This vaccine bypassed the FDA’s typically rigorous standards to allow it to get out as quickly as possible. Does that mean that we are the test groups?
- The media and social networks are suppressing the minority of people having adverse reactions. Why?
- Why do I need to get the vaccine if I’ve already had COVID-19? Isn’t natural immunity better than inoculation?
- Fauci and the CDC are recommending to continue wearing masks, even after vaccination. Does that mean it’s ineffective?
For these reasons and more, healthy, young Americans may have hesitations about getting the vaccine. We shouldn’t cast aspersions on someone who has legitimate concerns that there is more risk than reward. Shouldn’t we allow people to make up their own minds about what’s best for their health? If your answer is no, then the answer is not government mandates. We’ve had enough of those in the last year. Top-down, bureaucratic control of 350 million Americans is not a good solution. Instead, if you think that everyone should be vaccinated, you should convince the masses through education. Bust the myths and overcome the arguments with irrefutable evidence. Do we still trust that most Americans are reasonable? Or are they too stupid to know what’s best for them?
Our third president, and champion for liberty, Thomas Jefferson, stated,” I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”
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The will of the majority. Mobocracy always leads to tyranny. While we should consider what most people want, this cannot be our only gauge for decision and policy-making. One fundamental principle in our founding documents is the idea of individual liberty; that every human being is made in God’s image and inherently possesses an innate ability to make choices for himself. If we allow a majority to bully a minority into submission, then we are no better than the barbaric tribes and fascistic dictators that resulted in the massacres of millions.
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The Constitution bestows incredible rights to defend even one man against the will of the multitudes. We see this on display in the case against Derek Chauvin. I may not like him, nor the video that I saw of George Floyd’s death. Like most of you, I might think that he killed that man by using excessive and unnecessary force. But our civilization demands that Derek Chauvin, despicable as he might be, still has a right to trial by jury, a right to face his accusers, a right to a fair trial, and a right not to incriminate himself. America is about defending the rights of the individual, not the demands of the majority.
One of the most profound and efficacious thoughts that have ever entered the mind of man is on the first page of the Bible: Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in His [own] image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” That image includes the ability to think freely, make personal decisions, and act according to our deeply held beliefs. No government should be able to override it based on the advice of so-called experts.
A vaccine passport represents the worst kind of interventionism. Quoting again from Senator Rand Paul: “The newest power grab comes in the form of an alleged “Vaccine Passport” which would determine your social suitability to engage in your everyday life. Want to go to the store? Show your vaccine card. Want to go to a restaurant or concert? Did you tell the government what vaccines you’ve had? Want to travel? VACCINE PAPERS PLEASE.” This is not the world in which we should want to live.
Does this passport mean the mark of the beast? Doubtful. Is it yet another nefarious power grab? Absolutely.
