A new religion
The Great Revealing - Part 1
A new theology
“God’s knowledge is greater than our own. He knows what’s best for us. He asks us to do certain things and not to do other things. Even though we may not fully understand why, or agree with what He says, we should listen to Him. He says He cares for us and is ultimately after what is best for us.”
“God has promised to protect us. We can trust that He will keep us safe.”
“Many people don’t trust God. They don’t believe that He is good and ultimately doing what’s best for us. We should tell others that it’s good and wise to trust and listen to God, and we should warn people of the consequences and dangers if they do not.”
“God promises to provide for us. Even if we find ourselves in circumstances where we can’t work and earn a living, we can count on God to make sure our basic needs are met.”
Now, re-read these statements, and instead of God, substitute in “the government” or “Premier/Governor.” If you have said or thought any of these edited statements (or similar ones), or if you have heard others do the same, hopefully you will see what has become painfully obvious since the COVID era began, and that is that Statism is a new religion.
With a perceived imminent threat to our health and safety, people turn to the governing authorities as if they were God. And like God, we are told that the authorities are to be trusted and followed, because they have immense knowledge and are exceedingly powerful. They promise to take care of us, and they declare everything they do is for our well-being. We also become proselytes, calling all people to repent of their “sins” and trust our government. If the government replaces God, what of the other tenets of religion we find in Statism?
A new catechism
What is original sin? That would be individualism, both in terms of thought and responsibility. This is a great evil, and it must be “washed away” so that collectivism and uniformity might be that which marks a “new humanity.” This is why the moral virtue associated with said humanity is attached to phrases like, “We’re all in this together,” “We’re better together,” and “Common/collective good.”
Who are the prophets, the heralds of the truth? That would be the media, incessantly calling us to abandon our old ways and experience the joy and freedom of submitting to our god. They have given us the new revelation that safety is to be pursued above all else.
Who are the priests, the ones who teach us the law and rules? Those would be the health officials and sociologists, who interpret the sacred texts (the studies and “science”) and tell us what we must do to be right with our god.
What must we do to be saved? Well, in the general sense, we must trust and submit to god. Specifically, the way of salvation, of safety and life, is found only in the COVID-19 vaccination, something that will change and “heal” us from the inside out, allowing us to join this new humanity. Without it, we are still in danger and destined for destruction.
If you think this is just wishful thinking, or a pulling of things out of thin air, let’s examine what the evangelists of this new religion proclaim. One pastor from Washington tweeted this: “The introduction of the Covid vaccine is a vivid metaphor of life between the two Advents. We celebrate its arrival as decisive for our future even as disease/death rage on.” To which another professing Christian responded, “And like with the first Advent, too many will reject the vaccine as they reject the good news and Jesus at the first Christmas.” In September of 2019 the World Health Organization hosted their “Global Vaccination Summit,” and the title for the first roundtable discussion was, “In Vaccines We Trust.”
An old obedience
Statism is a religion, and it may be the most prevalent in North America today. Many who profess allegiance to Christ, Allah, or any other system of religious beliefs, in reality, trust their true god for safety, security, and salvation, and that is the Civil Magistrate. Whereas the Bible teaches that the governing authorities have been instituted by God to punish evildoers and praise those who do good (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14), for Statists, the governing authorities also exist to provide physical safety, financial security, well-being services.
How are we as followers of Jesus required to respond to this new religion and those who submit themselves to it? First of all, we must, in our own souls, determine that there is only one true and living God, and that He alone is to be trusted, obeyed, and worshipped above all other gods; that is the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Early Church, calling Jesus “Lord” was, in part, a political claim, because they were declaring that He, and not Caesar, was Lord and King. We must rest firmly in the truth that Christ, not any elected or unelected officials, is all-knowing, all-powerful, and most trustworthy. He is the deepest source of our security, the overseer of our safety, and the one who holds the power of both life and death.
Second, we, as any good worshippers would, must proclaim the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ to a world that is in spiritual darkness. People around us, in many ways, are growing more and more hopeless, fearful, and powerless. The primary message that must be brought to bear upon their souls is that of the saving and sanctifying power of Christ. People do not need more scientific data or logical arguments; they need Christ and the hope that is only found in the Good News.
Last, we must be prepared for the costly obedience that comes from standing against a false religion that dominates our society. To assert the Lordship of Christ over and above the lordship of the State will come at a cost, and that cost involves significant consequences. We must be resolved that just as Christ marked out the path of a suffering obedience, so we as His followers must be ready to tread the same trail He blazed first. As difficult and counter-cultural as it may be, Christ is worth it, and the mission of the church will prevail.