Friday, March 13, 2020

Atheists, Christians, Foxholes, and Pandemics

by Luther Reads

Let me set the scene:

It's March 2020, and we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Apparently, somebody in Wuhan, China got too close to an animal carrying something called a "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" virus, and two months later we're all at risk of getting Dat Rona virus.

The NBA has canceled its season over concerns about spreading the coronavirus. Colleges and universities have cancelled classes. Governors have closed public schools for weeks. Travel bans are being put in place. Cruise ships are not being allowed to dock. Self quarantining is a thing. People are emptying grocery stores of Lysol wipes and, oddly enough, toilet paper.

Churches are even closing their doors. Remember all those old sayings about "corporate" prayer and forsaking not the gathering of the saints? I guess they didn't mean during a pandemic. The Catholic church is abandoning the use of holy water. Yes, the holy water that priests pray over. Yes, the holy water that symbolizes the protection of Jesus Christ. I guess it can't protect against a pandemic.

But you know what isn't closing and what isn't canceled? The science labs that are working on cures, vaccines, and tests for the coronavirus. I used to hear that there are no Atheists in a foxhole. The assertion being that when bullets are flying, everybody prays to someone. Well, I wonder if there are any Christians during a global pandemic. The assertion being that... well, you get it.

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About the Author:

Luther Reads builds robots. He doesn't want his robots to take anyone's job, but he knows this is unavoidable. Yet he toils on. He is very human in this regard -- a walking contradiction.