September 1, 2021

MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH

“When you believe in eternal life—when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,” Mississippi GOP Governor Tate Reeves recently told a Republican fundraiser. His point was that COVID deaths are not as frightening to the unvaccinated Christians of his state because life on earth is only one stage of eternal life.

The Mississippi Free Press noted, “The governor rejected calls for a statewide mask mandate in public schools; he also downplayed the virus’ effect on children as akin to ‘the sniffles’ in most cases, saying child deaths were rare. But he struggled to remember that the state’s child death toll at the time was four.”

“Two teenagers have also died of COVID-19 since July 25, 2021, including 14-year-old Mkayla Robinson, who had begun 8th grade at a mask-optional school just eight days before dying within hours of being diagnosed.”

However, for all eligible ages, Mississippi rates 49th in the nation in vaccinations. Eternal life beckons.

BuzzFlash reader James Oneill responded to Reves eternal life excuse for not being vaccinated:

I have long been intrigued by the notion of "God's Plan." I really don't remember this as being taught in Catholic school, though I spent only 13 years there.

Somehow, I don't think of six million Jews, many of whom probably prayed for mercy and salvation, as being exterminated in Nazi concentration camps according to God's Plan. Well, if this isn't God's Plan, where is God's Plan?

Perhaps God's Plan is to let us figure out what to do with whatever random successes or adversities may come our way. We perhaps all wonder why we're here and what we should do, for ourselves and others. It doesn't appear to be a cakewalk. I don't think we can be confident that it is preordained for us to trod down the path, like hapless robots. If that were the case, God's Plan would seem to be pretty dull. For God and for us.

Liz Grady offered this riposte to Reeves: “Btw, if God's plan for me were to end up dying a horrible, gasping death on a ventilator, I don't particularly want to meet that God.”

And journalist and editor JP Sottille pondered:

You might also feel justified in destroying this planet's plants and animals and aquifers and landscapes for profit ... and you might feel like the rapidly changing climate doesn't require any action since 1. this planet and the non-human life on it (specifically the non-YOU human life, since many of them narcissistically regard Jesus as their PERSONAL savior) is ultimately meaningless since the Earth just a transient way station on the pre-paved road to the afterlife and 2. it's all part of God's plan ... which is to use this planet as scenery for the drama he authored in which you have the starring role ... and there is an eternal Oscar awaiting you if you can just remember your lines and hit your marks.

Somehow, I don’t think there is a God who could “plan” for the mass psychoses and eternal life of the modern anti-life, selfish and cruel Republican Party.

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