To Mask or Not To Mask

[iThinkStuff]

Relative newbie here so I apologize if this topic has already been covered (or beaten to death).

One of my turnoffs during the pandemic (can we say it’s over yet?) was the fervor with which my local church encouraged a zeal for masks and vaccinations. I can stand a mask for an hour or two if it’s for public safety and all, but I don’t know any mask enthusiasts who didn’t also end up getting Covid anyway, regardless of “abundance of caution”. After a while it just seemed a way to virtue signal and shame fellow worshippers. It was disappointing.

My question is whether my experience is an isolated event or whether other congregations saw that kind of division and hostility. How divisive were Covid-19 and mask mandates for your congregation?

I suppose I could sprinkle in the vaccine debate for good measure but that seems like a whole ‘nuther can of worms.

thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Reynolds]

Relative newbie here so I apologize if this topic has already been covered (or beaten to death).

One of my turnoffs during the pandemic (can we say it’s over yet?) was the fervor with which my local church encouraged a zeal for masks and vaccinations. I can stand a mask for an hour or two if it’s for public safety and all, but I don’t know any mask enthusiasts who didn’t also end up getting Covid anyway, regardless of “abundance of caution”. After a while it just seemed a way to virtue signal and shame fellow worshippers. It was disappointing.

My question is whether my experience is an isolated event or whether other congregations saw that kind of division and hostility. How divisive were Covid-19 and mask mandates for your congregation?

I suppose I could sprinkle in the vaccine debate for good measure but that seems like a whole ‘nuther can of worms.

thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I would not attend a church that encouraged masks.
The search feature will find you tons of heated exchanges about the vax.

 

[KenH]

At the church where I worship neither masks nor vaccinations were an issue, wearing a mask or getting vaccinated are personal preferences. The church where I attend exists to preach the gospel of Christ and salvation by God's sovereign grace and the finished work of The LORD our Righteousness. Period.

 

[Reformed1689]

Seeing how the cloth masks everyone wears do virtually nothing.... lol

 

[iThinkStuff]

Yeah the longer that cloth mask myth persisted, the more I wondered whether people had forgotten their common sense at home too. Never said anything, just live and let live. But the holy judgment when I finally decided to stop masking me and mine… Well, they say there’s a limit to social graces.

I’m almost afraid to go looking for vax conversations on here lol

 

[Salty]

Mrs Salty and I took our two cats to the Vet yesterday.
I could not go in as I can not wear a mask.

 

[FollowTheWay]

Seeing how the cloth masks everyone wears do virtually nothing.... lol

Cloth masks were actually never recommended. Trump's poor response to the pandemic left us with a low supply of masks that do the job. I';ve worn N95 masks for some time but am personally relaxing on doing that a bnit now. The vaccines saved a lot of lives. It could have been more except for Trump activists who refused to take them and tried to convince others to not take them.

 

[Reformed1689]

Cloth masks were actually never recommended. Trump's poor response to the pandemic left us with a low supply of masks that do the job. I';ve worn N95 masks for some time but am personally relaxing on doing that a bnit now. The vaccines saved a lot of lives. It could have been more except for Trump activists who refused to take them and tried to convince others to not take them.

It was not Trump's response, it was Obama Biden who used the N95 reserves and never restocked them.

 

[FollowTheWay]

It was not Trump's response, it was Obama Biden who used the N95 reserves and never restocked them.

Wrong.
Why Can't America Make Enough N95 Masks? 6 Months Into Pandemic, Shortages Persist

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, President Trump and industry officials have talked a lot about the need to ramp up domestic manufacturing of critical protective gear. But six months on, there are still shortages of all kinds of PPE, like N95 respirator masks, while face shields are easy to find.

Lack of a coherent national plan

The disconnect can be traced, in part, to the lack of a coherent national plan.

Obama produced a plan and an an organization to deal with the next pandemic. Trump trashed both.

 

[Reformed1689]

Wrong.
Why Can't America Make Enough N95 Masks? 6 Months Into Pandemic, Shortages Persist

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, President Trump and industry officials have talked a lot about the need to ramp up domestic manufacturing of critical protective gear. But six months on, there are still shortages of all kinds of PPE, like N95 respirator masks, while face shields are easy to find.

Lack of a coherent national plan

The disconnect can be traced, in part, to the lack of a coherent national plan.

Obama produced a plan and an an organization to deal with the next pandemic. Trump trashed both.

And ignored my point about the reserves that were never restocked.

 

[Reformed1689]

Wrong.
Why Can't America Make Enough N95 Masks? 6 Months Into Pandemic, Shortages Persist

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, President Trump and industry officials have talked a lot about the need to ramp up domestic manufacturing of critical protective gear. But six months on, there are still shortages of all kinds of PPE, like N95 respirator masks, while face shields are easy to find.

Lack of a coherent national plan

The disconnect can be traced, in part, to the lack of a coherent national plan.

Obama produced a plan and an an organization to deal with the next pandemic. Trump trashed both.

Not to mention Biden has been in office over a year, why are you talking about Trump?

 

[Salty]

Not to mention Biden has been in office over a year, why are you talking about Trump?

I'm surprised they have not blamed WW II on Trump!

 

[Reformed1689]

I'm surprised they have not blamed WW II on Trump!

You mean the Civil War right? That was DEFINITELY Trump's fault!

 

[FollowTheWay]

Not to mention Biden has been in office over a year, why are you talking about Trump?

Because Trump ignored the early reports of the serious nature of this virus. He claimed in early 2020 it wasn't significant and pushed lies about treating and preventing it. He
supported QAnon conspiracy theories that caused many people to not accept the vaccine including most people here at the B Board. There's a reason why the U.S. still heads the worldwide list of deaths which I think is understated both here and in other countries especially India and China. Biden inherited the substandard approach of Trump and has done a great deal to strengthen our response to this pandemic.

 

[Reformed1689]

Because Trump ignored the early reports of the serious nature of this virus. He claimed in early 2020 it wasn't significant and pushed lies about treating and preventing it. He
supported QAnon conspiracy theories that caused many people to not accept the vaccine including most people here at the B Board. There's a reason why the U.S. still heads the worldwide list of deaths which I think is understated both here and in other countries especially India and China. Biden inherited the substandard approach of Trump and has done a great deal to strengthen our response to this pandemic.

Except the vaccine was created with the speed it was BECAUSE of Trump's policies, he took the vaccine, encouraged the vaccine so I guess you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Salty]

Because Trump ignored the early reports of the serious nature of this virus. He claimed in early 2020 it wasn't significant and pushed lies about treating and preventing it. ...

Or was he trying to keep things calm???

Back - 15-20 years ago, I was at the NY State Fair - and the State troopers started going around and informing the outdoor venders, games, rides, food, ect they needed to close down. They never said why, just please close down. Now that everything outdoors was closed down -[ people either started to leave or went inside the buildings.

Well, after everyone got into the buildings - then the extremely fierce storm arrived. Now, if the troopers and been announcing that the storm was coming- there would had been kaos - as there were tens of thousands people in that small area. Sometimes - its best to NOT give all the info.

 

[Bible Thumpin n Gun Totin]

We never wore masks in our Church, ever and would not ever. After 2 months, I got so tired of them I never wore

I won't Cancel my face with a muzzle so that others feel safe.

 

[JonC]

Relative newbie here so I apologize if this topic has already been covered (or beaten to death).

One of my turnoffs during the pandemic (can we say it’s over yet?) was the fervor with which my local church encouraged a zeal for masks and vaccinations. I can stand a mask for an hour or two if it’s for public safety and all, but I don’t know any mask enthusiasts who didn’t also end up getting Covid anyway, regardless of “abundance of caution”. After a while it just seemed a way to virtue signal and shame fellow worshippers. It was disappointing.

My question is whether my experience is an isolated event or whether other congregations saw that kind of division and hostility. How divisive were Covid-19 and mask mandates for your congregation?

I suppose I could sprinkle in the vaccine debate for good measure but that seems like a whole ‘nuther can of worms.

thanks in advance for your thoughts!

@tyndale1946 has recommended that I wear a mask....but that was long before covid.

 

[Salty]

@tyndale1946 has recommended that I wear a mask....but that was long before covid.

Well, he just wanted you to stop biting people........

 

[Cathode]

Made world news here recently when a police officer entered a church checking to see if everyone was masked and socially distanced during Mass.

Very disturbing.