Can anyone explain why Christians feel the vaccine is wrong?

Monica, yes I did see a similiar story and it definitely resonates.

Geekesse I can see how it would appear that way and it's because someone very close to me is involved very heavily , unfortunately I have become very bogged down and find that it helps to see what others believe seeing as it's not a "safe" topic offline.

OnwardandUpward, you do seem to have a bit of a thing about all this - this is one of several threads you have started on the topic. Might I suggest you set the whole thing to one side and look at some of the other interesting topics on Gransnet? It might help you to stop worrying about the dotty views of some US extremist groups.

I can remember before Hurricane Katrina - and we all know how that virually destroyed New Orleans - there was television coverage of families staying in their homes despite everyone from police to family begging them to leave because they said they believed in God and he would protect them.

I never saw any follow-up coverage so do not know how they fared. I think for people who feel they have no power or control over their lives and live lives entirely at the mercy of other people, those marginalised, poor and badly educated, then a belief in a God who will care for them and look after them is immensely consoling.

Personally I live by th belief that God helps those who help themselves.

There is a joke, you all probably know it, of the religious man who prayed to God to let him win the lottery and told God of all the good things he would do with the money if he won it. After a couple of weeks, God revelaed homself to the man and said 'Please, meet me halfway, buy a lottery ticket.

This is my response to people who think like those quoted, believe and trust in God, but do something to help him help you - have the vaccine.

My sister is a fairly literal Bible interpreter but is happily double vaccinated. She does live in the UK though.

Septimia

The person in the article didn't belong to a mainstream Christian church but to one that tends to interpret the Bible literally - as far as I can tell. Certainly all the Church of England folk that I know are in favour of the vaccine.

Me too. Everyone I know has had it without any fuss and not just the C of E folk.

This is something else. I just cannot see what bit of the bible they are taking literally to end up like this? If only they would just explain where they're coming from and stop condemning people. They give Christianity (and humanity) a bad name

Ahh that makes sense Monica. I mean I did ask them to explain and they refused to.

Ii do not think religion has anything to do with it. These people, as others have sad belong to an extremist group and their dominating feature is their far right political views .

A case of twisting religion to match their politics, rather than the other way round

I've got quite a lot of American friends and yes it's all been Americans saying this.
It's pretty disturbing.
I asked them why they have this belief and they won't say. I wanted to know if there's something in the bible?
I've already had the vaccine so it's too late for me if I've done something terrible.

I also heard: I refuse to live in fear.

Not heard of this before.

Sadly very common in the US

Cases I know personally leave it all up to god and it's just a bad cold and media exaggerates everything - not saying this is a representative sample

Those people also are trumpers so.... what else can I say

Religion and political preferences are tied together in a lot of cases

I do know an anti vax person who is also a believer in Q anon rubbish but when she put a post on Facebook saying all who have been vaccinated should repent I commented that she had no idea as to why people had it done - their choice and I found her post offensive. Have seen no posts from her since - maybe she has blocked me!

Sounds like an extreme, fundamentalist sort of church to me, and they’re more prevalent in America.
I’ve not heard of anything like the same in the U.K., whether standard C of E, Catholic or any other.

CofE here and had both jabs. Don’t know of any who haven’t.

The person in the article didn't belong to a mainstream Christian church but to one that tends to interpret the Bible literally - as far as I can tell. Certainly all the Church of England folk that I know are in favour of the vaccine.