Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
God Won’t Protect You

God Won’t Protect You

Last updated on: September 21, 2021 at 7:55 am by Matthew Distefano

God Won’t Protect You 2021-09-21T07:55:32-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Throughout this entire pandemic, we’ve heard a lot of people saying a lot of things. Some of them have been great. Some of them have been dangerous. Some, idiotic. And some are a combination of the last two.

One thing I’ve heard from Christians is the following: “God will protect me.” But will he? Will he really?

Of course, I know of no such study that points to a correlation between believing in God and being spared from COVID-19. In fact, the only thing that is similar is the one that correlates mortality rate and voting for Trump in 2020. Go figure!

But Christians continue to believe that if they pray harder, if they go to church, if they read their Bibles, they’ll be spared from the pandemic.

What they don’t realize is that history has proven this to be incorrect.

Travel with me 1700s Portugal. It’s All Saints’ Day, which is a commemoration of all the saints, known and unknown. It’s 9:40 AM on Saturday, November 1, 1755. Thousands of worshippers are gathered in the churches in Lisbon. And then all hell breaks loose. An earthquake estimated at 8.4 on the Richter scale hits Portugal. People in the churches are smashed to bits. Candles that are lit fall and cause a blazing inferno. Those who are able to escape flee to the coast. A tsunami takes them out. All in all, tens of thousands are dead. The city of Lisbon and surrounding areas are laid to waste.

Now, if you are a rational person, you should be saying to yourself, “If God is going to protect anyone, it’s the church-goer on the day Christians celebrate the saints.” But no. Many of them died a horrible death. Crushed. Burned. Drowned. All in a day that forever lives in infamy.

If that can happen, then, what makes you think God is going to protect YOU during a global pandemic that has, to date, killed nearly 5 million people? He’s not. Sorry, but that’s obviously not happening.

What will protect you is wearing a mask in public, washing your hands, social distancing, and, of course, getting a vaccine. This has been demonstrated, and yet many of you still aren’t convinced. You’ll claim God will protect you without a shred of evidence, yet you’ll deny all the scientific evidence handfed to you by the experts in the field. This is shocking, and out and out tragic.

Without a doubt, this realization that God won’t protect you forces many into an existential crisis. That’s what the earthquake in Lisbon did for the people of the time. Many a theodicy – an explanation for why there is evil in a world created by a good God – was put forth. And I’ll be honest: I still struggle with the idea that God is good in the midst of horrific suffering. In fact, even though I’ve heard just about every theodicy – from the asinine Calvinist version to the more palatable ones put forth by Thomas Jay Oord and Mark Karris – I still remain rather agnostic. That is to say, if me and the Big Guy come face to face someday, I’m gonna have my questions.

Putting that aside, what I’m less agnostic about is how to protect, not only myself, but others. The data is clear.

If I wear a mask when I’m around other people, I give them a hedge of protection. It’s not perfect, but what is? Shockingly, many others – Christians included – don’t seem to give a shit about other people. They’ll walk right up to you, maskless, and breathe right on you. Because Jesus! And freedom!

If I socially distance – at least 6 feet indoors – I have less of a chance of getting sick and getting others sick. As an introvert who likes my personal bubble, this is a no-brainer.

If I wash my hands frequently, again, I protect myself and have less of a chance of spreading COVID to others.

And lastly, now that I am vaccinated, I have less of a chance of contracting serious disease, which helps out our already taxed hospital systems. (Note: This is not to say that literally EVERYONE should get vaccinated. I realize there are medical reasons NOT to. I’m talking in generalizations, people, not in completely universal terms.)

Are any of these measures perfect? No. Again, nothing is. But just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Is your driving perfect? No, but you still drive. Is food safety perfect? No, but you still eat. Is eating healthy and working out perfect? No, but you still do it so that you give yourself a better chance of living a long, happy life.

Sadly, even though what I’m saying is perfectly reasonable and full of common sense, many will still dig in their heels and refuse to look out for others. It’s all about MY freedom, MY rights, and MY body. Well fine, but just realize that none of these things have anything to do with Jesus, his God, or the spirit behind what Christianity was supposed to look like. You’d be better off just admitting that you’re selfish and that you don’t give a shit about others. At least then you’d be honest while also being dangerous.

If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms:

Also, if you’ve been digging my work on here, and want to see me be able to continue writing as close to full-time as humanly possible, please take a look at my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mjdistefano. Even $1 a month helps bigly!!!

About Matthew J. Distefano

Matthew J. Distefano is the author of multiple books, a long-time social worker, hip-hop artist, and cohost of the wildly popular Heretic Happy Hour podcast. He lives in Northern California with his wife and daughter. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 17, 2021

"Can I Get My Hair Cut Under a Rainbow Flag?": A Response

Next Post

September 24, 2021 Alisa Childers Just Doesn't Get It

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I came to Jesus at night to ask about being born again. Who was this Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Gamaliel Nicodemus Caiaphas Joseph of Arimathea

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »