In March 2021, a Pennsylvania newspaper reported that the Amish had achieved herd immunity against Sars-CoV-2 without taking any of the extreme measures common around the world. There were no lockdowns, no church closings, no school closing, and no mask wearing. And almost no vaccinations.

In short, the Amish achieved herd immunity the old-fashioned way, by everybody being exposed to the virus and then developing natural immunity. It turns out that the Amish take the Sacrament with everybody drinking from the same cup, so almost all of the Amish got COVID when the pandemic began.

Exact numbers are difficult to come by in the Amish world, but there is no evidence of a massive number of deaths of Amish in Lancaster County in the last 18 months. Of course the number of cases was very high, but measuring by cases has always been problematic because what really matters is how many people get hospitalized or die from a disease. And there is simply no evidence of that among the Amish.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 1258 reported deaths from COVID in Lancaster County, PA, out of a total population of 550,000. This is about the same as the U.S. death rate of about 734,000 deaths out of a population of 331 million. So, I want to repeat this point: The county that the Amish live in had about the same death rate while relying on natural immunity than the rest of the U.S. did relying on masks, lockdowns, school closures and vaccines.

Now, let’s imagine that the Amish policy had resulted in a massacre of the Amish, which is what the COVID hysterics believe would have happened without all of the lockdowns and mandates. Don’t you think we would be seeing daily news stories from Amish country telling us: this is what happens when you don’t “follow the science?” Instead, we have gotten almost no news reports from Amish country, because the truth is that the Amish approach appears to work.

What about the variants, you say? It turns out that natural immunity actually works better than the vaccines at preventing people from getting the variants, which is why highly vaccinated locations went through a massive spike caused by the delta variant. The numbers from Lancaster county show an increase in cases, but deaths are relatively low.

If you want to know why so many of us have opposed the lockdowns, the masks and the mandates, it is because we have long known that these measures *do not make a difference.* It is not that we are callous about the lives lost to COVID — we are concerned about the number of lives lost and disrupted by measures that will not work. And the experience of the Amish shows we were correct.

There is an excellent five-minute video discussing COVID and the Amish. Click here for the video version.

Here is the transcript of that video.

Here is a story indicating that more than 29 recent studies show that natural immunity is at least as good and in some cases superior to the COVID vaccines.

Small acts of courage can often be the sparks that begin movements against tyranny. You may remember the “Arab Spring” of 2011, which was initiated by a street vendor setting himself on fire to protest tyranny in Tunisia.

That self-immolation led to nationwide protests in Tunisia that resulted in the dictatorial president stepping down. Those protests inspired movements in other North African and Middle Eastern countries, which unfortunately were not as successful. But the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi became an international hero who posthumously won the Sakharov prize and was honored in his home country with a stamp with his image.

Today hundreds of airline pilots are risking their jobs to protest vaccine mandates. Southwest Airlines has canceled nearly 2,000 flights because of an unofficial work stoppage by pilots. Here is one pilot explaining his opposition to the mandates:

https://tv.gab.com/channel/a/view/must-watch-american-pilot-speaks-out-61627ba2380c8a9e03cbbcf4

And please don’t forget that some of the most articulate people in sports today are the brave basketball players speaking up against the vaccine mandate in the NBA.

I should not need to make this point, but I guess I must: there is a difference between suggesting that people voluntarily get vaccinated, which is the Church position, and the federal government mandating vaccination as a stipulation for employment, which is the Biden administration’s position. The former allows for free will; the latter is a Satanic use of force.

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I will always remember Richard Dutcher as the LDS missionary who dies after giving a blessing to a crippled man who is a new convert to the Church. In a spiritually soaring scene, that man is miraculously healed, and then Richard Dutcher, content but suffering from a terminal disease, passes away overnight.

That might be one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema.

As many readers know, that was the climactic scene of the 2000 film “God’s Army,” still probably the best of LDS cinema after all of these years. Richard Dutcher played “Pops,” the faithful Elder Dalton, who refused to leave his mission.

Artists like Richard Dutcher are given special gifts. They are able to synthesize the thoughts, emotions and feelings of millions in powerful scenes that allow us to feel the urgency and clarity of God’s love for all of us. And when these artists direct, write and act in such personal and poignant movies, how can we not feel special empathy for them?

Most readers probably know that Richard Dutcher made another very good movie called “Brigham City” after “God’s Army.” He then went on to make a several more movies…and during that period he announced he was leaving the Church. He gave what I considered to be a melancholy interview for Mormon Stories, then he got divorced, and then there is this horrific story about an ex-girlfriend filing a request for a protective order against Dutcher. Dutcher is quoted saying the following: “These are very painful and worrisome allegations. I do feel the need to state publicly that I have never in my life hit a woman, never choked a woman, never kicked a woman — certainly never sexually abused a woman.”

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Some important thoughts from the prophets during October 2021 General Conference, in order. You can read these thoughts like a long, united discourse with some key messages:

President Nelson, Saturday morning introduction:

I invite you to listen for three things during this conference: pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation. Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth—eternal truth. One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth.² I can assure you that what you will hear today and tomorrow constitutes pure truth.

Elder Christofferson, Saturday morning session:

The way of the world, as you know, is anti-Christ, or “anything but Christ.” Our day is a replay of Book of Mormon history in which charismatic figures pursue unrighteous dominion over others, celebrate sexual license, and promote accumulating wealth as the object of our existence. Their philosophies “justify in committing a little sin”¹⁷ or even a lot of sin, but none can offer redemption. That comes only through the blood of the Lamb. The best the “anything but Christ” or “anything but repentance” crowd can offer is the unfounded claim that sin does not exist or that if it exists, it ultimately has no consequences. I can’t see that argument getting much traction at the Final Judgment…

…Here is the solution for our incessantly quarrelsome times—the love of God. In the golden age of Book of Mormon history following the Savior’s ministry, it is reported that “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.”³¹ As we strive toward Zion, remember the promise in Revelation: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the [holy] city.”³²

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This is an interview with Dan Liddicott, who is LDS and the former Chairman of the Libertarian Party UK.

1. Could you describe how you joined the Church and talk about your testimony?  Are you married in the temple and do you go to the temple in England?  If you are married, how many children?  What do you do for a living?  

I’m what is usually called a life-long member of the Church and grew up with family and friends both in and out of the Church. 

In the UK, where I was born, it’s normal to be very much in the minority regarding Church membership. Being a religious minority gives one a perspective all of its own. Growing up with and attending school with others of different faiths and none endowed me with a broad multicultural and multi-faith perspective that I am grateful for. I feel kinship to all people of goodwill, I feel no prejudice or resentment towards any by virtue of their race, nationality, colour or creed. I believe my upbringing, and gospel teachings that I grew up with are a huge influence on this perspective I have.

I’ve remained an active member my whole life, I graduated Seminary, served honourably in the Ireland Dublin Mission, and eventually married my wonderful wife in the Preston England Temple. We have two sons.

2. Please describe your political conversion to libertarianism and what role you have in the libertarian movement in the UK.  

I began to awaken to politics in my first years as a College student in the 90s. During this time I would probably be best described as leaning towards Christian conservative – with a small ‘c’, since I never signed up to the Conservative Party over here. 

I spent probably too much time in message groups arguing for conservative values, which agreed with my religious principles, when I should have been studying. At this young age I’d not yet fully understood that authoritarianism isn’t good just because it agrees with you. I was learning. It was as a student that I began to formulate my fledgling view of the relationship between left and right, and the various political parties in the UK. I also learned a great deal about the dual standards of so-called liberalism, calling for free speech to promote their views but quickly pulling up the ladder after them, attempting to deny voice to their opponents. Little has changed in that regard in 30 years other than greater polarisation and more extreme measures being taken in seeking to silence others. 

I opposed ID cards when they were mooted in the UK in the early 2000s, and my interest in the effect politics had on everyday life continued to grow. A good friend of mine pointed me to the writings of Ezra Taft Benson, but I still made no political commitment to any party.

My political dormancy remained for many years, but I began to more fully awaken when the Brexit question became a real possibility for a referendum in the UK. 

I am not someone who wants to draw a wall around my spiritual life separating it from the rest of my life. As Brexit became more and more prominent, I began to study to know where my allegiances should be, and my question was this: “what form of Government would God want us to have on this earth?” I sought to approach the question as completely openly as I could, rejecting any preconceptions as best as I could.

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