As many readers know, I have been hesitant to receive the COVID vaccines. The primary reason is that I already got the virus nine months ago, and my family just got an anti-body test, and we all still have anti-bodies from that event. I am in my late-50s and in good health, and I was mildly sick for just a few days from COVID, so there was no real reason for me to get the vaccine.

But then the Brethren’s announced on Aug. 12: “To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.“

So, I took the issue to the Lord along with my wife and children. We prayed sincerely. And the next day I was driving alone along a rural road in Colorado, and I got a very strong impression, an undeniable answer in my mind: “If you need to take the vaccine to travel for your job or for other reasons, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be safe for you. If you take it, all will be well.”

At about the same time, my wife, who was not with me, received the same revelation. And my brother and sister-in-law, who were vaccine-hesitant, also received the same revelation around the same time. Wow. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

This is a personal revelation for me. This revelation does not give me license to go around telling other people what they should be doing with their bodies. Note to the many commenters on this blog (comments that have been deleted): mind your own business. Your attempts to shame other people into making the same medical choices you make are pathetic and wrong, and you are nothing but a cowardly bully.

So, the only advice I am going to pass along to others is: be prayerful. Ask the Lord. And if you get a different answer than I got, I will not be surprised, and I will be Ok with that. I already have the antibodies, and I will be vaccinated, so I really don’t have any reason to have an opinion about your medical choices. I wish more busy-bodies understood this basic logic.

Why did the Lord single out the J&J vaccine? I will point out it is more of a traditional vaccine, and according to many reports I have seen the side effects are likely to be less severe. But as I say, this revelation is for me, and if you have different results when you pray, more power to you.

What about masks, you say? Well, the science still says masks are virtually useless against viruses, but, yes, I wear a mask in some situations. But of course your mileage may vary.

About a quarter of the people in our ward in Colorado wore masks today, which is more than usual for the last four months or so. Our bishop got up and gave the most common sense talk on this subject that I have seen a long time. He basically told people that the Church believes in free agency, and the Church is urging people to wear masks when they cannot social distance and the Church is urging people to be vaccinated. He asks people to be kind and not make judgements of the people who decide to wear masks and get vaccinated, but he also asked members not to be judgmental of those who decided NOT to wear masks or get vaccinated.

Basically, he was asking people to be charitable and mind their own business when it comes to other peoples’ personal choices. I was very pleased to hear him say this, because the secret to getting along in a pluralistic society is minding your own business. And this is what I have been saying since the beginning of the pandemic.

Regular readers will know that I am against all government mandates regarding the pandemic, and this includes masks and vaccines. And the Church’s statement on Thursday partly supports my position. The Church does not ask for government mandates on masks and vaccines but asks for people to voluntarily wear masks when they cannot social distance and voluntarily decide to get vaccinated.

I want to make it clear that my position on this issue has not changed. I support the Brethren and I support my local leadership. And I believe the science that overwhelmingly shows that masks are nearly useless against viruses, and I have many questions about the vaccines. The more I study the issue, the more I am sure of my position on this issue.

However, there is another argument that all Latter-day Saints need to consider. And that is simply this: we are supposed to follow the prophet even when it doesn’t make sense to our logical brains. So, if we are going to “Steel Man” the prophets’ statement, we must come around to this position, and we simply cannot avoid it. (Steel Manning an argument means presenting the best case of an argument — it is the opposite of Straw Manning an argument, which is to oppose an argument based on nit-picking and not really addressing the central point of the argument).

The prophet has asked us to do something. We should do it. We need to think about Naaman, who was told by a prophet to wash in the Jordan River seven times so his leprosy would be cured, but he at first was angry with this advice because his logical brain told him the advice was ridiculous. But he was told that if God had asked him to do a great thing, he would have done it, so God is asking him to do an easy thing, why not do it? And Naaman took the advice, and he was healed. (Here is a really thorough explanation of Naaman’s story, which you can read about in 2 Kings 5:1-19).

So, comparing our situation to that of Naaman, if we were asked to move to Salt Lake City to take some new Church calling, we would probably do it. But we are asked to do something relatively simple, which is to wear a mask and get a vaccine (I understand these are not simple things for many people, but I am just trying to make the best argument possible for the Church’s position).

My bishop said today that the whole situation reminded him of Lehi and Nephi being told to leave Jerusalem, which of course was a huge hardship for Lehi’s family. But Nephi was blessed for “going and doing” what the Lord asked, and the rebellious members of the family were ultimately not blessed.

I would also like to link a thoughtful post from last year by a mask skeptic who has decided to change his tune because of the Church’s guidance. I don’t agree with some of the points in this post, but I think he makes a very good argument in favor of changing behavior to align with the Brethren. On that same blog, there is a thoughtful post regarding vaccines. Reading these two posts over the next half-hour or so, and considering the arguments I made about Naaman and Nephi provides, I think, the best possible argument in favor of the Church’s position. I would urge all people to consider these ideas.

Church leadership came out with the following statement today:

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent the following message on Thursday, August 12, 2021, to Church members around the world:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.

To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.

We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.

The First Presidency

Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
Henry B. Eyring

This statement has already been sent to me several times by triumphant people who hate the common sense things I have written on M* since the start of the pandemic. If you want to see hatred, you should see the emails and messages I get. But even if there are hundreds of people out there who apparently hate me, I do not respond in kind. The Gospel is not about hate, it is about loving God, loving Christ and supporting Church leadership.

I support Church leadership. I support my bishop, I support my EQ president, I support my stake president, and I support all Church leaders including President Nelson, who I have no doubt is inspired.

So, will this message change me or what I write? No, it will not. Here is what the people who hate me do not apparently understand: I have no problem with voluntary calls by the Church or anybody else for people to wear masks and get vaccinated. My concern has always been with government mandates for lockdowns, masks or vaccination. The Church asks for voluntary measures, not mandatory, government enforced measures. I have no issues with that.

When my local ward said we must wear masks to Sacrament meeting, I went every week and wore a mask. When the temple said we must wear masks if we wanted to attend, I wore a mask (and fyi: the masks turned out not to be required when I actually got there, but I was willing to wear a mask to attend. There is a lot of social distancing at our local temple). When a brother I minister to asked me to wear a mask when I visit, I wore a mask without a problem. The Church is asking members to get vaccinated. I have said from the beginning of the pandemic that I am open to getting vaccinated eventually. I have already gotten COVID, and I have anti-bodies, so I don’t need to get vaccinated now. But some day? Sure. I have written multiple times that people at high risk from COVID should be vaccinated.

My primary message today is to the many hundreds of people I know personally and have heard from in the last 18 months who oppose the Church’s position on masks and vaccines. The Church is still true. Nothing has changed. Why is the Church taking a position that you find difficult to support, a position that is not supported by many scientific studies? The Church’s mission is to spread the Gospel. The Church cannot be known as the “anti-vax church” or the “anti-mask church.” In addition, the Church has a long history of supporting vaccines. We cannot expect the Church to say that all of the past vaccines are OK, but the COVID vaccines are not.

To those who oppose the Church’s position on masks and vaccines, there is another important point: we will all be tested in our different ways as to whether we will follow the Brethren, even if we disagree. For progressive Mormons, the test over the last 20 years has been a difficult one, and many have fallen away. The progressives who I most respect are those who say, “I don’t understand and I oppose the Church’s position on this issue, but I still support the Brethren and my local leadership, and I know the Book of Mormon really was translated by Joseph Smith through the power of God.” The progressives who are still going to Church and keeping their covenants even though the Church is against gay marriage, against elective abortion, against government welfare and against the transgender agenda are modern-day heroes.

So, to my conservative friends who oppose masks and vaccines, I say: keep your covenants, keep on going to Church, keep on watching Conference, keep on going to the temple, keep on doing your calling. All will be made clear in time.

So, sorry to disappoint the haters, but I am completely at peace with the First Presidency’s announcement today.

But I do have some questions for readers to consider:

1)Do you support the Church’s positions on masks and vaccines but oppose the Church’s position on gay marriage? How about on abortion or gender identity issues?

2)Do you believe the Church is saying EVERYBODY should be vaccinated, including infants? How about women who are pregnant or people with Guillain-Barre Syndrome? (Keep in mind before you answer that the WHO has said that people under the age of 18 should not get vaccinated).

3)In our ward, we practice social distancing, but most people do not wear face masks. Do you think we are somehow violating the Church’s position?

4)Will you personally try to be kind to people who decide not to get vaccinated or wear masks?

5)Do you only eat meat and chicken during the winter, or “in times of cold, or of famine?” (See D&C 89:13 — if you have ever had a hot dog or hamburger for July 4 in the United States, the answer is no).

6)What do you think Joseph Smith meant when he said, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves?”

7)Are the questions “do you wear a mask during social situations?” and “are you vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2?” asked during temple recommend interviews? Do you think members would act differently if these questions were asked during temple recommend interviews, and why is that?

The beginning of the 21st century has brought many positive things, but it has also brought some alarming trends. One of the worst is the Politicization of Everything, from the Oscars to the NFL to the COVID-19 panic. We are seeing horrific evidence that the scientific method, which has caused so many wonderful inventions and technological and medical breakthroughs, is now on its way out.

As readers should know, the scientific method is this:

In our time, when it comes to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the scientific method has been replaced with this:

And of course when actual science takes place, it is censored by Big Tech and the corporate media. If we cite science that does not agree with the medical establishment/big government narrative, we are told that this is “misinformation,” which is really just another word for “inconvenient facts that challenge the propaganda we are being fed via social media and the media.”

Let me be as clear as possible about this: the scientific method that has brought the world so much prosperity and miraculous new medical advancements is based on CHALLENGING THE EXISTING NARRATIVES. For science to advance, we need to accept that people will be outside of the establishment coming up with new approaches and new ideas. Obviously many of these new approaches and new ideas will fail, but failure is part of the scientific method itself. It is the energy of constantly challenging the existing assumptions that brings progress.

What is happening today is instead a massive, worldwide attempt to silence any scientific advancement that does not exactly fit the narrative of the medical establishment, most government leaders, Big Tech and the corporate media. Any data that does not fit the narrative is ignored and squelched. Today’s Unpersons are the doctors and scientists who come to any conclusions that are Not Approved by the ruling class. This is extremely dangerous, and I am sorry to say that many, many Latter-day Saint scientists are actively participating in this attempt to repress medical innovation. If there is one thing most (not all, thankfullly) Latter-day Saint scientists believe these days, it is that the medical establishment must be defended at all costs. It is shameful that so many prominent LDS scientists cannot, at the very least, bring themselves to condemn the obvious censorship taking place, but the response from so many sources is crickets. Note to these LDS scientists: if you accept the scientific authoritarianism taking place today, it is only a matter of time until they come after you.

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JD Vance grew up in a poor area of Ohio, had a rough upbringing, later went on to join the Marines and eventually got a law degree from Yale law school. He wrote one of the most talked about books of 2016-2017, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was universally praised by the mainstream media. This was primarily because Vance went to Yale and was a venture capitalist and therefore was considered part of the ruling class.

Then JD Vance decided to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican from Ohio, and now the ruling class hates him. And he is fighting back.

“We are run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of child less cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too,” Vance said.

“It’s just a basic fact,” Vance continued. “You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC. The entire future of the Democrats are controlled by people without children.”

“How does it make any sense we turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” he asked. “I just wanted to ask that question and propose that maybe if we want a healthy ruling class in this country, we should invest more, we should vote more, we should support more people who actually have kids. Because those are the people who ultimately have a more direct stake in the future of this country.”

“It hit a nerve,” Vance said about the vehement reaction to his comments. “These people recognize that they’re unhappy. They live in one-bedroom apartments in New York City. They’ve played their entire lives to win a status game. They are obsessed with jobs. They are obsessed with their wealth and their fortunes and they look at middle America, people who are pretty happy with their lives and the choices they’ve made. And they hate normal Americans for choosing family over these ridiculous D.C. and New York status games.”

“I think because of that they just get so angry when somebody calls it what it is,” he said. “It’s acceptable if they ignore that it never happens but if someone calls out that, look, if you are a miserable cat lady you should not force your misery on the rest of the country. They just get really upset about it.”

“It’s a good thing they get upset about it,” Vance continued. “It suggests they know that we are hitting a nerve. Not just in this campaign but with this message that we should invest in American families in this country. If nothing else, we should be about healthy, stable families.”

“Happier people would make for a happier country,” he said. “The most miserable people in the mainstream media are these mediocre journalists who have their entire sense of self-worth wrapped up in their crappy jobs instead of their families.”

“People who go home at night and see the face of a smiling kid, whatever their profession, I think they are happier, I think they are healthier and they are going to be better prepared to actually lead this country,” Vance said.

“The problem I have of entering this period of COVID obsession again is that we have so many people proposing we mask our children again,” he said. “The people who are proposing it, they don’t have to go home to a child at the end the day. If they did I don’t think they would propose all these ridiculous restrictions again.”

Here is the video of JD Vance’s controversial statements.

A few important points:

1)JD Vance is a populist, and I disagree with him on a lot of issues.

2)There are plenty of childless Republicans and Libertarians also, so the claim that this is just about Democrats is false.

3)It is undeniable, however, that people without children are going to have different priorities than people with children, and it is true that fewer people in the ruling class today have children, so, yes, they are more likely to promote policies that harm young people. All you have to do is look at the ridiculous attempts to mask up our kids again for school when the science clearly shows that kids are at a near-zero risk from COVID-19 and its variants. This also applies to vaccines, by the way, and even the WHO does not recommend vaccinating people under 18, but our ruling class wants them all to be jabbed.

4)I can also report that my personal experience is that people without kids do, indeed, tend to be increasingly miserable as they get older, especially if their lack of progeny is due to poor choices when they are young. Having children helps you understand that life is about more than your own selfish choices, and this is a key factor in personal happiness.

5)JD Vance is about to turn 37, is married and has two kids. He recently converted to Catholicism. Just FYI.