covid deaths teaser
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A United Methodist Insight Column
In the time it takes to listen to Bing Crosby sing “White Christmas,” five people will die of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. So why aren’t we more outraged by the deaths of so many? A recent article in the Washington Post, “Why Americans are numb to the staggering coronavirus death toll,” tries to get behind the apparent lack of empathy for the 319,000 COVID-19 victims nationwide.
The Post’s William Wan and Brittany Shammas write, “Many of our strongest impulses are working against us, experts say.” Among them is our inability to cope with large numbers of people dying in circumstances that stretch over a long period of time.
In another section, the authors note that: “With daily death counts soaring to record heights in recent weeks, some sociologists believe the deepening apathy and lack of outrage can be traced to who is dying.
“The disease continues to ravage African Americans and other people of color far more than White patients. People 65 years and older account for roughly 80 percent of deaths. Many of the biggest outbreaks have occurred in prisons.”
Wan and Shammas quote Lori Peek, who directs the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder: “There’s no question that the demography of who is dying plays a role in the level of empathy we’re seeing.”
Some of us remember a similar lack of concern in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when otherwise compassionate Christians scorned those who contracted “gay cancer.” Even now the unspoken bias is that those most seriously ill with COVID-19 somehow deserve it because they’re fat, or they smoke, or they have diabetes, or they’re Black, Brown or Native American with underlying conditions due to inadequate health care.
This judgmental scorn, this callous indifference shows up in attitudes of not wearing masks, not keeping physical distance, not washing hands and sanitizing properly. It even shows up in holding indoor, in-person worship services, like many scheduled for Christmas Eve.
What I hope truly staggers thoughtful Christians over the coming twelve days of Christmas is the reality that the Incarnation we celebrate represents the exact opposite of the way we’re behaving now toward the coronavirus death toll and public health efforts to stop the pandemic. The same theme runs throughout the Apostle Paul’s writing and all four gospels, perhaps best expressed in the familiar words of John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (NRSV**)
What better way could we celebrate the babe of Bethlehem than to give COVID-19 victims and their survivors, along with overburdened health care workers, the love and compassion shown to us who believe in him? Show some love this Christmas:
- Don’t travel. If you must, please observe all COVID-19 precautions.
- Wear a mask anytime you expect to encounter someone not of your immediate family.
- Keep six feet away from one another.
- Wash your hands often. Use sanitizer if washing isn’t readily available.
Health care professionals tell us we’ll see many more deaths before this plague is over. Only if we work together to stem its tide can we protect one another.
The kids aren’t all right
As we move into a new year, it’s time to take stock of the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on the mental health of children and teen-agers.
Sad child
Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash
Melissa B. Taboada of Texas Tribune reports: “Last month, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis found a significant increase in pediatric mental health-related emergency room visits, often the first point of care for children needing mental health care. Beginning in April, mental health-related visits to a large sampling of emergency rooms in 47 states increased 24% among children ages 5 to 11 and 31% for those 12 to 17 compared to 2019.
“… Emerging research from other countries, as well as long-term data on the effect of other community disasters and prior epidemics, ‘suggest that the mental health toll of COVID-19 and its associated burdens on youth will be significant and long lasting,’ said Sharon Hoover, professor of child adolescent psychiatry and co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. ‘We anticipate increases in depression, anxiety, trauma and grief, and more demand for an array of mental health services and supports for children and families.’ ”
Talk to your children, grandchildren and any young people you know about how the pandemic has affected them. If someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Media Mentions as of Dec. 22, 2020
Televangelist Pat Robertson says it’s time for Trump to accept Biden’s win and ‘move on’ – The Washington Post*
Some U.S. Black pastors, key players in COVID education, are hesitating to push vaccine – Reuters
A new pastor who couldn’t meet members of her church found a way to celebrate Christmas with them – The Washington Post*
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota town insists it isn’t racist – NBC News
Proud Boys leader takes credit for burning D.C. church’s Black Lives Matter banner – NPR
God help us: We’re losing our religion and filling the void with politics – USA Today
How Religion and LGBTQ Rights Intersect in Media Coverage – Center For American ProgressGive
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Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.
**New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, copyright 1989 and 1996 by the Christian Education Committee of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.