Here’s a complex question that is worthy of serious research by journalists: Are people who believe in heaven less likely to feel the need to get vaccinated against COVID-19?
Now, lots of people believe in eternal life and the vast majority of them believe — no matter what their level of faith or practice — that they are headed straight to heaven when they die. Belief in hell? That’s another matter.
Ah. But who, according to most media stereotypes, are the folks who REALLY believe in heaven? In particular, what kind of person would let that belief affect their actions in the real world (which means issues of political policy and public health)?
Obviously, we would be talking about all of those dang White evangelical Protestants. Right?
That brings us to a recent headline at The Daily Memphian (“the primary daily online publication for intelligent, in-depth journalism in the Memphis community”) that caught the eye of some GetReligion readers. The emails I received made it clear that some people were mad about this story for different reasons. Hold that thought.
First, the headline: “Miss. Gov.: South’s response to COVID impacted by belief in ‘eternal life’.” Then, here is the overture:
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves believes religion has a lot to do with the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a … fundraiser at the Eads home of Shelby County Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor, Reeves spoke to several dozen Republicans.
“I’m often asked by some of my friends on the other side of the aisle about COVID … and why does it seem like folks in Mississippi and maybe in the Mid-South are a little less scared, shall we say,” Reeves said.
“When you believe in eternal life — when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,” he said, but added: “Now, God also tells us to take necessary precautions. And we all have opportunities and abilities to do that and we should all do that. I encourage everyone to do so. But the reality is that working together, we can get beyond this. We can move forward. We can move on.”
Now, it was clear that some people thought that this comment was outrageous and they wanted GetReligion to call attention to this story — as further proof that evangelicals are a blight on our land. They were, in other words, mad about the CONTENTS of this story.
Another reader, in my judgement, was upset that this story seemed to have been written with a touch of snark. Take, for example, this reference just after the heavenly minded quotes:
Because the event was outside, masks were not required under Shelby County Health Department guidelines. But there was little social distancing.
The story notes that, in terms of school policies, Reeves was pro-mask mandates a year ago — but not this year.
Then again, there is this tiny bite of content:
Reeves also called new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on the Delta variant, which recommended masking, “not rational science.”
Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccinations rates among the 50 states.
Something tells me that the governor probably had more to say on the subject of the CDC Gelta guidelines than that three-word statement.
So was this a good story or a bad story? A negative story? A sarcastic story? A story pointing toward a valid subject worthy of more coverage?
I can understand the views of those who thought this report was written in an attempt to make Reeves look as bad as possible, treating him as a kind of Bible Belt strawman. Then again, the governor said what he said and he was trying to say all kinds of things. He was saying that believers are not as afraid of death. He was also saying that God wants people to be careful and take precautions. Then it seemed like he was saying that, whatever you believe about COVID-19, it’s time to get back to business.
One thing is clear: This story really didn’t over any meaningful reporting on what is actually a serious subject — the role that religious beliefs are playing in the vaccine debates. This isn’t even a story offering three anecdotes and a few numbers from a Pew Research Center poll.
Allow me to make a few comments on why I think this topic matters:
* Who believes in heaven? Well, Catholics, Protestants of various kinds, Latter-day Saints and lots of other people. I bet lots of them are on both sides of this debate, even in the Bible Belt.
* Based on the numbers I have seen, there are plenty of Black Protestants who are in the vaccine-hesitant camp, as well as White evangelicals. That’s an important issue in the state of Mississippi and across the deep South.
* When thinking about religious liberty and those seeking exemptions from vaccine mandates, remember that — for decades — the U.S. Supreme Court has said that government can ask tough questions about religious beliefs and actions when they involve fraud, profit and clear threats to life and health. Watch for discussions of that third factor in these public-policy debates.
* As I have said before, the fact that there are bitter debates on this topic in conservative pews is a sign of DIVISION on the topic, not that Black and White believers are UNITED against vaccines and masks. The press coverage keeps implying unity here and that is the opposite of what the facts show.
* Yes, Republicans are certainly more vaccine-reluctant than Democrats. But when it comes to religion, it’s clear that evangelicals are pretty much in the middle of the road, when it comes to how believers see these issues. As always, follow Ryan Burge for some of the key survey numbers.
Also, as I wrote the other day in an “On Religion” column:
… (H)ealth-care activists interested in changing minds in pews haven’t been helped by waves of press reports claiming “white evangelicals” are the largest flock of anti-vaccine believers, according to evangelical writer Daniel Darling, author of “A Way with Words: Using Our Online Conversations for Good” and numerous other popular books.
“Yes, it’s true that evangelicals are divided over COVID, but so is everyone else. … There’s no one clear reason why so many people are refusing to get vaccinated,” he said.
“Our whole nation is divided. It’s young vs. old, working class people vs. elites, along with that whole rural vs. urban-suburban political thing. … Trust levels seem to be at an all-time low and that makes it hard to talk about issues that really matter.”
Yes, that’s the veteran evangelical activist and writer who — shortly after I filed that column — was fired by the National Religious Broadcasters for trying to map out a centrist stance (pro-vaccines, but worried about forcing people to get jabbed) in an essay at USA Today and then in comments on MSNBC.
What role are religious doctrines and beliefs playing in all of this? Frankly, I don’t know, but it certainly appears that they matter or that people want to claim that they matter.
How can journalists cover this story? First, they will have to talk to pollsters and look closely at the numbers. But solid reporting, in this case, will certainly require more than quoting a few rather confusing words from one politician standing at a microphone.
As always: Be careful out there.
FIRST IMAGE: Graphic featured with a Fast Company feature on spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
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