Understanding the Faithless

...so I am beginning to understand the point of view of the faithless again, the "nones" precisely, through the permissive perspective of the P A N D E M I C

(All analogies have limits, so bear with me.)

Here is the narrative: A contagious disease found its way to New York City (and everywhere in between) from China. Most people don't have it. Some people have it and recover, some people don't know they have it, and some people that get it die. (But they were elderly/had preexisting conditions like obesity, lung issues, diabetes.) The government says stop the spread, stay indoors: people in old homes are dying! Essential workers are heroes! We must wear masks in public places #socialdistancing, etc, etc

Ok, I can begin believing that Covid-19 is a health threat because I was furloughed by my employer in March, which would not have happened unless it was highly recommended by a higher authority, in this case the city and state. Money is the lifeblood of our standard of living, and nobody would willingly decrease their standard of living if they weren't at risk of losing their life. (This is why people robbed at gunpoint willingly give up their phones and wallets; these materials are replaceable, whereas one's life is not.)

If I wasn't taking the pandemic seriously, rich people making very good money from the fruits of my labor were. These rich investors had more to lose financially, and were only willing to lose it (temporarily) if it meant that lives would be saved in the process (and they were compelled by the government to do so).

But that was only proof of hysteria, not of Covid-19's dangerous and contagious existence, and was my reason for ignoring the story for as long as I did: not enough people were sick or dying. The government *might* be hysterical too, issuing a quarantine-lockdown to cover their own ass with all of our well beings in mind. Even as Americans we trust the government for our protection. And when they tell us to stay home and #flattenthecurve, we oblige.

So: does the slowing of national economies prove the outbreak? China wouldn't shut down their economy as a mere bluff in the hopes that the US would follow suit and cripple their own economy. The US is smarter than that. China is smarter than that. There has to be some underlying evidence of a P A N D E M I C, ie hard data of rising cases, for nations to save their people in the long run by hurting their economies in the short run. This must make Covid-19 true.

Would the news media lie about the cases to increase their own usefulness (power) during these trying times when people need "real news they can trust?" Absolutely. The mainstream news media (with exception of Tucker Carlson) is never completely trustworthy.

Can I have faith that news hungry plebs, the people willingly socially distancing and spreading fear by mass buying water and toilet paper are not just brainwashed tools? They were brainwashed tools before, so it reasons that they are brainwashed hypochondriacs now. That is a less good reason to believe than the news media.

Therefore, I can only trust that the facts I am reading about the outbreak are true, and that leaders are leading not to enrich themselves but to protect the country's economy and people by making tough decisions given the facts from equally trustworthy doctors.

I have faith because I cannot have immediate and personal physical proof. In this case, I do not want physical proof as it could mean becoming sick myself, or having a sick loved one. Therefore, I am forced to take these authoritative superstitious precautions, albeit halfheartedly. By this I mean "washing my hands," "covering my face when I cough" and "wearing a mask in public."

Before the outbreak I was somewhat hygienic; sometimes washing my hands and always covering my mouth when I sneezed. Like most, I never wore a mask. Since the outbreak the government has forced people to wear masks in public places indoors, and some people have extended that to outdoors as well. The line between superstition and science is a fine one when filtered through government regulation/propaganda. I had faith in germs because I have been ill in the past, but taking unnecessary precautions was unnecessary, even for my faith.

Now, unnecessary is necessary, and I follow the law because I am compelled--not because I believe that this is anything more than a superstitious precaution. (People don't tend to casually spray blood and spit from their facial orifices strolling around.) The government doctor on TV says that wearing a mask gives one a sense of ease more than it actually prevents spread of the virus. Therefore most paranoid people do it for both peace of mind and to shame and condemn others that do not abide by the New World Order, while most sane people do it to be polite--and out of a little bit of fear. Propagandists keep telling us that "we are all in this together," like misanthropic loners are suddenly going to want to like people because wearing a mask is currently culturally acceptable.

(Quick anecdotal aside: My local grocery store has taped directional arrows on the floor for a recommended traveling route. For my own selfish reasons I do not abide. A fellow shopper with their face and eyes covered up to their ears gave me an attitude about not reading the arrows. I ignored him because I don't think that one way shopping aisles does anything to prevent the spread, but instead gives paranoid people the unearned authority to enforce the unAmerican New World Order.)

Does one only believe in Covid-19 out of fear? Do I need to get sick to believe? And even then, will I willfully comply with wearing a face mask in public?

Yes, no, never.

Disbelief in God is *similar* because God is immaterial, like Covid. Also like Covid, God's existence can be deduced by the material evidence for God's existence: the Church, the clergy, the sacraments. Where did all of these material things come from, if not faith in God through evidence of His existence?

So 'nones' might not have faith in the Christian God for personal reasons similar to my personal reasons for not caring about Covid: youth and health.

The Nones that see the material evidence for God in the Church etc is "proof" that God exists, though they may disagree in the way that He is worshiped for personal reasons. Just like when I see people wearing masks outside...because we don't spray blood and mucus from our faces at all times, it is unnecessary to wear a mask if we cover our mouths when we sneeze and wash out hands frequently.

Therefore:

Personal reason:

I am healthy, and Covid only truly affects people that have underlying diseases.

(I am a good person. I get along with everyone and treat them with respect. God shouldn't have a problem with me not worshiping him if I treat others with respect.)

Global reason:

The government shut the economy down, which they wouldn't do if everything were fine.

(The Church exists, which wouldn't be the case if God didn't also exist and they had proof that they wanted to share.)

Faith:

Until I get Covid-19, I don't think its as easily transmissible as they are saying.

(Unless I see God and experience God materially, I don't believe that the way the Church worships God applies to me.)

The difference between God and government is that, contrary to popular belief, God doesn't compel us to belief the same way the government compels us to obey the law. The media makes some facts known to us, but also doesn't force us to believe them. (They compel by persuasion.) Humans can never be truly forced, only persuaded, sometimes successfully, and usually with fear of pain.

Therefore: humans without faith rely on material experience to have faith. But Faith is more nuanced. God doesn't provide outright material proof to non-prophets, and gifted us an intellect to reason his existence. Faith in Covid is less nuanced: Believe! Everyone else is doing it!

Being compelled by the government into cooperating has made me more resistant. That is my natture. The same is probably true for many stubborn "nones," who think the Church is compelling them to live a certain way. There is a very good reason why the Church strongly suggests people obey natural law, but I digress...

What reason do I have to believe in God/Covid if I am healthy/respectful? Don't force your way of life upon me! 

Really they are saying, I don't want to think about this stuff. It's confusing and scary and doesn't apply to my immediate (material) life.

Until it does.

Faith cannot be taught, and for some people, they only have faith when their back is against the wall ...when their lives fail the provide materially, the nones will have faith again. I still believe in Covid, but don't believe in the precautions. That could change when I am dying of Covid, but now I think the analogy has run its course...