Let’s start by looking at the attitude to Covid vaccination of the leaders of two of the main Christian religions in the UK.

Just before Christmas, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and supporter of the mass vaccination programme, said that being vaccinated was a moral issue. He added:

''Vaccination reduces my chances – doesn't eliminate – but it reduces my chances of getting ill and reducing my chances of getting ill reduces my chances of infecting others. It's very simple.

'So I would say yes, to love one another – as Jesus said – get vaccinated, get boosted.''

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10334569/Archbishop-Canterbury-says-unvaccinated-immoral-love-neighbour.html

Recently the Catholic bishops of England and Wales issued guidance following the lifting of Plan B restrictions: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/covid-guidance-collective-worship/

Like Justin Welby, they support the mass vaccination programme and encourage people to be vaccinated because:

“The main mitigation against serious health issues arising from Covid infection is to be fully vaccinated;”

and:

“The vaccine programme in England and Wales has had a major impact in reducing death and serious illness from infection with Covid-19.”

This is speculation at best and increasingly seems not to be empirically true, as this chart and article show:

https://dailysceptic.org/2022/01/29/vaccine-effectiveness-against-death-falls-to-zero-or-below-ukhsa-data-suggest/

Apparently these religious leaders have not taken the trouble to look at the evidence for themselves, and seem not to understand the concept of informed consent for medical interventions, including experimental Covid vaccines, which requires a proper understanding of the facts. Nor have they looked at the safety and efficacy of these pharmaceutical products that they are happy to push. They simply repeat controversial statements that have been agreed with (approved by?) public health officials.

Is this the purpose of the church? Was it the purpose of the church to allow people to die alone during lockdown, or to police the number of mourners at funeral services?

Separation of Church and State

While it is a complex matter it is widely agreed that there should be 'political distance in the relationship between religious organisations and the State' - that they should keep each other at 'arm's length'. In other words neither party should be the uncritical mouthpiece of the other. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state What has happened to this concept?

Given these factors, it is proposed that religious leaders should respect bodily autonomy and informed consent by publicly conceding that it is not their role to encourage followers (and non-followers) to undergo medical interventions.

Issue contributed by Daphne Havercroft.