On Face Masks, etc.

Ｏｎ Ｆａｃｅ Ｍａｓｋｓ， ｅｔｃ．．．

Folks are making lots of noise one way or the other about face masks. They claim that somehow it is an invasion of personal freedom to have to wear a facial covering. It is a horrible imposition plus deleterious or even deadly to wear one.

Can we examine these contentions logically?

𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔—

Then why do doctors, nurses, dentists, and hygienists wear them?

If they are so dangerous and robbing the wearer of vital oxygen, why do you entrust your health care to someone who is compromised to the point of being anoxic or nearly dead?

Are they a bother? Yes. I can't use my reading glasses while wearing a mask because the lenses steam up. But that's not the same thing.

𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑬𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒚—

Uh-huh.  Maybe.

We went through this in 1918. And I know how to say "no" if the push and requirements become too much and actually becomes a moral issue.

However, let's think about your response to what Government asks you to do:

Certainly you must be refusing to wear a seat belt because the Government told you too and you don't like someone telling you what to do? How about that helmet while riding a bike or a motorcycle? You ignore that too, right? The government told you to buy auto insurance and the government told you to submit to the requirements to get a driver's license. You ignore those too, don't you?

The government told you that you should drive on a certain side of the road, stop when a certain color appears, refrain from going faster than a certain arbitrary speed randomly posted here and there. You ignore all of those too, don't you?

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. And maybe you are starting to chafe against what I'm saying. I don't know and it doesn't really matter. Yes, we are called to obey our Civil Authority (Romans 13). And yes, we are supposed to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

But how in the world is wearing a face covering suddenly a moral issue and a litmus test for spirituality? Paul tells his readers in Corinth not to use their liberty to destroy the weaker brother who is still concerned about many things. This is a modern example of those issues. Thus, if my brother is concerned about Covid-19, I will wear a mask in his presence even though I know that it probably does little one way of the other. If my brother is immune compromised, I will certainly wear a mask and practice social distancing because I love him and I want to do the best for him by all I do. If my brother is uncomfortable with visiting in person, then I will call him by phone, or text, or email, and help him out by bringing groceries to him as he needs.

In all of this, I will be all things to all men and seek to be the winsome light of the Gospel to those around me. I don't have much influence in this world, but I sure as tooting am not going to mess up the tiny influence that I have in my small corner of the world.

In short, I am not going to make wearing a mask or not a moral hill upon which I stake my claim. There are far larger issues. There are far greater summits to claim. If somehow my wearing a mask helps my neighbor, either psychologically or by prevention of disease, then I will wear the mask. I am to become all things to all people so as to win some to Christ.