Church Statement on Vaccine -OVSP (Opposed Vac, Support Prophet)

My Thoughts on Church Statement on Covid Vaccine

Directed at Those Who Opposed the Vaccine, but Sustain the Prophet

I associate with people who have all kinds of thoughts on why the church spoke out on the Covid Vaccine. I know some people who love and are sold on the vaccine and think it is so safe and effective. I followed a group that I enjoyed for their spiritual insights and shared awareness of some of the corruption in high places. I ended up leaving this group because one of the main people was convinced that the Covid vaccine was the mark of the beast. I didn’t mind that she thought that, but I was saddened when she acted like she knew better than the prophet. Most of the people I associate with fall somewhere in between. Some who think the vaccine was okay, but disagreed with the mandates. Others who didn’t like the vaccine, but wanted to support and follow the prophet and struggled to find the balance. 

I will probably write my thoughts on this topic addressed to a couple of the viewpoints, but this one will be directed at those who disagreed with the vaccine, but want to support the church and sustain the prophet. This is the group that I fall in so I probably feel the most camaraderie with you. I think I have some unique thoughts on this topic that may help spark more understanding. 

After noticing a lot of discrepancies in the science and also unfair censorship occurring throughout the pandemic I started paying more attention. I initially wasn’t worried at all about the vaccine, but found some information on the research that went into SARS-Covid-1 (2002 time period). For that virus they had started to develop a vaccine, but a phenomenon called antibody enhancement occurred. I looked up some medical journal searching under the term “antibody enhancement” and one of the top results was an original study of the animal testing of that vaccine for SARS-Cov-1. I read about how it said no human testing recommended due to the poor results from that vaccine in animals. Basically what happens is that in a few viruses having antibodies causes your body to over-react and results in poorer health outcomes than no treatment. Because of the similarities between SARS-Cov-1 and SARS-Cov-2 I was more hesitant and worried the same could be true for Covid-19. A week later I tried to find that same article and couldn’t find it for the life of me. I’m sure it was still there and I could have found it if I had written down the name, but it seemed the Search Engine Optimization had buried it and gave a lot different results. 

I later stumbled across more and more information indicating that the vaccine wasn’t as effective or safe as they were claiming it to be. I don’t know if someone was feeding both sides information in an attempt to further divide people or if there really was just an info war going on, but it was fascinating to see. 

When I started to see the mandates coming I realized that this was not right. To see that people would lose their job over a vaccine that they said didn’t stop transmission but only resulted in a reduction of symptoms was just wrong. This was a breach of liberty. The control of information and censoring of scientists and doctors was also a grievous breach of science and medical ethics. But because it was an “emergency” a lot of people were okay with it. I decided to make a stand for liberty and was willing to give up my job and my means of providing for my family over it. I told my boss this and she was hoping I would cave and get it because I was a good worker and had always been easy to get along with up til then. The thing was that the state said there were religious and medical exemptions, but work basically said you couldn’t get them because they didn’t know how the governor would treat exemptions. 

I was committed to my cause and kept repeating the words from America the Beautiful

“O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!”

Although I later realized that I was singing the words wrong in my head and was including the word freedom instead of mercy lol. I knew and had trust that God would help me in my efforts and wouldn’t allow me to fail my family as I was doing my best to do what is right. 

Then the prophet’s statement came out. An uncle who had similar beliefs on the vaccine as I did decided he was going to get it. I did everything I could to convince him that the prophet was likely doing this because they had to and they were likely facing pressure that made them support the vaccine. I read into the fine details of the statement and noticed differences in the wording such as using the term inoculation in one place versus vaccination in another. I concluded that inoculation included immunity from previous exposure. None of the great information or ideas I had could sway my uncle who only days previous agreed with me. I was frustrated because he was a great example to me and I felt like he had a big role to play in the events coming up. 

As we were driving home from visiting them I was listening to The Triumph of Zion by John Pontius. That is probably my favorite book as it talks about some of the higher blessings of the Covenant Path that we don’t normally talk about and does so based on scriptures and prophetic statements that just caused my heart to burn with the Spirit. But this part he was talking about Abrahamic sacrifices as part of our journey. It hit me then, “what if doing this is an Abrahamic sacrifice God is wanting me to make?” I remember listening to some of Hyrum Andrus videos and he was saying that if his priesthood leader (bishop, stake president, prophet) told him something and if he even knew it was wrong that he would agree and say they were right. This was the first seed planted, but I still wasn’t sold. 

I remember feeling like I was sure my chances for survival were higher without doing it and there was nothing that could get me to do it. I was thrilled and excited to make a sacrifice of giving up my job for the Lord. That was supposed to be my sacrifice, not joining the crowds and taking the vax. But I also wondered how I could give up my means of providing when the church had just made this statement. 

My wife and I concluded that we needed to pray about it in the temple. In the Celestial room I poured out my soul to God. I prayed with open heart, trying to be impartial and being willing to go with whatever answer I received from the Lord. After struggling in prayer I felt very clearly that I needed to do it. I continued in prayer til I felt the assurance that I would be protected, if even by angels if necessary. I then concluded that I would “go and do” and that I wouldn’t be dissuaded as the Lord would provide a means to fulfill the commandments He had given. 

To be clear, I don’t think this was a commandment for everyone and I think many people were directed not to take it. But this was a commandment from God to me, through the Holy Ghost. 

I thought of a lot of possibilities as to why God would command this of me. I knew that my understanding wasn’t greater than the prophets. I had wondered for a time after the statement if the prophet just wasn’t aware of the health risks involving the vaccine and then I concluded that didn’t hold weight. I wondered if maybe the conspiracy theories I had been led to were intentionally fed to conservative people as a means to kill more of them off and there was another virus coming that the vaccine would actually help with (which was counter to what I had previously thought).

I decided that the “misinformation” I had felt God leading me to wasn’t just false, but maybe an incomplete picture. I was inclined to do the Johnson and Johnson because it was the one the news made seem like the ugly stepchild, but actually looking at the data from the VAERS website, didn’t seem to me to be all that worse. 

When I went to get the vaccine I met an old friend I hadn’t seen in ten years. We caught up and chatted for a while and then I asked him what he was doing. He said he was going to get his heart checked out since he had been having bad chest pain since he got his “second shot.” In my mind I started laughing hilariously and tragically and shook my hands to heaven and asked, “God can you test me any more?!” But after finishing our conversation I went straight forward like Nephi and got it done. Later I found out my friend recovered and was fine, by the way. 

One side note is that I did pray over/bless the vaccine that all that was harmful in it would be destroyed and anything good would be enhanced. 

A month later I got Covid for the only time before or since. People may say it was because I got the least effective shot and I would say that’s exactly why I got that one. Not because I wanted Covid, but because I was worried about the other health problems more.

So now, my ideas on why I was commanded to take it. One thing that comes to mind is the law of obedience and sacrifice. Joseph Smith taught the following

Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; … it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life.

About four months after taking the vaccine I was blessed with a new job opportunity that eventually allowed me a lot more freedom and is one that I love. I don’t think this would have come up if I had stopped working originally when the vaccine mandate came around. This new job has given me more time to serve God and be with my family. It also helped me feel less concerned about what would happen if they mandated the next boosters for healthcare workers.

Also around this same time I received another personal blessing that I had been seeking for a long time, which brought me much peace and confidence. 

Now I’d like to share one thought that might help people who struggled to know why the prophet would make the statement he did on the vaccine. First off, I will ask you to think about what would have happened if he didn’t. Many of you realize if the church had spoken against the vaccine there would have been MAJOR setbacks to the work. But what if he had not said anything? I certainly wouldn’t have been given an opportunity to be tested by God. But what about everyone else?

My theory is that the prophet did know the vaccine was dangerous and ineffective. Yet instead of lying about it in the First Presidency Statement, he prophetically blessed it and changed reality by making the vaccine more safe and effective than it would have been otherwise. Do I believe he could have power to do this? Yes I do believe he could as God’s representative on Earth. Just like it seemed like the virus was going to be so much worse before the worldwide fast, I believe the vaccine would have been much, much worse if he had not spoken. This is why, even though I extremely disliked the vaccine and the politics of it, I try not to speak negatively of it too often. I also want to clarify that after I joined the crowds and got the vax that I still spoke up and even risked my job to talk to the CEO in defense of the other employees that chose not to.

It is my hope and prayer that we will be a Zion people. That we will follow the prophet’s advice and have faith to work miracles. I know that Zion will be established and we will be endowed with power to protect our freedoms and the constitution. I know that Christ will soon reign as King of Kings. I sorrow for those who left the church over the First Presidency Statement. I know there are more that will be offended and walk away in the future and for this purpose I write this to invite all to stay. I am not saying blindly obey, but wrestle with God and put His will above your own, if He directs. Fear not only be believing!