I have seen some Christian preachers online, who are
calling this Covid-19 epidemic a sign of God’s judgment on the world. Another
group, among which I suspect I sometimes fall, don’t go that far. They just say
it’s a sowing and reaping of what we have produced in our way of life.
The problem is that, whether true or not, there is a gleeful delight in many of these commentators; an apparent pleasure in the disaster, a satisfaction that sinners are getting their comeuppance. But the proper stance of the prophet is to weep.
The problem is that, whether true or not, there is a gleeful delight in many of these commentators; an apparent pleasure in the disaster, a satisfaction that sinners are getting their comeuppance. But the proper stance of the prophet is to weep.
Jeremiah, after whom this Blog is named, was noted for
his tears, when Jerusalem fell, not his joy. A ‘Jeremiad’ is indeed a literary
form, perfected in New England among Puritans, but it’s one in which there is
profound lamentation at the fate of humanity.
There is also a danger in Christian leaders only seeing this as an opportunity for spiritual growth, or revival: the hope that, as people come to an end of their own resources and philosophical hopes, they might turn to the Living God.
This is indeed a possibility, and I too hope it will happen. But, we must not ignore the consequences of this in people’s lives. And the results are not shared equitably. We are not, despite all the rhetoric, ‘in this all together’. We never are.
The wealthy may well get the virus, and will. But they also have the resources to escape to country houses, to tropical islands, for their own self-isolation. And, afterwards, they will still have many of their assets to draw upon in re-establishing their lives.
When we look at the refugees camps throughout the world, we see a total lack of medical facilities, even clean water to perform the frequent hand-washing, which we are encouraged to adopt, as the first line of defence against infection.
I have a friend who pioneered work among asylum-seekers in Calais, and another working among Syrian refugees in the Middle East. I also have many friends in the UK, from Congo, a country which only just recovered from Ebola.
How will Africa, without medical services, cope with Coronavirus? Previous epidemics were defeated through aid, and medical support from the West. This will surely not be available now, as these countries are preoccupied with their own crises.
Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek Finance Minister, has written about this tendency to write off the sufferings of the poor, as just inevitable collateral damage, in his book, And the Weak Suffer What They Must?
His title is taken from the ancient historian, Thucydides, who noted: "The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must" This supposedly ‘realist’ approach to politics characterised the pre-christian world, and is in danger of returning today.
The worst-case scenario for deaths in Britain is 250,000. If the lockdown works, estimates suggest (only!) 20,000. A more optimistic figure proposed today was 5,000! Acceptable deaths? But each one, using feminist philosopher, Judith Butler’s, phrase, is a ‘grievable death’.
There is also a danger in Christian leaders only seeing this as an opportunity for spiritual growth, or revival: the hope that, as people come to an end of their own resources and philosophical hopes, they might turn to the Living God.
This is indeed a possibility, and I too hope it will happen. But, we must not ignore the consequences of this in people’s lives. And the results are not shared equitably. We are not, despite all the rhetoric, ‘in this all together’. We never are.
The wealthy may well get the virus, and will. But they also have the resources to escape to country houses, to tropical islands, for their own self-isolation. And, afterwards, they will still have many of their assets to draw upon in re-establishing their lives.
When we look at the refugees camps throughout the world, we see a total lack of medical facilities, even clean water to perform the frequent hand-washing, which we are encouraged to adopt, as the first line of defence against infection.
I have a friend who pioneered work among asylum-seekers in Calais, and another working among Syrian refugees in the Middle East. I also have many friends in the UK, from Congo, a country which only just recovered from Ebola.
How will Africa, without medical services, cope with Coronavirus? Previous epidemics were defeated through aid, and medical support from the West. This will surely not be available now, as these countries are preoccupied with their own crises.
Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek Finance Minister, has written about this tendency to write off the sufferings of the poor, as just inevitable collateral damage, in his book, And the Weak Suffer What They Must?
His title is taken from the ancient historian, Thucydides, who noted: "The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must" This supposedly ‘realist’ approach to politics characterised the pre-christian world, and is in danger of returning today.
The worst-case scenario for deaths in Britain is 250,000. If the lockdown works, estimates suggest (only!) 20,000. A more optimistic figure proposed today was 5,000! Acceptable deaths? But each one, using feminist philosopher, Judith Butler’s, phrase, is a ‘grievable death’.
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