• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Vaccine Hesitancy and Herd Immunity

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
I'm finding it somewhat amazing that President Biden and endless numbers of others are begging and pleading with Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and yet it appears that some 30% of Americans are still holding back.

There used to be a time when the nation was in danger, people pulled together. Nations sent the young men and women off to war at immensely greater risk, and many of them lost lives and limbs -- and we honour them every Veterans Day (or Rembrance Day in other nations), but nearly a third of Americans won't take a one-in-several-million (and therefore TINY) risk in order to help the nation reach "herd immunity" and get past this virus.

What is it that makes so many people so very afraid as to behave this selfishly, in spite of the immense amount of knowledge about how small the risk really is?
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
The begging, pleading, prompting, promoting, media, web sites saying "let's try to convince 'them' they are wrong," censoring anything against the vaccine, covid, masks, etc, and the public's coercion and negative group herd mentality and obsession to tell people they are wrong, uneducated, idiots, uncaring, and people jumping from others,bad looks, and such...

I can see why 30% are hesitant.

In my opinion, we shouldn't bunch together to make ourselves feel better cause we're the majority. Herd mentality. Once that's curved, you may see some improvements. For now, pros/cons, and those who are indifferent to all this aren't the victims.

Stop the hate. It comes in many forms.
 
Last edited:

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Some beliefs I've encountered....
- The plague is no more dangerous than the flu.
- It's a government plot to exercise more control over us.
- Vaccines have greater risk, eg, changing one's DNA.
- They don't know what's in vaccines, which could have
unknown dangerous side effects.
- Government is experimenting on blacks.
- Only prayer can stop it.
- Government pays hospitals to pretend deaths are
caused by plague.
- Doctors won't get vaccinated.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Vaccines have greater risk, eg, changing one's DNA.
a recent documenatry made a point of it.....
viruses change dna

as the science program unfolded......it revealed that sickle cell anemia is caused by ONE item
in the lengthy chain of molecules that make us human

it was noted later in the program that countries having dark complexions
and mosquitos
also have malaria

then noted......malaria doesn't seem to like.......sickle cells

more is needed to be sure......
did the disease bring on a mutation?
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
a recent documenatry made a point of it.....
viruses change dna
Funny you should mention that.
A friend (Christian fundie) didn't want the vaccine cuz it
could change his DNA. (He confused RNA with DNA.)
I explained that viruses do alter DNA, & that this plays
a major role in evolution. Getting the vaccine could actually
prevent the problem he fears.
He was surprised. This concept was new to him...it wasn't
addressed in the Christian & right wing radio shows that
inform him.

We've a big problem with people learning their "science"
from loopy agenda laden sources. He had a good basic
high school education, but after that all he consumed
were bias confirming sources.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Funny you should mention that.
A friend (Christian fundie) didn't want the vaccine cuz it
could change his DNA. (He confused RNA with DNA.)
I explained that viruses do alter DNA, & that this plays
a major role in evolution. Getting the vaccine could actually
prevent the problem he fears.
He was surprised. This concept was new to him...it wasn't
addressed in the Christian & right wing radio shows that
inform him.
the aforementioned programmed also demonstrated our pending ability
to correct out dna
fix inherited disease

to the extent of tayloring ANY trait we deem useful

like not needing more than 4hrs sleep.......yes it can be done

soldiers without pain.....cannot be tortured

cancer patients ......not dying in pain

cancer patients......not dying

and the list goes on....and on....and on
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
a recent documenatry made a point of it.....
viruses change dna

as the science program unfolded......it revealed that sickle cell anemia is caused by ONE item
in the lengthy chain of molecules that make us human

it was noted later in the program that countries having dark complexions
and mosquitos
also have malaria

then noted......malaria doesn't seem to like.......sickle cells

more is needed to be sure......
did the disease bring on a mutation?
Viruses can change DNA. In fact, your own genome contains many, many of those changes -- and they make you what you are. But vaccines are not viruses -- and don't change your DNA.

It is a fact that individuals who carry sickle-cell genes (i.e. have one gene for sickle-cell and the complementary gene, from the other parent, for normal red blood cells) have a resistance to malaria. Those with two copies of the sickle-cell gene can suffer from malaria, in part because impaired splenic function. But this has absolutely nothing to do with vaccinations.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Viruses can change DNA. In fact, your own genome contains many, many of those changes -- and they make you what you are. But vaccines are not viruses -- and don't change your DNA.

It is a fact that individuals who carry sickle-cell genes (i.e. have one gene for sickle-cell and the complementary gene, from the other parent, for normal red blood cells) have a resistance to malaria. Those with two copies of the sickle-cell gene can suffer from malaria, in part because impaired splenic function. But this has absolutely nothing to do with vaccinations.
and what do viruses do.......inside our cells
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
Funny you should mention that.
A friend (Christian fundie) didn't want the vaccine cuz it
could change his DNA. (He confused RNA with DNA.)
I explained that viruses do alter DNA, & that this plays
a major role in evolution. Getting the vaccine could actually
prevent the problem he fears.
He was surprised. This concept was new to him...it wasn't
addressed in the Christian & right wing radio shows that
inform him.

We've a big problem with people learning their "science"
from loopy agenda laden sources. He had a good basic
high school education, but after that all he consumed
were bias confirming sources.
Exactly! You just hijacked my next post, ya villain!

I was going to say that it really does appear that people get far, far too much "information" from untrustworthy sources on social media, and far, far too little from those they really should trust. This should give us all a great deal of pause about social media on the internet.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
from SciencingDaily

Basics


Viruses are small, nonliving parasites, which cannot replicate outside of a host cell. A virus consists of genetic information -- either DNA or RNA -- coated by a protein. A virus injects its genetic information into a host cell and then takes control of the cell’s machinery. This process enables the virus to make copies of its DNA or RNA and make the viral proteins inside the host cell. A virus can quickly make multiple copies of itself in one cell, release these copies to infect new host cells and make even more copies. In this way, a virus can replicate very quickly inside a host.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
and what do viruses do.......inside our cells
Viruses in general have the genetic instructions for how to replicate themselves, but lack the machinery to actually do it. They therefore invade host cells and use those cells' moleculary machinery to do the work of copying the virus.

This can involve changing how the host's own DNA is read -- but unless this change happens to a germ cell (sperm or ovum), that change won't be passed on to offspring.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
high jacking dna is a crap shoot

there is no manner or method to know
if your cell life mutated andsurvives long enough to reproduce with altered dna

apparently .......that is what happened in the case of sickle cell
the alteration failed to kill the host cell
and the human
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
This can involve changing how the host's own DNA is read -- but unless this change happens to a germ cell (sperm or ovum), that change won't be passed on to offspring.
this I noted in that program

what they chnage in our dna AFTER we develop stays with the individual

change the dna for reproduction and it will descend

but who is to say.......the virus cannot touch you
where it counts
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Exactly! You just hijacked my next post, ya villain!
Booowaahahahahhahhahhahhaa, usw!
I was going to say that it really does appear that people get far, far too much "information" from untrustworthy sources on social media, and far, far too little from those they really should trust. This should give us all a great deal of pause about social media on the internet.
And very few people study the basics, which could inform
the judgment of the cromulence of news they consume.
So they live in a world of belief that's always reinforced.

I find it useful to have no political or religious
agenda that determines how biology should work.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Booowaahahahahhahhahhahhaa, usw!

And very few people study the basics, which could inform
the judgment of the cromulence of news they consume.
So they live in a world of belief that's always reinforced.

I find it useful to have no political or religious
agenda that determines how biology should work.
psssst.....I was watching a science program
with many scientists interviewed
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
I like it when they disagree.
Competing views are most interesting.
the scientists were all agreed

what stops the progress is the social fence
and the money trail

if science can fix it.....the rich get richer
and if science can fix the ailment.....the rich are first in line

the poor will continue to suffer
 
Top