There has rarely been an issue that has caused me so much anxiety.  And I have struggled to understand why.  It honestly is not the issue of having my rights stripped away (though that does concern me, I recognize that, Constitution aside, we are not biblically guaranteed “rights”), nor even my own personal discomfort when donning a mask.  This issue of mask wearing is so stressful to me because of the false narrative that has accompanied it.

People are being told – and are believing hook, line and sinker – that masks are doing something there is simply no proof they can do [as long as people follow standard social practices of not coughing and sneezing on others…which we all should have learned early on in life].  Factual studies are being ignored in favor of anecdotal “evidence”…or, worse, are being cited as saying one thing when they, in fact, say the opposite.  I’m bothered that large swaths of our society, and world, are grabbing hold of a philosophy, and then trying to forcefully impose that philosophy on others, without ever studying the so-called evidence of what they are claiming is “science”.  Then, arguing with, criticizing, and condemning those that have done their due diligence and come to a very different conclusion.

I’m bothered that Christians are trying to make this an issue of compassion, when I can’t wrap my head around this idea that perpetuating a lie instead of exposing it, is what is considered to be compassionate.  I fully understand being compassionate about the very real fear that this virus has evoked in people.  But as I watch pretty much our entire society walking around with masks on, ignoring scientifically proven methods of preventing viral spread (namely, keeping physical distance and practicing good hygiene)…and as the overwhelming statistical evidence shows no benefits from masking…I can’t help but feeling frustrated and helpless that so many people have misplaced their trust in something that won’t protect them in the vast majority of situations in which they might find themselves.

And then to have it asserted that I am the person who isn’t compassionate?  I doggedly maintain my distance in public, and am careful to breathe through my nose (which does not result in asymptomatic spread) and I don’t cough or sneeze in public, but none of that seems to matter to anyone, because masks have been touted as the gold-standard preventative.  Maybe Christians need to revisit what it truly means to love people.  Because last I checked, doing that which is actually proven to protect someone, instead of just doing the thing that someone erroneously thinks will protect them, is in reality more loving and compassionate.

Incidentally, I think the argument for compassion becomes even more problematic when faced with the realization that there are many people (including many Christians) who have fears associated with the thought of wearing masks.  Fears of freedom being stripped away and a bleak future for their children and yes, even health concerns (though the media has gone to great lengths to downplay these concerns).  If we make someone else’s perception of a situation our only gauge of what’s right and compassionate, then we have an impossible choice.  Compassion has to be combined with truth.  It’s a foundation of Christianity.  It’s a foundation of the gospel.  Without truth, there is nothing separating Christian love and compassion from the world’s.