Why some Americans resist Covid-19 vaccines, ‘mark of the beast’
- Some in US religious circles link Covid-19 vaccines to the Antichrist
- Reluctance to vaccinate is undermining efforts to beat the disease
The “mark of the beast” in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation signals an allegiance to Satan or those who reject God.
“Studies show that any conflicts between religion and science are not about facts, they are more about values and morals,” said John Evans, a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, San Diego.
What does Revelation say?
The apocalyptic biblical term comes from Revelation 13: 16-18. According to the Apostle John in the New International Version Bible, a pair of beasts will rule the Earth with cruelty. Their evil reach – which can be interpreted as hidden manipulation – will require all people who engage in commerce to wear the mark of the beast. The Apostle John did not identify what the mark looks like, although some theologians translate Scripture to associate the number “666” with it.
Pastor Darin Wood of First Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, wrote an op-ed in August for the Midland Reporter-Telegram that said: “One of my church family posed an honest question: ‘Pastor, is the Covid vaccine the mark of the beast? I’ve been told it is’. Their question was an honest and heartfelt one, and clearly, they were anguished about it. In kindness, I answered, ‘no’ and thought little more about it. Until the question came again. And again. And again.
“There’s no indication that the vaccine matches the mark described by the Apostle John. … I’ve been sent numerous articles and videos … that (suggest) the vaccine represents a conspiracy of governmental control or that the vaccine contains some sort of marking agent to indelibly identify those foolish enough to receive the vaccine. It’s just not reasonable or logical to presume such a wide conspiracy is even possible. The question then arises as to why this wide mistrust in medical treatment has come.”
“(Former President) Donald Trump tapped into American populism, and with that comes the disbelief of experts,” Evans told USA Today.
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Peter Feaman, a top Republican National Committee official in Florida, said last month that vaccines are “the mark of the beast” and comparable to a “false god”. In May, Feaman wrote on his blog of Governor Gretchen Whitmer encouraging vaccines in Michigan: “Diabolical Michigan Governor Whiter wants her citizens to get the Mark of the Beast to participate in society”.
According to Evans’ studies, the majority of “mark of the beast” believers appear to be politically conservative and from Protestant Christian backgrounds.
“People with spiritual beliefs that all things are influenced by religion are more likely to believe ‘mark of the beast’, which is in every Christian’s Bible, but people will focus on particular passages in the Bible to support their belief system,” Evans said.
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What do US religious leaders say?
“The Bible speaks of someone identified as the ‘Antichrist’ and he will require people have a ‘mark’ that people will receive to buy and sell,” Laurie told USA Today. “The Covid-19 vaccine – or any vaccines – have nothing to do with any of this.”
Laurie, who has been vaccinated, said the mark will be a pledge of loyalty to the Antichrist, and no one would take the mark unknowingly.
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“In Revelation 14, we learn that those who take the mark are doomed,” he said. “God will not doom people for taking something unwittingly.”
Misinterpretations of Revelation 13:16-18 can stem from social media where people can spread unreliable information, according to Laurie.
“Sometimes these statements are packaged to look like Bible Prophecy,” he said, “but they are false and misapplied because many people do not understand what the Bible actually says about these things.”
What do health care workers say?
Nicole Williams, a travelling intensive care unit nurse, said she has heard the “mark of the beast” as a reason not to get vaccinated many times.
“I get being hesitant because it is new and we don’t know the long-term effects, but calling it the ‘mark of the beast’ is crazy,” Williams said.
Williams has worked in hospitals in Texas, New York, California and Hawaii in her three years as a nurse.
“I understand that people want to get back to how things were, but calling something you don’t understand the ‘mark of the beast’ is extreme and harmful,” she said.
Peer-reviewed data has deemed the two-shot vaccines approved and authorised in the US - Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech - to be safe, and they demonstrated 94-95 per cent effectiveness against the virus, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The journal published that the Johnson & Johnson single dose shot provided protection against the virus and was effective against hospitalisation and death.
