It’s Just a Mask

Yes, I am just going to show up after a half-year and act like I haven’t totally failed at the weekly posting thing.

I am advocating civil disobedience to the mask mandates cropping up across- at least- my state. Whether you actually pay the fine or just don’t wear the thing until actually asked/told to by an employee or cop is up to you, but my contention is that it is time to, in some way, push back. Herein is my argument as to why, primarily calculated to respond to the following statement:

“It’s just a mask!”

What’s the big deal? It’s just a mask, and furthermore, as a Christian, it is an opportunity to be loving to others who are very afraid, and only made more so by your masklessness.

In themselves, these statements are correct. I have no desire to cause others emotional distress. Nor is the simple act of wearing a piece of breathable fabric over one’s nose and mouth a big deal in any inherent way… taken in a vacuum.

Taken in a vacuum, “black lives matter” is an inherently right and true phrase. Taken in a vacuum, sitting at the back of the bus is no big deal, Rosa Parks. Taken in a vacuum, wearing a star on your arm is just pretty decoration. Taken in a vacuum, lighting up the White House like a rainbow is just creativity. Taken in a vacuum, shining someone else’s shoes is just an act of humble service. Taken in a vacuum, hosting British soldiers is just an act of commendable hospitality.

But none of this happens in a vacuum. Tyranny is advanced in a steady chain of no-big-deals. It’s just a stay-at-home order, followed up by just a mask, and then it will be just a vaccine, and then just a little card to carry to prove that you’ve been vaccinated, and then just a checkup on your kids from the social worker, and then…

And if you think I’m just being a crazy conspiracy-theorist, I’d recommend a perusal of the last three months of headlines.

The Worldview Divide

The foundational disagreement here is not about the mask, or even about COVID. The foundational disagreement is over our understanding of the human problem. (I am not condemning Christians who disagree with me. I’m making my argument for why they shouldn’t.)

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful and desperately sick. Genesis 11 tells us what happens when man endeavors to build utopia without God. The result is, and always will be, destruction. This is the crux of the matter. I believe that it is time to resist, because I don’t trust the government, and when it comes to this sort of thing sooner is better than later.

Sinful people in positions of power will keep amassing control until they are stopped by the hand of God- and one of the means that God uses is the faithfulness of His people. What that is supposed to look like deserves much more thought- but I don’t have time for that in this post.

Love Thy Neighbor

As far as the consideration of loving others goes, two quick thoughts. Firstly, if I have a specific neighbor to love- i.e. someone asks me to wear a mask before coming into their home- I’ll happily wear a mask for them. Secondly, there is sometimes a difference between loving someone and making someone comfortable. I realize that my lack of mask may make some people uncomfortable, but I justify that in the following ways:

1. Everyone wearing masks creates an atmosphere of fear which only feeds their discomfort

2. Their liberty is in question as well as mine; I am loving them by (in a small way) taking a stand for their liberty

3. The battle at this stage is largely a battle of optics, and the less your trip to Walmart looks like Brave New World meets “bring out your dead!” and the more it looks like… you know, a trip to Walmart- that perception of just a little good ol’ fashioned American “nope” can go a long way in sparking a little bit of stubbornness in other hearts as well.

There is much more to be said here. Stay tuned.

#CivilDisobedience #COVID #Masks