How Germ Avoidance Handicaps Christian Life

by Steve Halbrook

How often in just one year have you avoided someone due to fear of contagious germs?

Whether it is your fear of catching something, someone else’s fear of catching something from you, or the cancellation of group activities to avoid “mass illness”?

It starts to add up. And it can make a serious difference in a person’s life.

Even if you have come to believe that contagion — or at least viral contagion — is unscientific (see especially here, but also the posts here), when sick you still might, for good reason, avoid people out of respect for their concerns of catching something. Nevertheless, it is important to consider how contagion fears handicap the Christian life.

(Here we have in mind the hyped category of germs called viruses — which supposedly result in the cold, the flu, COVID, etc. The legitimacy of problems caused by other types of so-called germs is a topic for further study.)

For instance, per the belief that a sniffle might kill someone else, it discourages us from visiting the sick and even the dying. To be sure, if I did believe that I had contagious germs that could harm someone, then of course I would be careful — it would be a matter of following my conscience.

But this takes us back to the importance of determining (via research) whether my views on the matter are in fact correct — because if they are not, then I could be neglecting opportunities to visit the sick. For example, Scripture says,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27, ESV)

Scripture also tells us to visit the sick brethren in Matthew 5:36-40.

I’m not saying that when suffering a cold, etc., those with fear of contagious germs never find ways to visit the sick — e.g., they may visit and keep their distance. But it is important to consider how contagion fears may be needlessly inhibiting our potential for helping the needy.

During the COVID Scamdemic, countless people died alone in the name of “stopping the spread.” It was due to hospital rules, but also, I imagine, it was often self-imposed — due to the choice of either the sick or those who would otherwise visit them. In any case, how many could have seen their loved ones before death? How many could have heard the Gospel?

I’m sure we can conceive of many other circumstances besides visiting the sick where the imprisoning effect of contagion fears handicap a Christian’s outreach. Indeed, by stressing social avoidance, fears of germs

• hinder opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, whether in everyday conversation or on the mission field.
• hinder corporate worship of God, both for individuals (as people stay home to avoid spreading germs) and churches as a whole (as we saw in the Scamdemic, many churches too eagerly shut down).
• hinder everyday fellowship of believers.
• hinder that one opportunity where someone in a state of despair really needs Christian encouragement.
• promote discord in the Christian body itself, labelling those who reject the virus narratives as “spreaders.”

We can go on and on — even to the point where “germ avoidance” motivates people to unwittingly kill or injure themselves and their children with poison shots — but I trust the point has been well established: “germ avoidance” regarding so-called viruses has not served Christians well, whether regarding their spiritual well being, loving their neighbor, or discipling the nations.

And so, determining the truth about viral contagion is important — first, simply because as Christians, we are to be zealous for truth. But secondly, the practical effects of how it affects our lives and those we would influence can be serious.

Those who come to see the truth about viruses should not go out of their way to offend fellow Christians who have not yet arrived, but to tactfully work as salt and light to influence the Christian body — and broader society — as a whole.

Remember

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)

In short, the Christian life is not about fear-based isolationism, which runs counter to loving God, as well as our neighbor and all of the social situations that that entails.

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