God's Coronavirus Cure in 3 Verses

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God’s Coronavirus Protection: Help others – especially those with Coronovirus

     This article was started by Dave Leach R-IA Bible Lover-musician-grandpa (talk) 20:00, 14 March 2020 (UTC).
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Summary:
     Saying "I don't believe the Bible" or "I don't have time to read all this evidence" doesn't shield you from the natural consequences of banging your head against reality. The fact that Christians generally live longer and are more immune to disease is not just the claim of dozens of Bible verses, but is the finding of over a century of peer-reviewed scientific research summarized here.
     Not that every prayer is answered; every Christian remembers a request that was denied, just as every child does, even by the most loving parents.
     But generally, even though there are many varieties and degrees of being "Christian", and much theological misunderstanding among Christians about how to pray or how much to trust, the evidence is clear enough to be scientifically measured that living by the Bible reduces heart disease, cancer, weakened immunity, stroke, and dying young. It is separately clear that contributors to disease like stress, fear, boiling anger, unhealthy substances, risky sex, and negative social relationships are prime targets of the Bible, which addresses them as effectively as we will allow. Not by merely emptying our minds of negativity and desire, the goal of Eastern meditation, but by softening our hearts with love, forgiveness, and becoming a blessing to others.
     We can all have absolute faith that God will give us all the time and health we need to complete God's goals for us, which are also the most satisfying goals for ourselves, and we can constantly pray that God will save us from hurting others very much while helping others a lot. Our faith in God doesn't reduce our responsibility to be careful, but it is a huge mistake to just "be careful" while we forget God. We hear constantly "we will get through this", in a context stripped of any thought of God. That is not a very smart approach to how to "get through this".
     God does not only help by having created a universe in which "a merry heart doeth good like medicine", with hygiene rules which, if we follow them, will generally improve our health and lifespan. God helps us daily through a constant stream of miracles of protection from physical, financial, and social ruin. Not that no one ever gets hurt, but we are all shaken from time to time by a narrow escape from devastation, which God uses to motivate us, if we will heed the warning, to be more careful. It is part of our human resistance to reality that tempts us to not acknowledge these helps, just as the Israelites in the desert, facing each new challenge, forgot how dramatically God had brought them through the last one. They never entered God's "rest", in the words of Hebrews 3 and 4. They were constantly stressing and accusing.
     God also opens doors for us to doing great things, overcoming great evils, despite great obstacles. Jesus not only promises that these "mountains" will fall if we have "enough" faith, meaning, presumably enough to not give up, but God actively helps, making it possible, but only if we really stretch ourselves which is just as important to God.
     Life is so much more than food, clothing, money, good health, and long life. Compared with much of the rest of the world, the United States are indeed a haven of Christian faith. But to "get through this" - all that life is - we have to, as a culture, not just as isolated individuals, face reality, take time for evidence as needed to get us back in touch with reality, and settle back into the loving arms of God.

3 Verses

Psalm 41:1 To the [music] director: A song of David. Those who help the poor succeed will get many blessings. When trouble comes, the LORD will save them. 2 The LORD will protect them and save their lives. He will bless them in this land. He will not let their enemies harm them. 3 When they are sick in bed, the LORD will give them strength and make them well! (ERV translation)

Psalm 91:1 Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful. 2 Then you will say to the LORD, "You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you." 3 The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases. 4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall. 5 You won't need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. 6 And you won't fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. (CEV, KJV translation)

Luke 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

[printed and distributed by Family Music Center, 4110 SW 9th St, Des Moines IA 50315, 244-3711 www.Saltshaker.US]

Does God Understand Coronovirus?

Why would God promise protection from disease for those who deliberately expose themselves to disease by helping the diseased? Does God simply not understand disease?
     Scriptures addressed below indicate that when our choice is between (1) exposing ourselves to disease by helping the diseased, (as carefully as we can), and (2) staying safe by staying away from the diseased, serving those in need is actually safer.
     The discussion below is about whether such advice has any conceivable support from modern medical science, or can only be true to the extent God miraculously overturns medical facts.
     This discussion is also about whether faith itself actually does have physical power to heal, as Jesus stated a few times, and how important it is what our faith is in: is trust in our own safety measures as safe as trust in Jesus? Also: can we trust too much - will our trust in Jesus save us even if we recklessly disregard hygiene basics in our service to others?

Should we trust the promises of protection in the three verses above, and in many similar verses? Is that actually what God thinks? Does God really not understand how dangerous coronavirus is?

Back a number of years ago, they did a survey. And they went around the different college campuses asking students if they thought God understood radar. You cannot imagine how many of them said, "Well, of course not. We invented radar". No. The principal came from watching a bat. He's blind. But he don't miss. Huh? Does God understand radar? Come on, man. Does God understand faith? -Kenneth Copeland

I found that statement by googling "does God understand radar" because I remember from the late '50's a newsletter from the Billy Graham Crusade describing that survey. As I recall, the survey was in England, either during World War II during which radar was first put to use, or shortly afterward. I couldn't find a link to a more detailed record of that survey.

Modern medical science confirms God's historical hygiene advice

Another preacher who remembered the survey was Joe McKeever. His article is a great overview of Moses' hygiene laws, of what practical advice they were for a primitive culture that had never seen a germ, of the contrast those sensible laws were with the disease-breeding practices of all other nations of that time, and of resistance until recently of doctors to the most powerful evidence of the need for Moses-level hygiene. Here is part of his summary of Moses' hygiene laws:

–“And he placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. And from it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Exodus 40:30-32).

–The bodies of sacrificial beasts were often burned “outside the camp.” See Leviticus 4:12,21, and 8:17 for starters. (Also, in reference to that, see Hebrews 13:10-14.)

–Leviticus 11 lists foods which were unclean (and thus forbidden) to God’s people. We know now that those animals were most susceptible to disease and thus food from them would pose the biggest threat to Israel.

–Leviticus 12 has laws for the purification of the mother after childbirth. Blood issues were a major concern, and for good reason.

–Leviticus 13 has tests for leprosy and provisions for quarantining those with communicable diseases. Some consisted of a mere seven days, but in the case of all-out leprosy, “all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp” (13:46). The book referenced below–“None of These Diseases” by S. I. McMillen–says it was the discovery of the quarantine from Scripture that stopped the Black Plague in its tracks.

–Leviticus 14-15 contain provisions for cleansing unhealthy places. It might involve tearing down a house altogether, burning one’s contaminated clothing, or simply waiting a period of time.

Other texts…

–“And the Lord will remove from you all sickness, and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known…” (Deuteronomy 7:15). This reminds us of Exodus 15:26, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” (“None of These Diseases” is the title of the best-seller from missionary physician S. I. McMillen, which first introduced many of us to the amazing provisions of God to the Israelites for their health, far in advance of the discoveries of modern medical science.)

–And this most practical text: “You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement” (Deuteronomy 23:12-13). God even provided for the sanitary disposal of human sewage!

"Common Sense" might cause our first impression to be "of course staying away from sick people is safest", which is the opposite of what these Scriptures indicate, which in turn will lead Christians to question whether they should be interpreted the way they seem to mean.

And yet the practice of modern medicine is in harmony with God's promises: doctors and nurses serve the sickest all the time, yet we are used to them being among the healthiest Americans. How can this be?

Can God be right? Can it be that God actually understands coronavirus, and that the safest response to it for humans really is to serve others?

As for what God understands, consider a bit of the context McKeever points out in which God gave Moses such medically advanced knowledge:

Dr. McMillen, in None of These Diseases, pointed out that 1500 years B.C., God had told Israel that after touching a dead body, they were to be unclean for a period of time, were to burn their clothing, and to wash themselves, but not in a basin of stagnant water. Scripture called for running water!

Some might insist, said McMillen, that Moses had learned all these things from growing up living in Egypt. McMillen dismisses this. The current practice in Egypt at that time called for dung to be applied to wounds and holes to be drilled in skulls to cure headaches!

Moses said he got this wisdom from God on Sinai. It was such a remarkable advance in medical science, that we should believe him.

Modern scientific backing for God's promises of protection

What keeps doctors and nurses healthy?

Three natural explanations of how ministering to the sick keeps doctors and nurses healthy: (1) by ministering to the sick their whole lives, doctors and nurses learn much more about sickness than the rest of us; (2) by learning how to cure patients, they learn how to cure themselves; and (3) by exposing themselves to pathogens in carefully controlled conditions, they build up immunity.

Anxiety makes us dumb

A fourth natural explanation is that avoiding human needs, like the priest and the Levite in the Good Samaritan story, shows fear, and anxiety makes us dumb.

Anxiety about danger, as opposed to the courage and sense of purpose that inspires heroes to overcome danger, makes us dumb. "The cognitive deficit of being preoccupied with money problems was equivalent to a loss of 13 IQ points, losing an entire night's sleep or being a chronic alcoholic, according to the study....The state of worrying where your next meal is going to come from – you have uncertain income or you have more expenses than you can manage and you have to juggle all these things and constantly being pre-occupied about putting out these fires – takes up so much of your mental bandwidth, that you have less in terms of cognitive capacity to deal with things which may not be as urgent as your immediate emergency, but which are, nevertheless, important for your benefit in the medium or longer term." "We can lose 13–20 IQ points in a moment of anxiety." "As the coronavirus crisis gets worse, some people’s behavior seems to be getting more and more irrational. There is a scientific reason why. Science shows that under pressure and stress we lose the equivalent of 10-15 IQ points."

Luke 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 

Why did the priest and the Levite cross on the other side of the street to avoid the injured man? Well, partly because they didn't want the duty of helping him, which would have been personally costly. Also because they feared spending any longer on that robber-infested highway than necessary; they didn't want to become victims themselves. During the Spanish Flue pandemic of 1918, people were so fearful of coming close to flu victims, that many died of starvation just because no one would help them.

Anxiety makes us dumb, says the above research. The priest and the Levite, and the folks in 1918 who wouldn't help, made themselves dumb. Making yourself dumb is not a smart way to escape the danger of a pandemic.

(On the other hand, maybe we shouldn't take research too seriously, because "those with anxiety disorder tended to have higher IQ scores than healthy people"! while among healthy people, "those with high IQ scores tended to have low levels of worry, and those with low IQ scores tended to have high levels of worry". And people say we should trust science over the Bible because it is the Bible which contradicts itself!)

Anxiety makes us sick; Faith makes us well

Fear is a main reason people during the 1918 Spanish Flue pandemic wouldn't help those in desperate need, and it is a main reason many people would not think of helping today.

Fear is bad for your health. That is common knowledge. It is intuitive. But the connection has also been measured. This is by no means a comprehensive report on the evidence, but is only what turned up after a few minutes of googling:

Placebos and Nocebos: the Physical Effects of Hope v. Fear

The Mayo Clinic:

[Many of the "symptoms" of anxiety ARE health problems:] Common anxiety signs and symptoms include: Feeling nervous, restless or tense; Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom; Having an increased heart rate; Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation); Sweating; Trembling; Feeling weak or tired; Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry; Having trouble sleeping; Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems; Having difficulty controlling worry; Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

"The causes of anxiety disorders aren't fully understood." [My comment: Well duh, that's because the people trusted to understand it have developed a fantasy therapy from which the wisdom of God is excluded. To the extent we actually believe the promises of Jesus, how is anxiety even possible?!]

Examples of medical problems that can be linked to anxiety include: Heart disease; Diabetes; Thyroid problems, such as hyperthyroidism; Respiratory disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma; Drug misuse or withdrawal; Withdrawal from alcohol, anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines) or other medications; Chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome; Rare tumors that produce certain fight-or-flight hormones.

Very Well Mind: What research has clearly shown is that those who have physical health problems complicated by anxiety tend to have worse symptoms, respond less well to treatment, and are more likely to have fatal illnesses.

"...students with social phobia scored lower on measures of general health and vitality...." "...those with chronic respiratory disease such as asthma or COPD have been shown to have higher rates of anxiety...." "Higher rates of anxiety have been linked to the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in those diagnosed with gastroenteritis." "A connection has been shown between phobic anxiety and sudden cardiac death. People with hypertension, thyroid disease, and cancer have been shown to have higher rates of anxiety. A study of 4,181 individuals found that most people with both anxiety and physical health problems reported developing anxiety first."

Power of Positivity:

Professor Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard Medical School tested 270 patients seeking relief from arm pain. Half were given acupuncture; the other half were given pain relief pills. Except that the pills were just corn starch, and the acupuncture needles retracted so they never pierced the skin. Most reported relief from their pain; but a few who had been told there might be side effects, reported those side effects! The study documented the effects on our health of what we believe.

Other studies have shown that the belief that one has been treated has produced measurable physical improvements, "including positive changes in blood pressure, a decrease in depression and fatigue. It proves successful in improving chemical activity in the brain and some symptoms of Parkinson’s....In general, when we think we are healthy, we tend to be healthier. And when we think we are sick, we tend to exhibit symptoms in line with our thoughts."

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences links positive thinking with improved health and brain activity from negative thoughts with a weakened immune system. Brain activity was studied in a group asked to remember a joyful event; others were asked to remember a fearful event. Then they were given the standard flu vaccine, and the levels of antibodies in each group was measured - for six months! Those who developed the strongest immunity to flu were those with the most brain activity in the part of their brain associated with happy thoughts!

Barbara Frederickson showed positive films to some and negative films to others, and then asked them to write down, for a variety of situations, how they would respond. Those who had just been uplifted by positive films proved the more creative problem solvers.

Fabrizio Benedetti "at the University of Turin Medical School took 100 students up into the Italian Alps. A few days before the trip he told one person in the group that the thin air in the Alpine altitude could cause migraines. On the day of the trip, the rumor spread to about ¼ of the group. Furthermore, those that heard the rumor experienced the worst headaches. And a saliva test showed symptoms of low oxygen conditions. (BBC adds, "a study of their saliva showed an exaggerated response to the low oxygen conditions, including a proliferation of the enzymes that are associated with altitude headache.") Benedetti's conclusion: “The brain biochemistry changed in the ‘socially infected’ individuals. Negative expectations can be communicated to your friends, neighbors, and the like, and they spread very quickly, producing social nocebo effects in a large population of subjects.”

BBC, 2015: Erich Menninger von Lerchenthal, an 18th century Viennese doctor, told of a deadly prank. Students jumped an unpopular assistant and told him he would be decapitated. They blindfolded him, put his head on a chopping block, and instead of a steel blade, dropped a wet cloth on his neck. Apparently because he thought the cloth was a steel blade and that his head was severed, he instantly died.

Every clinical trial of a new drug gives "placebos" (inert pills such as sugar or corn starch) to half the people in the trial. To pass the trial, the people receiving the actual drug being tested must improve at a significantly higher rate than those receiving the placebo, because many improve who receive the placebo just from thinking they are being helped. That is called the placebo effect. (Latin for "I will please".) But there are also negative "side effects" which are disclosed to both groups; and even the group receiving the placebo reports those side effects, again just from thinking the drug is making them sick. That is called the nocebo effect. (Latin for "I will harm".) “'It’s a consistent phenomenon, but medicine has never really dealt with it,' says Ted Kaptchuk at Harvard Medical School."

By reviewing medical research, Dimos Mitsikostas, from Athens Naval Hospital in Greece, has documented strong nocebo effects in treatments for headaches, depression, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson's. 65% of Parkinson's patients report negative effects from their placebo, and one in 10 drop out of those trials! “'It’s unbelievable – they are taking sugar pills and when you measure liver enzymes, they are elevated,' says Mitsikostas." Yet the pain is real, physical, and measurable. "measures of nerve activity following nocebo treatment have shown that the spinal cord begins responding to heightened pain before conscious deliberation would even be possible.

Roy Reeves, MD, reported in 2007 a patient suffering from depression who swallowed a whole bottle of pills, but quickly regretted it and rushed himself to ER where he collapsed. "his blood pressure had plummeted, and he was hyperventilating; he was immediately given intravenous fluids. Yet blood tests could find no trace of the drug in his system." Four hours later another doctor arrived and informed the man that the pills he "overdosed" on were sugar pills given him as part of a clinical trial. Relieved, the man quickly recovered!

In the late 1800's, many people thought their newfangled telephones were causing "giddiness and wracking pain". "Electro-sensitivity" is "an allergic reaction to mobile phone signals and wi-fi", but many experiments have produced the same symptoms when people are exposed to a "sham transmitter that doesn’t actually emit any electromagnetic waves." People in clinical trials get sick from an inert vaccine. " In 2013, Rubin found that simply showing a short video on electro-sensitivity was enough to trigger later symptoms – and the evidence seems to show that outbreaks of “wind turbine syndrome” follow local media reports." James Rubin at King’s College London."In 2013, found that simply showing a short video on electro-sensitivity was enough to trigger later symptoms – and the evidence seems to show that outbreaks of “wind turbine syndrome” follow local media reports."

Mitsikostas concludes, "For millennia, medicine was basically placebo – by using expectation, magicians used the will to heal. It is not enough to overcome disease – but it is indispensable."

Faith - "expectation" - "is not enough to overcome disease", meaning "real" disease, the doctor concludes. Which is a reasonable conclusion in light of the fact that in clinical trials, "real" drugs outperform placebos. But placebos/nocebos are “a consistent phenomenon, but medicine has never really dealt with it", according to Ted Kaptchuk at Harvard Medical School.

Evidence that Christian Faith Heals

The Huffington Post, a liberal news source not given to praising God, carried the report of Candy Gunther Brown, Ph.D, author of "Healing Gods" and "Testing Prayer". Her article reports several reports of medically inexplicable cures coinciding with intercessory prayer with direct human contact - that is, someone nearby praying, talking, discussing, perhaps "laying hands", as opposed to studies where people are asked to pray for people remotely who do not know they are being prayed for.

Dr. Kathryn Butler, in 2018, was drawn closer to God by a patient's miraculous cure, but she warns that focusing on not dying only, when we all must die, "When we ignore God’s work in suffering, and cleave breathlessly only to our hope for a cure, we forsake opportunities for closure, fellowship, and spiritual preparation at the end of life....are more likely to pursue aggressive measures at the end of life, and more likely to die in an ICU....we need not fear death. Christ has overcome, and through his resurrection death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55–57)....we may chase after treatments that not only fail to save us, but which also rob us of our capacities to think, communicate, and pray in our final days....And if cure does not come, a single-minded focus on healing strands ourselves and those we love with unsettling doubts about the validity of our faith."

"Gill" writes about her recovery from cancer in 2013. She had surgery, but at several points describes the surprise of doctors that the tumor was smaller than expected, cancer had not spread, she recovered rapidly, and the peace she displayed from the moment she was diagnosed. Perhaps most helpful to the rest of us from her report are the Scriptures that gave her peace:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 TIMOTHY 1:7)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (PSALM 27:1)

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 PETER 5:7)

“… let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (JOHN 14:27)

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” (JEREMIAH 17:14)

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (ISAIAH 53:5)

A Century of Research

In 2012 an analysis was published of all the medical and psychiatric research done between 1872 and 2010! It was published by Harold G. Koenig of Duke University, in ISRN Psychiatry, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

The research technically did not distinguish between the effects of Biblical faith and of other faiths, but only the difference that "religion/spirituality" made. The link above is to a very long, detailed report, of which the following is a very brief summary. But the following quote from the analysis is a clue that most of the research was about the benefits of Judeo-Christian faith. This quote lists qualities which are not at all present in all religions, but are exclusive to Christianity, and to subcategories of other religions to the extent they are influenced by Christianity.

...most religions emphasize love of others, compassion, and altruistic acts as well as encourage meeting together during religious social events. These prosocial behaviors have many consequences that buffer stress and lead to human support when support is needed during difficult times. Because religion encourages the helping of others and emphasizes a focus outside of the self, engagement in other-helping activities may increase positive emotions and serve to distract from one's own problems. Religion also promotes human virtues such as honesty, forgiveness, gratefulness, patience, and dependability, which help to maintain and enhance social relationships.

Islam has no concept of love that reaches even to enemies. Hinduism finds honesty a challenging concept because Hinduism teaches that there is no truth, but only "illusion". Islam dehumanizes unbelievers as "apes and pigs"; Hinduism dehumanizes its large poor population as "untouchables". Islam violently suppresses any true statements which any imam thinks "insults Mohammed"; Hinduism not only has disinterest in true statements, but its goal, attempted through its meditation, is to empty one's mind of any thinking, or desires (goals) at all.

By confusing all religions for each other, the author blames all religions equally, too: "Religion may also be used to justify hatred, aggression, prejudice, and the exclusion of others; gain power and control over vulnerable individuals (as seen in cults); foster rigid thinking and obsessive practices; lead to anxiety, fear, and excessive guilt over minor infractions (and even self-mutilation in some cases); produce psychosocial strains due to failure to live up to high religious standards; lead to escape from dealing with family problems (through excessive involvement in religious or spiritual activities)...."

Of course all believers of all religions experience all these errors to varying degrees. They are "sins", and "there is none righteous". But cultures inspired primarily by Scriptures honoring service and love are very different than cultures that reverence greatness through murder and rage.

Because of the fact that the author links these uniquely Christian qualities to the health benefits of "religion/spirituality", we should presume that the "religions" dominating these studies was the one which exudes these qualities: namely, Christianity. With this caveat: some of the studies are about the effectiveness of yoga in reducing things like stress. Stress is a bit less defined, objective, and measurable than things like heart attacks; my summary of the study focuses on more objective things.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is less among the religious, according to 9 of 13 studies; one reported more heart disease. 11 of 16 studies found better heart health in several other areas among the religious; none found worse health.

Stroke: four of nine studies found lower risk among the religious. (Cerebrovascular disease, hypertension and other risk factors.) One study found more carotid artery thickening, creating a higher risk, but 30% of that group was African American, a group known to be both highly religious and at high risk of stroke.

Alzheimer's, Dementia: 8 of 14 studies found stronger cognitive function among the religious; 3 studies found weaker function. Part of the incidence of weaker function is accounted for by the fact that the religions live longer, so they are more likely to reach older ages where cognition tends to decline.

Immune Function: 15 of 27 studies found that the religious have stronger immune systems. One found a negative effect. Of the 14 studies with the highest quality ratings, 10 reported stronger immunity; none reported less immunity.

Infections, HIV: 8 of 12 studies found stronger resistance among the religious. None found weaker resistance.

Cancer: 16 of 29 studies found lower cancer rates among the religious; 2 found a worse prognosis. Of the 20 most carefully done studies, 12 found lower cancer rates among the religious; none found otherwise. Better health among religious is accounted for partly by better health behaviors - less smoking, drinking, drugs, etc, less stress, and higher social support.

Long life: 82 of 121 studies reported significantly longer life for the religious; 5 reported shorter lifespans. Of the 63 most carefully done studies, 47 reported longer lives; 3 reported shorter. Frequency of church attendance is a strong predictor of longer life. The significance of the effect of religion is equivalent to the effects of cholesterol lowering drugs or exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation.

Psychological health: religion helps people cope. It imbues negative events with meaning and purpose. It lowers depression, stress, anxiety, and raises positive emotions. Several randomized clinical trials show that religion improves mental health, while poor mental health worsens physical health and shortens lives.

Social health: the religious have better social support, more stable marriages, less crime, more "social capital". Religion encourage honesty, courage, dependability, altruism, generosity, forgiveness, self-discipline, patience, humility, and other characteristics that promote social relationships. Religious involvement not only provides opportunities for altruism but increases the flow of health information. By enhancing social interactions, community trust, and involvement, religion increases mental health, which improves physical health.

Health Behaviors: religion discourages smoking, drinking, risky sex, and drugs; encourages exercise, better diet, completely safe sex. A CNN report January 3, 2009, described Gertrude Baines, born to former slaves in 1894, as “spry,” “cheerful,” and “talkative.” When she was 112 years old, Ms. Baines was asked by a CNN correspondent to explain why she thought she had lived so long. Her reply: “God. Ask Him. I took good care of myself, the way he wanted me to.” Brief and to the point. She was a year short of the 115 year record in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The analysis of a century of research concludes: "Religious beliefs provide satisfying answers to existential questions, such as 'where did we come from,' 'why are we here,' and 'where are we going,' and the answers apply to both this life and the next life, thus reducing existential angst. These beliefs also help to normalize loss and change and provide role models of persons suffering with the same or similar problems (often illustrated in religious scriptures). Thus, religious beliefs have the potential to influence the cognitive appraisal of negative life events in a way that makes them less distressing. For people with medical illness, these beliefs are particularly useful because they are not lost or impaired with physical disability—unlike many other coping resources that are dependent on health (hobbies, relationships, and jobs/finances).

Personal Testimony

When I was young, in school, I was an anxious, depressed mess. I wanted to be "worth" something, to be better than others, but my achievements couldn't keep up with my evolving standards. All of that leveled off as a young married adult. Life was comfortable. I was content. Until tragedy struck: I was divorced.

The Bible had profoundly engaged my mind before, but tragedy brought the Bible into my heart, my feelings, and my goals. I studied what made divorce courts such a magnet, and became political. But through the intense human interaction of lobbying, doorknocking, and running for office, I met people suffering different tragedies than my own. I wanted to help. I researched solutions, but then learned how much human resistance there is to solutions. Not only in the very people must devastated by tragedy, but in the organizations created to help them.

Thus my goals vastly outgrew my capacity, my resources, or any logical vision of how to reach them. Except that Jesus promised I actually could, if I don't give up. Except that for the first time in my life, the problems that most concerned me weren't my problems. They were other people's problems. My own problems became much less important to me, and to the extent they troubled me at all, I had learned to trust Jesus' promises in places like Luke 12 not to be anxious about them. I stopped even thinking very hard or long or often about them; I found that indeed, my personal needs were always met, very often just in time, just enough, and by means I never could have planned.

Yet my goals remained, and remain, far beyond the reach of my eyes or my logic. Ecclesiastes 1 says in much wisdom is much grief, and I must have a lot of wisdom, because I feel a lot of grief about so many people suffering so much while I am offer solutions which are stifled by a wall of human mental inertia.

But this grief is different than anxiety. My grief is not for myself; my personal needs are met to my satisfaction. It is not a grief which debilitates my body, but which energizes it, giving me purpose and meaning. In fact, any time the weight of sky high goals becomes heavy, all I have to do is think of Jesus' promises, and remember that I am not doing this for myself, and the weight goes away and I feel like I just plugged myself into a Holy Spirit wall outlet. And after a little more prayer and pleading, understanding of a next step before me comes, and I get busy taking it, during which despair has too little time to fester before hope kills it.

John 15:13 says "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." My personal experience is that love, focused on the needs of others to the exclusion of my own, to the extent of even being somewhat bored by my own, lifts the weights that used to be on my heart. It rejuvenates my body. It removes the anxiety that makes bodies sick and old. It removes the despair of not understanding one's purpose in life.

In short, just one natural consequence of Biblical love is a body prepared to resist disease, even before taking into account any miraculous, supernatural protection from God.

I conclude that God isn't the one that's stupid. It's the rest of us. God understands coronavirus. He understands what our bodies need to resist it. He provides a general outline of basic hygiene practices, and then tells us about Love, which our bodies need beyond basic hygiene.

Therefore, the safest thing for our bodies as well as for our souls, hearts, and minds, is to serve others at every opportunity; carefully, responsibly, but sacrificially. Putting the needs of others way behind "keeping ol' #1 safe" is like shooting your foot. It's like kicking roses barefoot. It's dumb. It's not safe.

Other relevant passages

God's Hygiene Laws

Luke 11:37  After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table. 38  But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands first before the meal.  39  The Lord said to him, "The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40  You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41  So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean. 

Does this say Jesus didn't believe in germs?

God gave hygiene laws through Moses. He told us what meats are safe to eat, told us how to clean ourselves after contact with dead animals, how to deal with mold in the walls of a house, and all God's rules make sense in light of today's knowledge of germs; they were practical rules that kept technologically primitive people safe.

But God never told anyone to wash their hands before meals. That was a law invented by the Pharisees, not one of whom owned a microscope so he could even see a germ. And indeed today, in our medically advanced culture, people do not have a handwashing station at the entrances to restaurants. So apparently Jesus' answer to the Pharisees is an answer that any doctor today might have given them, had he sufficient courage.

While Jesus' challenge was in harmony with today's medical best practices, it was a startling challenge to today's political status quo. Because were Christians today to follow His example, they would challenge today's health requirements that are supported neither by the Bible nor by sound science.

Be Careful, but Serve, and Trust

Matthew 4:6  He [Satan] said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say, 'God will command his angels to help you, and their hands will catch you, so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'" 7  Jesus answered, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'" 

Yes, Psalm 91 really did say those who trust in God will be protected by God's angels from even tripping over a rock. Yet Jesus says jumping off a cliff deliberately just to feel angel hands is "testing God". God wants us to partner with Him in keeping ourselves safe; just as parents protect their children from all kinds of dangers they are too immature to understand, yet expect their children to partner with them in growing up wise and safe, God expects adults to grow wiser, ever more mature, and increasingly able to master all the challenges of reality, yet God remains ever ready to save us from utter disaster, yet while prodding us to maturity with enough painful natural consequences to snap us out of our apathy.

To the incredible list of dangers which Psalm 91 tells us God will deliver us, Jesus adds, in the closing verses of Mark, that those who believe will drink poisons and handle deadly snakes, without harm. But in the context of Matthew 4:7, we are to understand Mark doesn't mean we should go out and buy a jug of lie and chug it down in front of a TV camera to show how God will protect us, while sitting in a rattlesnake pit. Jesus' protection is for when we couldn't avoid the poisons. And Jesus didn't say there would be no harm in each and every case.

An example of such miraculous protection is when John the Evangelist was executed by being dipped in boiling oil. He came back up unharmed. Unable to kill the man, his enemies then exiled him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote Revelation. A similar modern example is when Nora Lam was executed by a Communist Chinese firing squad. She was not only unharmed, but was immediately able to flee. "China Cry" is the modern movie made about her life, including that event.

Not everyone agrees with me that these verses won't protect us if we chug a jug of lye while sitting in a snake pit. There are still a few churches which handle snakes as part of their test of their faith, even after ministers and children have died from bites. See Snake Handling in Religion.

They rely on these verses:

And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. (Acts 28:1-6)

Unnoticed by the remaining snake handling Christians, apparently, is that Paul didn't actually reach into the fire in order to grab that viper, so he could hold it up and say "Watch this! This is really neat!"

So how should we apply these verses to our response to Coronavirus?

The 3 verses that open this article tell us God will protect those who help and protect others, so really, the very safest response to a pandemic is to serve those suffering from it. There was a terrible plague in Rome when the Christian church was young. It was so bad that people fled their homes, leaving cities empty - and leaving behind their sick family members. Christians stepped in, ministering to them. That demonstration of love caused considerable growth to the Church. Today, Samaritan's Purse, managed by Franklin Graham, has set up tent hospitals in Italy to help, as Coronavirus cases exceed Italian hospital capacity.

But as we help, we can be as careful as we can. Not only as partners with God in mastering all the challenges of reality, but to avoid hurting the very people we are trying to help, along with ourselves. There is another consideration: even when the particular measures advocated by media and government seem baseless, we can follow them to a reasonable extent, just for the sake of not terrifying people so much that they won't let us get close enough to help them.

Fragments from Emails

I respect the measures recommended, up until the point where they would restrict me from serving others; at that point, it is pulling back from opportunities to serve that would make me most fearful of losing God's protection. March 20

From a friend: We felt terrible that we could not ask you in, but the truth is, you are both our age and you are at risk to get the WuFlu as well as us. We don't want to spread it or get it. Last night George had chills overnight and I doubt it is anything, but the point is, we never know and from what I have read, this is not a nice way to die.

Also, they are telling us that the more that get infected, the more risk that the hospitals are overwhelmed and chaos ensues. So we feel it best to have no contact for a while. I have been writing the President and senators to ask them to simply sequester all older persons or those who have health issues which put them in a high-risk category and let the rest of America go back to work. I believe if he doesn't do this, society will break down soon and it will be bad. If he sunk just a tiny portion of the money he is throwing at this issue into separating out older people safely and voluntarily, we would be fine and the rest of the city would be able to go about their business, knowing that there is little risk to them, plus hospitals could handle it. Don't you think this makes more sense than destroying the economy and civil society?

We would have loved to sit with you both and talk for a while and had some dessert or something. But this is where we are and we believe it is long-overdue judgment and is mixed with extreme kindness, considering how it is actually rolling out. Please accept my apology that we could not have you in. Please take this seriously and don't get sick and stress the hospital system and risk infecting others. It is a temporary inconvenience and hits our pocketbooks, but we may be able to weather it with God's graceful help if he wills. We love you both. (Received March 22)

My response March 22: As for letting the young people go, they are getting infected at nearly the rate of oldsies; the difference being the mortality rate, which is 10 times higher after 70. Still only 2%. But obviously if all the youngsies mix as usual, their .1% mortality rate will still be horrible, besides the impossibility then of protecting the oldsies.

As for quarantining all the oldsies, a hit to the pocketbook is an optimistic view of driving old people out of their homes into the streets where they will be more vulnerable. That is, people who need to work to pay those sky high property taxes, which so far are not being delayed.

As for ourselves, our business has always been lucky to see half a dozen people a day, so it is about like staying home. Trump's guidelines are for oldsies to stay home, but there is no definition beyond that general principle; so oldsies still shop as needed. Work? Property taxes are due the end of this month. Something like $5,000 for us here in Polk County. We are still a few hundred dollars short. We have a reverse mortgage on the house and a contract on the store building; our contracts require property taxes to be promptly paid. At some point the calculation needs to be made: the deaths at risk from the virus vs the lives at risk from suspending the economy. I appreciate that federal tax deadlines are delayed 3 months, although we didn't make enough to owe any; but Polk County property taxes are collected by a Democrat-run board of supervisors, which has not announced any relief.

Not that my fear of the virus is simply overshadowed by my fear of financial ruin. My fear of either is simply overshadowed by my trust in God.

If you would like to visit safely, come interact with me at savetheworld.saltshaker.us. Or call. Or call with questions about how to interact at savetheworld.saltshaker.us.

George didn't SAY we couldn't come in and visit; but I assumed that was your wish. After we left there, we drove over to Steve and Kay Stroh's place and visited for an hour - not that I expected it. Their living room is too piled high with debris for us to be able to crawl through, but they came right out to our car. I asked Steve if he washes his hands every 5 minutes; he said, every 5 days. He said he had been working that day in the basement to get debris off the floor so it doesn't rot when it floods, which is only when it rains. He said he must have worked 35 minutes doing that, and cleared an area at least two feet square.

I read at Heritage.org that Iran may have 2 million infections; a dozen top leaders, plus many clerics, have died, and mass graves are being dug for commoners. China is their biggest trading partner, so many Chinese workers are in construction in Iran. They have millions of pilgrims visiting their "unholy sites", which they don't want to close and lose that money. Worshipers video themselves licking shrines to show their faith in the curative powers of the devil.

I don't take long life for granted. God has already been very generous with time for me and Dorothy. There remains much good for others I want to do, so I do lean on God's promises that these mountains will finally fall, and that I will see at least some of it. I understand that God wants our partnership in keeping ourselves safe by reasonable means; for example, Matthew 4, jumping off a cliff and expecting protection would be "tempting God". But where keeping myself safe conflicts with serving others, Scripture points to our greater safety being in the latter, and greater danger in the former.

Responses from others

Hey Dave, Thanks for emailing me this. We are praying constantly for the safety of our state and country. I appreciate you reaching out to me during these hectic times. Our verse for the day is Mathew 6:26 - 27. - State Representative Matthew Gurtler, Georgia

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Thanks. Stay safe and focus on GOD. - State Representative Gerald Greene, Georgia

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We are all in God's hands. - Jay Lawrence, Arizona legislature

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Mr. Leach, Thank you very much for sending these vital verses and information. I appreciate it very much. I am sending this to some of my friends and former co-workers. Thank you again. - Dave Struck, Norwood, Pennsylvania

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Hi Dave, As one who is trying to recover from Covid-19 (because I was volunteering in ICU where the sickest of the sick go), I can empathize with your friends in wanting to isolate. It is a small sacrifice to ask others to stay away unless a visit is absolutely necessary. This is because C-19 is present before one realizes they have it. This is allergy season for many who dismiss initial symptoms and go about their routines until they suddenly become quite symptomatic.

Like everyone else on the planet, I've had the flu several times over the years. But this flu is particularly vicious. Most won't die from it, but for a while that seems to be a good option to escape the unceasing headache, cough and congestion that threatens to overtake one's respiratory system. I started being symptomatic on Sunday but thought it was a sinus infection. On Monday I knew it was more, but I thought it might be a bad cold. On Tuesday and Wednesday the respiratory issues became rather severe and the headache that was mild on Monday became a constant inescapable pain that did not subside in the least until Thursday when it became bearable again.

The coughing and congestion, which I managed aggressively to keep it from going into my lungs, began subsiding yesterday, but not before I coughed so hard I herniated a small area under my right rib cage. Now, though I do not cough as much, it is extra painful to cough as the spasms jerk through that sensitive area.

Today I do not feel any better than yesterday and my legs are so weak I hurried through a morning shower so as not to risk falling in the shower.

Is God judging me? Or is God giving me greater empathy toward others who might become sick later?

When the heavens turn to brass and God withholds rain from a land, Dave, the righteous and the unrighteous often suffer together. It is what we do with our suffering that matters more than the fact that we suffer.

My advice is to stay away from your friends who are fearful and recognize that God is able to give them a degree of wisdom as well.

If you can find it, I recommend reading the November 2017 issue of Smithsonian Magazine in which they describe the influenza pandemic of 1918-19 . The article highlight is about how they took scrapings of that virus and resurrected the DNA from lung tissue to study it. It began as a rather harsh but usual flu virus, but that particular virus, they found, was able to mutate so rapidly and came back as a particularly deadly, more aggressive and more lethal virus. Thus the pandemic spread itself out over a very long "season" of time.

I do not know if Covid-19 is that virus, or not. But I do know we can all set aside the usual social and even work-related routines of life in order to protect others. I do not plan on letting people into my house, nor will I travel about, until I am a week out from having any symptoms. I have Clorox wipes that I intend to use to wipe every surface in my house, once I feel strong enough to take on the task of sanitizing. I consider this to be my best way of protecting others.

God is good, whether we get sick, or not. And as with the man born blind, He can afflict in ways that enhance His glory, even if that means He makes use of any one of us in the process.

Warmly in Christ, Cathy from Oregon; Catherine Ramey "Justice and only justice shall you do."

Dave Leach response: ...At the risk of too simplistic a summary of God's advice, my conclusion as applied to you is that by volunteering, you were doing exactly the safest thing, even for yourself, and God will bless you for it. But we still need to be careful, as you are: even though God promises protection, Jesus tells us not to jump off cliffs....

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