By their vax mandates ye shall know them

As evidence of the deadliness of the Covid-19 "vaccine" mounts, some churches are showing their true colours by making acceptance of the death shot a condition of fellowship. As reported by Israel 365 News, December 29, 2021 (link in original):

During a CNN segment on Christmas Eve, CNN’s ‘faith contributor’ Father Edward Beck declared that “the unvaccinated” should be barred from attending church services.

Yep. I said it. I don’t think unvaccinated people should be gathering in churches for Christmas Eve / Day Masses. “Love thy neighbor,” says the Savior.

“There is no supply chain shortage of love and compassion. I think that what we’re trying to say to people is they you have a social responsibility if you do gather, you know Christian churches many are gathering this evening and some are still not requiring vaccination, which I disagree with,” Beck added.

“I think part of caring for one another, the dictum of Jesus who we celebrate his birthday, is love one another. Show compassion. Show mercy to each other” he said.

“So I think the lesson is that if we want to act like Jesus in these kind of times we take care of each other and if we’re going to gather in celebration we have to do so safely, comfortably and we have to give to one another that gift of peace and part of that is health and feeling like we’re gathering in a healthy environment.”

“I don’t think there’s a reason to say I’m not going to get vaccinated, maybe for a health reason, then you can’t come to church,” he continued.

"Father" Beck is not alone in equating forced submission to an experimental medical procedure, which in the 1940s was punished as a crime against humanity, resulting in the execution of the criminals, with obeying the Lord Jesus Christ's commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. This can also be found in other churches, as reported by John Longhurst of the Winnipeg Free Press, December 21, 2021:

One southern Manitoba church is now requiring proof of vaccination for its in-person Sunday services.

Elim Mennonite Church in Grunthal, located about 28 kilometres southwest of Steinbach, made the decision this month in order to accommodate members who were afraid to join community gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said lay minister David Wiens.

"We knew of members who wouldn’t come because of fear for their safety," he said, noting this includes elderly people and those with compromised immune systems. One is a resident of a personal care home who is not allowed to go to places where unvaccinated people might be present.

"We wanted to make sure we looked after the most vulnerable in our church," said Wiens, a local dairy farmer, noting everyone who attends the services also needs to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

While Elim, which is part of Mennonite Church Manitoba, has been doing online services through the pandemic, "That’s not the same as in-person fellowship," he said.

As soon as in-person services were permitted by the province, the church started meeting again, following public health guidelines — but not asking about vaccination status.

That changed at the beginning of December, when members were asked to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter.

Since almost all of the roughly 70 members of the congregation are fully vaccinated, most are very supportive, Wiens said.

However, a few "aren’t happy with our policy," he said, acknowledging the decision will exclude those who have chosen not to be vaccinated.

"We are exploring ways to make it possible for unvaccinated people to be included," he said, noting it might mean alternating between vaccinated and unvaccinated member services. "We don’t want to exclude anyone."

Whatever approach the church takes, "We want to be consistent in our understanding of what is a positive Christian witness," said Wiens. "Right from the start, we wanted to honour and be respectful of the mandates and protect everyone."

At the same time, the church isn’t "trying not to make a big statement about vaccinations. We’re just trying to do what is right for our church. We’re not trying to pass judgement on the unvaccinated."

For Erika Dueck, a deacon at Elim, the decision was about what is best for local seniors.

"They haven’t been able to meet in person, they’re feeling isolated and disconnected," she said. "The pandemic has been very hard on older members."

By going to vaccinated-only, the church wants to "rebuild a sense of community."

While the decision has made most church members happy, reaction outside the congregation has been less so.

Some people "are angry. They think we are rejecting people or in cahoots with the government," Dueck said.

Transitional interim pastor at Elim, Norm Voth, said, as far as he knows, it is the only church (of roughly eight) in Grunthal to move to vaccinated-only in-person services.

"I expect this will be a topic of conversation at the next ministerial meeting," he said, adding Elim’s decision seems to have generated a "fair amount of conversation" in town.

The issue continues to be a lively one in the church, too, he said, noting there is a lot of discussion about ways to "maintain the unity of the congregation."

Through it all, the church’s goal is to "fulfill the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves," Voth said.

"If we take care of ourselves, including vaccinations, the mask-wearing, the social distancing, then we are caring for others."

The Orwellian use of language by the leaders of Elim Mennonite Church is breathtaking, but is increasingly typical of what passes for North American Christianity in 2021. Look at the phrases used--"we're not trying to pass judgement on the unvaccinated;" "rebuild a sense of community;" "maintain the unity of the congregation;" "fulfill the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves"--and look at the actions that are taking place. By denying fellowship to those who refuse the vaxx, they are in fact passing judgement on them. To have separate services depending on one's vaxx status would be to create an unbiblical division between believers, which destroys, rather than builds, unity and community.

There are biblical reasons for denying fellowship to professing Christians, such as leading an immoral life (I Corinthians 5) and being a heretic (Titus 3:10, Revelation 2:2-3), but these church leaders want to deny fellowship to people who are healthy and want to remain so. I for one, refuse to allow an experimental toxic substance to be injected into me by people whose motives I distrust. The evidence is mounting that the "vaccine" isn't saving lives, but taking them, and is much more dangerous than the illness it's allegedly supposed to prevent (The blog Vox Popoli, for one, has numerous posts on the subject). The people who've had the shots are the ones who are getting sick and dying, yet those of us who merely want to maintain our health status quo are treated as criminals and threats to public health. For church leaders to say it's "loving your neighbour" to promote a crime against humanity is something that God will hold them accountable for.