Maggie Thorp, JD and Jim Thorp, MD
America Out Loud Network
What if I told you powerful U.S. government officials – such as former NIH Director Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy – used religion in an attempt to convince faith leaders around the country to push the COVID-19 injections? A deep dive into the organization Faiths4Vaccines – a founding member of the HHS’ vaccine-propaganda machine COVID-19 Community Corps1 – has revealed just that.
That the HHS was tapping faith leaders in the spring of 2021 to push the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines was not a surprise. We uncovered this in our previous article that we broke on the COVID-19 Community Corps at the end of 2022.2 But what did surprise us as we dug deeper for this article was the extent to which faith leaders were pursued to push the COVID-19 vaccines and the inappropriate – if not unconstitutional – manner in which government officials persuaded these faith leaders to push the shots.
With 86 founding members, the “faith leaders” category of the COVID-19 Community Corps was the most numerous.3 These founding members included both individual faith leaders and faith organizations from a variety of religions – including the American Baptist Church, Catholic Charities USA, the Episcopal Church, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the New York Jewish Agenda, just to name a few.4
Not surprisingly, many faith organizations received federal money during the pandemic. For example, an entity called “American Baptist Churches in the USA” reportedly received $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief bailout money – in the form of two forgivable “loans” that spanned 2020 and 2021.5 In their defense, the country was shut down for much of 2020, which left faith organizations, some of whom rely on member donations to pay day-to-day costs, facing financial disaster.
Faith Leaders’ Positions of “Trust” Exploited
In our opinion, however, it wasn’t financial incentives that ultimately convinced faith leaders to push the COVID-19 vaccines on their members. Instead, it was a strategy that baselessly appealed to faith leaders’ deeply held moral and religious beliefs – targeting their virtues instead of their vices – and which shamelessly relied on religious doctrine and a pro-vaccine “theological” interpretation to support pushing the shots.
For example, at a May 2021 national summit for faith leaders, NIH Director Francis Collins – referred to as “Reverend-Doctor” – would address hundreds of faith leaders across the nation, claiming that the COVID-19 vaccines were God’s literal “answer to prayer” and urging faith leaders to believe that pushing the shots was a “love your neighbor moment.”6 In what was a sermon-like address tailored to appeal to these faith leaders, Collins admonished them not to believe “conspiracy theories” about “possible side effects” – which Collins falsely said were untrue.7
In the spring of 2021, when COVID-19 vaccine uptake had leveled off, faith leaders seemed to be the Biden administration’s answer to getting hesitant Americans vaccinated. The reason? Faith leaders had vast untapped potential to convince vaccine-hesitant Americans to take the shots – particularly if they could be persuaded that COVID-19 vaccination was a moral obligation owed to others. Like healthcare providers (which we recently wrote about),8 faith leaders were “trusted” – but arguably much more so than one’s doctor. Faith leaders were associated with the divine. They were often connected to deeply personal, intimate, and even sacred moments in Americans’ lives – spiritual moments that involved life and death, great joy, and deep sorrow – such as baptisms, christenings, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals. As noted in one peer-reviewed article about the role faith leaders played in creating vaccine confidence, faith organizations were able to penetrate people’s vaccine hesitation in “hyperlocal” ways.9 Moreover, religion in the U.S. is widespread – Wikipedia reports that “An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a higher power, engage in spiritual practices, and consider themselves religious or spiritual.”10 Consider that the American Baptist Churches USA alone claims 1.3 million members and approximately 5,000 congregations, with 42 million Baptists globally.11
Faiths4Vaccines – A Disturbing Partnership with the Biden Administration
Looking back, it appears that governments began to tap faith leaders to push COVID-19 vaccinations as early as February 2021. That month, Washington’s Mayor announced a pilot initiative which was disturbingly called “Faith in the Vaccine” – a program in which DC Health would partner with Washington’s faith communities to try to get people vaccinated.”12 The government’s initiative to partner with faith organizations would eventually be pursued on a national level.
Meet Faiths4Vaccines – a founding member of the HHS COVID-19 Community Corps.13 On its website, Faiths4Vaccines describes itself as a “multi-faith group of local and national religious leaders” seeking “to increase opportunities for faith-based institutions, particularly houses of worship, to engage and support the United States government in its efforts to increase vaccination rates” and combat “vaccine hesitancy.”14 Faiths4Vaccines’ top shared goal is shocking – it strives to “Demonstrate religious communities’ trust in the vaccine.”15
According to a peer-reviewed study that assessed the impact of faith organizations on COVID-19 vaccination uptake, Faiths4Vaccines includes over 1000 faith leaders across the U.S.16 This study found that Faiths4Vaccines held 13 “bi-weekly roundtables” led by faith leaders who used their houses of worship as vaccination sites and had regular engagement with the White House, including the White House COVID-19 Task Force, as well as the CDC and HHS, as part of these bi-weekly calls.17 A spin-off initiative of Faiths4Vaccines – called Youth4Vaccines – pushed the COVID-19 vaccine among America’s youth18 and also held a roundtable “showcasing how youths of faith are leading in their communities within the COVID-19 vaccination efforts.”19
Faiths4Vaccines Holds a National Summit to Pressure Faith Leaders to Push COVID-19 Vaccines
The Faiths4Vaccines National Summit, which took place on May 26, 2021, was the largest religious summit of its kind to be held in the U.S. The summit included some 800 registered faith leaders, and also included public health and U.S. government officials.20 Its purpose? To increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake, reduce vaccine hesitancy, and foster utilizing “houses of worship” as vaccination sites.”21
At the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit, NIH Director Francis Collins, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Jeffrey Zients (then White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, who is now Biden’s Chief of Staff)22 – made virtual appearances, addressing the faith leaders directly. Under the auspices of their official government positions, Collins, Murthy, and Zients relied on religion to persuade faith leaders to push the COVID-19 vaccines. Shockingly, Collins even claimed that the vaccines were provided by God.23
At the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit, faith leaders were pressured to push the COVID-19 vaccines on their members. As you can see in the slide pictured below, faith leaders were even unabashedly urged to “Speak about the moral imperative of getting vaccinated in your sermons.”
Many have tried to comprehend how 80% of the U.S. population would be convinced to submit to a novel and experimental biomedical injection therapy, with zero long-term safety data, to combat an illness that posed little risk to much of the population. We have previously shown how billions in financial incentives were funneled to influential private sectors – such as hospital systems and physicians – greasing the wheels for vaccine mandates and resulting in a lack of patient informed consent. We have also shown how federal grants, like those awarded through HHS Cooperative Agreements, have influenced physician standardizing organizations – such as ACOG – resulting in risky and unprecedented COVID-19 pro-vaccine recommendations in pregnancy.
However, when religious doctrine and the sacredness of one’s faith tradition are wielded with misleading information to push a risky, experimental biomedical government agenda – this shocks the conscience. When available, cheap and potentially life-saving medications with an excellent safety profile are withheld in order to further this experimental biomedical agenda – this defies ethical bounds.
When government officials and those who pushed the shots in cooperation with the government fail to acknowledge the shots’ spectacular failure, and when they refuse to give voice to or help the millions who have been hurt and damaged by the shots they pushed – this too shocks the conscience. In manipulating faith leaders to push the COVID-19 injections on their fearful members, our government has abused God, abused Scripture, and abused religious doctrine.
In our opinion, this is precisely what happened. As demonstrated at the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit, powerful government officials resorted to the use of religious doctrine to coerce faith leaders across the country to use their own spiritual influence, positions of trust, and sacred spaces to push the vaccines on their congregants. Government officials claimed to know God’s position on the issue of the COVID-19 vaccines, failing to consider other perspectives or engage in open debate. In claiming that their vaccine “theology” was the correct interpretation, our government leaders implied that any faith leaders with a different view opposed God or had an incorrect understanding of God.24 For those who dared question the government’s vaccine “theology,” Collins and Murthy use words that echoed pejorative tones – implying that faith leaders who had hesitancy about recommending the vaccine were inferior and/or uneducated –thus susceptible to believing in “conspiracy theories” (Collins) or “misinformation and myths” (Murthy).
Faiths4Vaccines National Summit: Francis Collins’ Disturbing Remarks:
Consider the following disturbing remarks, spoken by then-NIH Director Francis Collins as he addressed faith leaders across the country at the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit on May 26, 2021.
1 – Collins to Faith Leaders: Tell your “Flock” that the Vaccines are “Safe”
Collins literally tells the faith leaders attending the National Summit what to say to their congregants. He urges them to reassure their “flocks” that the COVID-19 vaccines are completely safe and assures them that big pharma – one of the most corrupt industries on the planet – didn’t cut any corners:
“But mostly I wanted to just say as somebody who’s been in the middle of this effort to develop these vaccines over the last 16 months, that I really would want you to be able to say to all of the people in your various flocks that these vaccines were developed with incredible care and scrupulous attention to safety and efficacy, yes, they were done quicker than has ever been possible. But that wasn’t by cutting corners. That was basically by figuring out how to utilize this new technology called messenger RNA to make some of the steps go a lot faster than they could have.”25
Yet, Pfizer’s 5.3.6 ninety-day post-marketing experience report released in the spring of 2021, which tracked adverse event data from December 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, showed Pfizer’s mRNA injections to be the deadliest drug ever rolled out in the U.S. history, with 1,223 deaths in 90 days.26 Now widely available on the internet, the Pfizer post-marketing experience report is Bates-stamped on the lower right-hand corner of each page with “FDA-CBER-2021-[file and/or page number]” – a common indexing method which is frequently used for legal documents. This Bates-stamp shows that, in all likelihood, the Pfizer post-marketing experience report had been received by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) and its Center for Biological Evaluation and Research (CBER) – as it bears this FDA-CBER Bates-stamp on each page. A date of April 30, 2021, appears vertically printed on the left-hand side of each page of the Pfizer document, indicating that the FDA and CBER likely had the document as early as April 30, 2021.27
It is now incontrovertible that mRNA injections have been associated with serious injuries and even deaths of many in the U.S. and around the world. As just one example, a scientific database created by React1928 – an organization that assists COVID-19 vaccine-injured individuals who have been abandoned by the very government that assured them the shots were safe – documents 3,580 peer-reviewed case reports of serious adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, as of the date of this writing.29 Another website called OpenVAERS, which tracks global data about COVID-19 vaccine adverse event reports, shows there have been 1,615,020 reports of adverse events and 36,726 deaths following COVID-19 vaccination through November 3, 2023.30 VAERS, the U.S. system for reporting vaccine adverse events, is widely acknowledged to be vastly underreported.31 A researcher affiliated with Ottawa research group Correlation, Denis Rancourt, PhD, estimates that 17 million global citizens have been killed worldwide from the COVID-19 vaccines as of September 2, 2023.32
2 – Collins to Faith Leaders: The Vaccines, Which are “95% Effective,” are God’s “Answer to Prayer”
Collins also told faith leaders that the vaccines were a literal answer to prayer – peppering his shameless appeal to push the vaccines with religious language that was sure to resonate with faith leaders. He also reassures them in the next breath that the shots were thoroughly safety tested, even though this is, at best, misleading and, at worst, false. Not even three weeks after Collins made his claim, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – which is no longer available in the U.S.33 – would be paused by the CDC and FDA following reports of severe blood clots in several vaccinated individuals.34
“And so we now have something that I very literally would call an answer to prayer. We have 3 vaccines that have been tested in 30,000 or more people in the most rigorous kinds of trials, and our hearts and thanks go out to those volunteers who took part in those trials. And that was, those were trials involving people from all different walks.
Yeah, I was praying about this. Back in August or September as the trials were getting underway. Oh, if I just pray, well, we’ll be end up with something that’s at least 60% or maybe 70% effective, and then it turns out to be 95%. So this does seem like, OK, I’ve been praying for rescue from COVID. Here’s the answer. It’s coming through science. But it still feels to me like it’s God’s answer too, because God works through people and God works through scientists, even some of them who don’t know it.”35
The COVID-19 vaccines, however, have hardly been God’s answer to prayer for the estimated millions around the world who have been injured or killed after taking them.36 These include Maddie de Garay, who was only 12 years old when she suffered extreme neurological injuries following her second Pfizer COVID-19 injection while she was participating in the clinical trial.37 For Maddie and her family, and countless others like them, the vaccines have been a horror story,38 not an answer to prayer. Although Maddie’s injuries left her in a wheelchair, they were reportedly downplayed by Pfizer as only “stomach issues” – casting grave doubt on the rigorousness of the clinical trial standards conducted by Pfizer.39
Maddy is not alone. As the many faces and stories of vaccine-injury websites like RealNotRare demonstrate, there are countless stories of COVID-19 vaccine-injured individuals who have been ignored, gaslighted, and discarded by their government.40 For them, the vaccines have been a living hell that no one should have to go through.
Collins’ claims that the COVID-19 vaccines were 95% effective – exceeding all expectations he had from God – have proven to be false and misleading claims about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Efficacy is a term that is vague, deceptive, misleading, and easily manipulated – a term of art that has been mastered by the pharmaceutical industry for more than a century. For example, efficacy for what outcome? For death? For being placed on a ventilator? For being admitted to the hospital? For getting COVID-19 infection? For transmitting COVID-19? For developing an antibody response that may have no clinical significance? The pharmaceutical industries often use efficacy in relation to the last example – developing an antibody response that may have no clinical significance – but then use sleight of hand to imply efficacy means a reduction in other outcomes, such as transmission.
Another of big pharma’s tricks is to use “relative risk reduction” in place of “absolute risk reduction” when making claims about a product’s effectiveness. For example, a risk reduction from 2% to 1% equates to an absolute risk reduction of 1% – which is of no clinical value. However, big pharma will then report it as a 50% risk reduction (relative risk reduction), which appears much more impressive. We saw this at play when claims were made that the COVID-19 vaccines were 95% effective – which created false impressions that the vaccines were durable and protected against transmission. According to allegations in a misrepresentation lawsuit filed against Pfizer by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine failed to live up to the company’s representations that it was 95% effective. Rather, COVID-19 cases actually increased after widespread vaccination, and in some areas, the vaccinated saw a greater percentage of deaths than the unvaccinated, according to Attorney General Paxton.41
Lastly, Collins mockingly portrays those who are hesitant or have concerns about the vaccines’ side effects as people who believe in “conspiracy theories” – implying they are inferior and uneducated.
“Yeah, there’s lots of concerns out there about possible side effects. We have not seen those conspiracy theories turning out to be true. We have certainly no evidence that this causes infertility. You’ve probably heard that one. There is actually no evidence that this is in any way harmful to pregnant women, in fact, probably beneficial because they have a high risk of really serious illness from COVID-19. They’re still collecting that data.” And no, there are no chips in the syringes that are delivering the vaccine that are going to allow Bill Gates to track you around. I asked him about that. He said he wasn’t that interested and it wouldn’t work anyway. So there there’s a lot of ways in which I think we can provide reassurance.”42
After assuring faith leaders that the vaccine is safe for pregnant women, Collins admits that the data is not actually in. Simply put, there is no possible way Collins can assert the vaccines are safe for pregnant women, as the long-term safety data will not be available for years. Yet, Collins continues, unabashedly appealing to faith leaders to use their sacred positions of trust to push the vaccines, even on pregnant women:
“People look up to you. They see you as figures of trust. They know that when you come forward with something, it’s because you’re doing it in their best interest and the best interest here really, really matters. Finally, let me say what was said there, by both the Surgeon General and Reverend Wallace, about this being a love your neighbor moment. Nothing could be more true than that.”43
Faiths4Vaccines National Summit: Jeffery Zients’ Troubling Remarks: A Sacred Mission?
Opening the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit on May 26, 2021, was then-leader of the White House response to COVID-19, Jeffrey Zients, who appeared on behalf of Biden and Harris. Zients’ remarks first set the stage, creating an urgency to get people vaccinated:44
“[W]e’re now at a point where more than half of all adult Americans are now fully vaccinated. So that, actually, we hit that milestone yesterday, half of all adult Americans are now fully vaccinated.” 45
“[T]here are millions of Americans who still need protection against this virus. And that’s why we are all pushing so hard to meet the president’s goal of 70% of adult Americans with at least one shot by Independence Day, July 4th [2021].”46
3 – The Vaccine Mission
Zients then tells his audience that the focus of the White House vaccine campaign has changed – it has now become deeply personal, requiring “trusted messengers and faith leaders:”
“This phase is different. This is about person by person, community by community, we need to reach deeper into our communities and double down on meeting people where they are.”47
“And who do they turn to? They turn to people in their communities. As faith leaders, you know your communities and you know your communities best. You are trusted messengers, and equipped to help people build that very confidence, and access vaccines. And we really, really need your help to get that done. So your work has been essential to getting us to 62%. A sprint from 62% to 70% – we need even more of your leadership and work in that we’re reaching a group of population that does have questions, that is looking to trusted messengers and faith leaders”48
“As I know you’ve all been pushing hard, but I’m asking you to push even harder in this final month. As I said, redouble your commitment to helping people in your community get vaccinated. If your organization is not yet part of COVID-19 Community Corps, please join. It’s easy to do.”49
4 – Sacralizing the Vaccine Mission?
Zients implores faith leaders to jump on board with the government’s mission to get a shot in every arm – peppering his comments with religious language that would uniquely resonate with his audience. In short, he seems to sacralize the government’s mission:
“I think the more we work together to spread this good news, the more lives we’ll save. There’s been a really nice virtuous cycle here as people learned that their brother or sister or their mom or father or their neighbor or their faith leader has been vaccinated. They’re much more likely to be vaccinated. So we need to continue to spread the word. And the quicker you know, we get more and more people vaccinated, we’ll be able to get back to so many of the things we’d love to do. Including coming together safely in person in our House of worship.”
“So if you can answer the call which you always do and sort of double down for us and help us through this this sprint through July 4th. We would be always appreciative and eternally grateful. So thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for all that you’ve done. And thank you for all that you will do.” 50
This comes precariously close to blurring the lines of the church and state: The doctrine of separation of church and state is intended not only to protect the government from religious influence but also to protect religious exercise by preventing the government from intervening in religious affairs.
A Faiths4Vaccines “Toolkit” – Exploiting Voices and Scripture?
Claims that the COVID-19 vaccines were safe and would reduce transmission would prove woefully incomplete and even flat-out wrong. Yet, still available on the Faiths4Vaccines’ website is a “Toolkit,” which is tailored to help faith leaders push the COVID-19 vaccines. Consider this misleading statement in the “Toolkit”:
“If you get Moderna or Pfizer’s vaccine…you have a 95% less chance of getting COVID-19. So imagine that for you, and then imagine that for everyone around you in your community. … The entire purpose of vaccines is to reduce the disease burden on a community.”51
Claims that the initial mRNA vaccines were 95% effective in stopping infection and transmission would prove to be not only misleading but flat-out wrong.52 A Pfizer executive would admit in 2022 that vaccines were never tested to see whether they prevented transmission and that Pfizer did not know whether the vaccine stopped transmission when it began rolling out the vaccines.53
The Faiths4Vaccines “Toolkit” suggests the use of theological interpretations and sacred Scriptures to push the COVID-19 vaccines and offers specific examples.54 Does this border on spiritual abuse? Consider that one of the hallmarks of spiritual abuse is taking Scriptures out of context in order to interpret passages to suit one’s own ends.55 Another is using biblical-sounding words to give the appearance of virtuousness or righteousness – a tactic that we saw both Zients and Collins use.56 Consider the propriety of this scriptural example, quoted from a “Trusted Source” in the Jewish community, according to the Faiths4Vaccines “Toolkit”:
“The Lord took us out of the narrow place (Mitzrayim) with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. (Deuteronomy 26:8)
“‘The narrow place’ refers to Covid.
‘A strong hand’ refers to the hand holding the syringe.
‘An outstretched arm’ is the arm receiving the vaccine.
The Bible’s message is clear: Go forth and be vaccinated, that ye may live!”57
The Faiths4Vaccines “Toolkit” also provides the following Scriptures to push COVID-19 vaccination, described as “Scriptures on the Value of All Lives”:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. Jeremiah 33:6
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28”58
Where are the Faiths4Vaccines’ “Toolkit” suggestions for ministering to those who suffered an injury or disability or lost a loved one after taking a COVID-19 vaccine? What sacred Scriptures might give them guidance and comfort in their time of need? How is the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” being followed when our government, doctors, and faith institutions gaslight and ignore the vaccine injured, leaving them to fend for themselves in the wake of overwhelming medical expenses and hopelessness? Is ignoring them and pretending they don’t exist what we “wish would be done to us” if we had suffered a devastating vaccine injury? Was it God’s “purpose,” and did “all things work together for good” when those who submitted to the vaccines suffered a life-changing injury or lost their lives?
Faiths4Vaccines National Summit: Vivek Murthy’s Troubling Remarks on Envisioning a Post-Pandemic World
Flanked by the American flag and insignia of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps – symbols associated with military power and authority – U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy delivers his comments.59
Murthy’s comments not only “other” the unvaccinated, they also cast the majority of the unvaccinated into an undesirable category of “myth” and “misinformation” believers. According to Murthy, it is the job of faith leaders – most of whom have zero medical training – to be a source Americans can fully trust with accurate information about their health:
“And we know that there’s a lot of misinformation out there as well. About 2/3 of people who are unvaccinated either believe some of the myths out there or think that some of the myths, common myths may be true. And so we have a lot of work to do, but this is where faith leaders can help, so much, because at a moment when people are casting doubt and wondering who they can rely on for accurate information, they look, yes, to their doctors and nurses, but they look in particular to people they know, to people they trust. And in so many cases, that is all of you.”60
Murthy later takes a theological turn, bringing up Scripture with words that are beautiful and true in their own right, sounding as if they were inspired by a well-known theologian (who will remain nameless here but comes readily to mind for this Duke alumni):
“And COVID itself, as a pandemic, has taught us this profound lesson that Scripture has been teaching us for thousands of years. And that lesson is that we fundamentally need one another, and that the bonds of affection that connect us as family and friends and neighbors, that these are sources of comfort, joy, but also help. And there’s a growing body of research, that tells us, in fact, that these human connections that we enjoy and cherish are actually good for our physical and mental well-being.”61
Interestingly, much of Murthy’s comments articulate a theological principle that was ignored during draconian lockdowns in 2020. This principle is that we are all connected through our shared humanity, made for and even constituted by our relationships with each other – our connections with others are life-sustaining, particularly in times of need.
Is it too much to ask Murthy how this theological principle applied to the draconian lockdowns of 2020? Peer-reviewed studies have shown that 27% of family members were not allowed to see their loved ones in 2020 at their end of life – when they were literally in their moments of leaving this earth and departing to the next.62 Does the current administration truly value human connection? Murthy assures that it does, continuing:
“So in this particular moment when people are looking about for folks to trust, you have an extraordinarily important role to play. And I think what you can also do is to help people look beyond the pandemic and to think of this, not just as a moment to get vaccinated, but to grapple with the question of what kind of post pandemic world do we want to create together? Like how do we build lives that are more centered on the people that we love? How do we more consistently live in accordance with our highest values of kindness, compassion and generosity? And ultimately, how do we lead lives that are guided by love and not fear? You know, the silver lining of COVID is that it’s given us a chance to create a world that is stronger, kinder, and more aligned with our values. And that starts with protecting ourselves and the people we care about from the virus. And that’s where getting vaccinated really is the key.”63
Curiously, Murthy somehow concludes that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is the key to “living lives guided by love, not fear” and creating a kinder, more connected, and more compassionate post-pandemic world.
But in the aftermath of the sketchy government campaign to get the experimental COVID-19 vaccines into every American arm – shots that have now disabled and killed countless around the world – envisioning a kinder, more connected, and more compassionate post-pandemic world means other things to many. It means offering aid and showing compassion to the countless numbers of COVID-19 vaccine injured, who have been ignored, censored, gaslighted, and abandoned by a government that mandated an experimental injection that it falsely promised was safe and effective.
It means acknowledging the government was dead wrong on their vaccine “theology” and COVID-19 pandemic response, about so many things and on so many levels, in ways that are too numerous to list here. It means taking action to repeal laws providing legal immunity for pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines and holding manufacturers accountable for their deceptive conduct. These are some of the actions that could begin to rebuild Americans’ lost trust in their government, their doctors, and their faith leaders and restore connections with others. This would be a start to creating that ideal post-pandemic world, one which reflects “our highest values of kindness, compassion and generosity,” as Murthy articulated.
A Final Note:
In the spirit of trying to have those “open and honest conversations with your congregation about getting vaccinated” – as the Faiths4Vaccines National Summit advised – we reached out via email to several faith leaders of multiple religions, asking them what their thoughts were about the government’s efforts to pressure faith leaders to push the COVID-19 shots. However, instead of an open and honest conversation, we got crickets.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you think the government engaged in overreach with faith leaders? What actions do you think are necessary for rebuilding trust in the U.S.?
References:
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2021). “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Nationwide Network of Trusted Voices to Encourage Vaccination in Next Phase of COVID-19 Public Education Campaign.” (Screen Snapshot captured on April 1, 2021, at 22:51:02, by Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Last accessed Jan. 12, 2024). https://web.archive.org/web/20210401225102/https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/01/hhs-launches-nationwide-network-trusted-voices-encourage-vaccination-next-phase-covid-19-public-education-campaign.html.
2 Maggie Thorp JD and Jim Thorp MD. “Tentacles of a Covert and Exploitative Propaganda Machine Compliments of the US Government.” Oct. 28, 2022, America Out Loud News. https://www.americaoutloud.news/tentacles-of-a-covert-and-exploitative-propaganda-machine-compliments-of-the-us-government/
3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2021). “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Nationwide Network of Trusted Voices to Encourage Vaccination in Next Phase of COVID-19 Public Education Campaign.” (Screen Snapshot captured on April 1, 2021, at 22:51:02, by Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Last accessed Jan. 12, 2024). https://web.archive.org/web/20210401225102/https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/01/hhs-launches-nationwide-network-trusted-voices-encourage-vaccination-next-phase-covid-19-public-education-campaign.html.
4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2021). “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Nationwide Network of Trusted Voices to Encourage Vaccination in Next Phase of COVID-19 Public Education Campaign.” (Screen Snapshot captured on April 1, 2021, at 22:51:02, by Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Last accessed Jan. 12, 2024). https://web.archive.org/web/20210401225102/https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/01/hhs-launches-nationwide-network-trusted-voices-encourage-vaccination-next-phase-covid-19-public-education-campaign.html.
5 USASPENDING.gov. (2024.) Spending by Prime Award. “American Baptist Churches in the USA.” https://www.usaspending.gov/search/?hash=61d8a1513f69f8c2108169547d4bd5ff
6 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k. The “Reverend-Doctor” reference by the moderator is at 44:25 – 44:33
7 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
8 Maggie Thorp JD and Jim Thorp MD. “COVID-19 Government Relief Funds Turned the Healthcare Industry on its Head.” Dec. 10, 2023, America Out Loud News. https://www.americaoutloud.news/covid-19-government-relief-funds-turned-the-healthcare-industry-on-its-head/
9 Syed U, Kapera O, Chandrasekhar A, Baylor BT, Hassan A, Magalhães M, Meidany F, Schenker I, Messiah SE, Bhatti A. The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review. Vaccines. 2023; 11(2):449. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020449
10 Wikipedia. (2024). “Religion in the United States.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States
11 American Baptist Churches USA. (2024). “10 Facts About American Baptists.” https://www.abc-usa.org/10facts/
12 Madison Muller. “D.C.-Area Churches Encourage Community to Have ‘Faith in the Vaccine.’” Feb. 12, 2021, Sojourners. https://sojo.net/articles/dc-area-churches-encourage-community-have-faith-vaccine
13 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2021). “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Nationwide Network of Trusted Voices to Encourage Vaccination in Next Phase of COVID-19 Public Education Campaign.” (Screen Snapshot captured on April 1, 2021, at 22:51:02, by Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Last accessed Jan. 12, 2024). https://web.archive.org/web/20210401225102/https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/04/01/hhs-launches-nationwide-network-trusted-voices-encourage-vaccination-next-phase-covid-19-public-education-campaign.html.
14 Faiths4Vaccines: A Multifaith Movement. (2023). “About Us.” https://faiths4vaccines.org/about-us/
15 Faiths4Vaccines: A Multifaith Movement. (2023). “About Us.” https://faiths4vaccines.org/about-us/
16 Syed U, Kapera O, Chandrasekhar A, Baylor BT, Hassan A, Magalhães M, Meidany F, Schenker I, Messiah SE, Bhatti A. The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review. Vaccines. 2023; 11(2):449. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020449
17 Syed U, Kapera O, Chandrasekhar A, Baylor BT, Hassan A, Magalhães M, Meidany F, Schenker I, Messiah SE, Bhatti A. The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review. Vaccines. 2023; 11(2):449. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020449
18 X (formerly known as Twitter.) (2024.) Faiths4Vaccines. “Youth are leading the way in the Youth4Vaccines Roundtable Takeover, with special guest, @Dr.Fauci Dr. Fauci!” June 16, 2021. https://twitter.com/faiths4vaccines/status/1405139499995258885?s=42
19 Syed U, Kapera O, Chandrasekhar A, Baylor BT, Hassan A, Magalhães M, Meidany F, Schenker I, Messiah SE, Bhatti A. The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review. Vaccines. 2023; 11(2):449. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020449
20 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.”https://faiths4vaccines.org/national-summit/
21 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” https://faiths4vaccines.org/national-summit/
22 Jeremy Diamond. “White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients is leaving his job.” March 17, 2022, CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/17/politics/white-house-covid-zients-resign/index.html
23 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k. The “Reverend-Doctor” reference by the moderator is at 44:25 – 44:33. Collins states, “OK, I’ve been praying for rescue from COVID. Here’s the answer [referring to the vaccines]. It’s coming through science. But it still feels to me like it’s God’s answer too, because God works through people and God works through scientists, even some of them who don’t know it.
24 See People For the American Way. (2024). “12 Rules for Mixing Religion and Politics.” Forward by Bill Moyers, August 2012. https://www.pfaw.org/report/12-rules-for-mixing-religion-and-politics/. Discussing the doctrine of separation of church and state, the author notes, “Some references to religious ideals may offer insight and moral inspiration even to those who do not share the speaker’s specific religious beliefs. But if only a religious justification is offered for a particular policy, such as a scriptural text or a claim to know God’s position on an issue, there is no real opportunity for debating the policy in the free market of ideas: someone with an opposing view is put in the position of being portrayed as an opponent of God and challenging a proponent’s understanding of God.”
25 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
26 Report Prepared by: Worldwide Safety – Pfizer. “5.3.6 Cumulative Analysis of Post-Authorization Adverse Event Reports of PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) Received Through 28-Feb-2021” (with each page bearing a Bates and/or Page Stamp of “FDA – CBER–2021,” which is the FDA’s U.S. Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research). https://phmpt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf
On page 7, Table 1 (Bates stamped FDA-CBER-2021-5683-0000060), Pfizer’s adverse event report shows 1223 deaths in the first 90 days of the rollout of the Pfizer COVID-19 injections
27 Report Prepared by: Worldwide Safety – Pfizer. “5.3.6 Cumulative Analysis of Post-Authorization Adverse Event Reports of PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) Received Through 28-Feb-2021” (with each page bearing a Bates and/or Page Stamp of “FDA – CBER–2021,” which is the FDA’s U.S. Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research). https://phmpt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf ; https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/covid-vaccine-rollouts-all-cause-mortality/
29 See React 19. (2023). “Scientific Publications Directory: Collection of peer-reviewed case reports and studies citing adverse effects post COVID vaccination” https://react19.org/science (for an ongoing compilation and database of peer-reviewed case reports of adverse effects following COVID-19 vaccination, and noting 3,580 peer-reviewed case reports as of the date of this writing).
30 OpenVAERS. (2024.) https://openvaers.com/covid-data
31 Collignon P, Doshi P, Jefferson T. “Ramifications of adverse events in children in Australia.” BMJ 2010;340:c2994 (Published 09 June 2010). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c2994
32 Correlation. (2024.) https://correlation-canada.org/research/; Denis Rancourt. (2024.) https://denisrancourt.ca/page.php?id=1&name=home
33 Deidre McPhillips. “J&J Covid-19 vaccine no longer available in the US.” May 15, 2023, CNN Health. https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/15/health/johnson-johnson-covid-vaccine-end/index.html#:~:text=The%20Covid%2D19%20vaccine%20from,that%20they%20had%20left%20over.
34 X (formerly known as Twitter.) (2024.) U.S. FDA (recommending, together with the CDC, a pause in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine). April 13, 2021. https://twitter.com/US_FDA/status/1381925612743499778
35 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
36 See Denis Rancourt PhD: Correlation. (2024.) https://correlation-canada.org/research/; Denis Rancourt. (2024.) https://denisrancourt.ca/page.php?id=1&name=home. See also X (formerly known as Twitter.) (2024.) Chief Nerd (discussing Dr. Peter McCullough’s latest data on Injuries Caused by the mRNA COVID Vaccines). https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1745877957644611801
37 X (formerly known as Twitter.) (2024.) Senator Ron Johnson. June 28, 2021. https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1409704740213166080
38 Fox News. (2024.) “Mother who accused Pfizer vaccine of putting daughter in a wheelchair still wants answers: ‘This feels like a horror movie.’” https://www.foxnews.com/video/6319032926112
39 Senator Gerard Rennick. (2024). Latest News. “Question on Notice.” Feb. 24. 2022. https://gerardrennick.com.au/qon-170-24-02-2022-department-of-health/
40 RealNotRare. (2024.) https://www.realnotrare.com/; See also React19. (2024.) “1365 Stories of Vaccine Injury.” https://react19.org/testimonials
41 Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas. “Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Pfizer for Misrepresenting COVID-91 Vaccine Efficacy and Conspiring to Censor Public Disclosure.” Nov. 30, 2023. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-pfizer-misrepresenting-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-conspiring
42 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
43 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Francis Collins’ introduction and presentation starts at 37:20 and ends at 44:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
44 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ introduction and presentation starts at 11:51 and ends at 21:48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
45 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 13:19 – 13:30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
46 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 14:58 – 15.13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
47 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 15:38 – 15:52. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
48 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 16:09 – 16:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
49 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 17:10- 17:28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
50 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Jeffrey Zients’ presentation at 20:16 – 21:43.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
51 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “Get Vaccinated,” p. 5. https://faiths4vaccines.org/wp-content/uploads/Get-Vaccinated-Toolkit_Faiths4Vaccines.pdf
52 Akshay Syal, M.D. “Hospitalizations rising among fully vaccinated in the U.S., Fauci says.” Nov. 17, 2021, NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hospitalizations-rising-fully-vaccinated-us-fauci-says-rcna5907
53 Frank Chung. “Pfizer did not know whether Covid vaccine stopped transmission before rollout, executive admits.” Oct. 13, 2022, News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/pfizer-did-not-know-whether-covid-vaccine-stopped-transmission-before-rollout-executive-admits/news-story/f307f28f794e173ac017a62784fec414
54 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “Get Vaccinated,” pp. 3,4 and 6. https://faiths4vaccines.org/wp-content/uploads/Get-Vaccinated-Toolkit_Faiths4Vaccines.pdf
55 Cait West. “Red Flags of Spiritual Abuse.” Jan. 2023, “Tears of Eden.” https://www.tearsofeden.org/blog/red-flags-of-spiritual-abuse
56 Cait West. “Red Flags of Spiritual Abuse.” Jan. 2023, “Tears of Eden.” https://www.tearsofeden.org/blog/red-flags-of-spiritual-abuse
57 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “Get Vaccinated,” pp. 3, 4. https://faiths4vaccines.org/wp-content/uploads/Get-Vaccinated-Toolkit_Faiths4Vaccines.pdf
58 Faiths4Vaccines. (2024.) “Get Vaccinated,” p. 6. https://faiths4vaccines.org/wp-content/uploads/Get-Vaccinated-Toolkit_Faiths4Vaccines.pdf
59 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Vivek Murthy’s introduction and presentation starts at 30:30 and ends at 36:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
60 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Vivek Murthy’s introduction and presentation starts at 30:30 and ends at 36:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
61 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Vivek Murthy’s introduction and presentation starts at 30:30 and ends at 36:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
62 Feder S, Smith D, Griffin H, Shreve ST, Kinder D, Kutney-Lee A, Ersek M. “Why Couldn’t I Go in To See Him?” Bereaved Families’ Perceptions of End-of-Life Communication During COVID-19. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Mar;69(3):587-592. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16993. Epub 2021 Jan 6. PMID: 33320956; PMCID: PMC8380436. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8380436/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%2027%25%20of%20family,patient%20would%20ultimately%20die%20alone
63 YouTube. (2024.) “National Summit at Faiths4Vaccines.” Streamed live on May 26, 2021. Vivek Murthy’s introduction and presentation starts at 30:30 and ends at 36:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJq9PHl3g2k.
Maggie Thorp JD and Jim Thorp MD