Better to Take Refuge in the Lord Than Trust in Man

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   Recently, a coalition of high-profile Christian evangelicals, including noted scholar N.T Wright, accomplished author Philip Yancey, and president of Fuller Theological Seminary Mark Labberton, published a declaration instructing the Christian community on its proper response to the current Coronavirus pandemic.  “A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times” expresses disappointment with, what the signatories feel to be, “the polarization and politicization of science in the public square when so many lives are at stake,” and argues that miraculous advancements in biomedical research, technology, and treatments are “God’s handiwork” that aids humans in overcoming disease and healing physical ailments.  As such, Christians should heed the expertise of scientists, doctors, and government officials “of all faiths” as they implement procedures to combat COVID-19.

   The chief doctrine of this proclamation, which includes the urgency of wearing masks and correcting “conspiratorial misinformation” about the virus, is the firm contention that Christians should eagerly accept the Coronavirus vaccine upon its realization.  According to this decree, “vaccines are gifts from God that will prevent disease not only for ourselves but for the most vulnerable among us” thereby fulfilling Jesus’ command to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” (Luke 6:31).

   This expanding group of nearly 5,000 respected evangelicals and pillars of Christian leadership in the American Church want you to recognize that because of your faith in Jesus Christ, it is your Christian responsibility to get vaccinated.  

   The following is a snapshot of the top pharmaceutical companies that have been entrusted by your government officials with doing God’s “handiwork” by creating a COVID-19 vaccine…

   GlaxoSmithKline was the sixth largest pharmaceutical company in the world in 2015.  In 2012, the company plead guilty to the largest health care fraud in United States history, that included the “unlawful promotion of certain prescription drugs, its failure to report safety data, and its civil liability for alleged false price reporting practices,” resulting in a $3 billion settlement.  International authorities have also discovered that, since 2013, GlaxoSmithKline has spent $4-$5 billion dollars on financial kickbacks, gifts, and prostitutes to provide sexual favors to doctors who would prescribe the company’s drugs to their patients, crimes for which they were fined $489 million in China alone.  As of February 2018, the company had been under further investigations by British and American authorities regarding third-party adviser connections with Chinese bribery scandals. Forbes has labeled this company a “leader in pharma fraud.”

   Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has faced numerous lawsuits in recent years, especially regarding their renowned baby powder, which has been confirmed to contain carcinogenic asbestos.  Investigations discovered that J&J has been aware of this contamination as far back as he 1970s, when tests showed “rather high” levels of adulteration.  The company concealed the information by lying to regulators and misleading the public and, in 2018, was initially ordered to pay $4.7 billion in settlements to victims that acquired ovarian cancer from the product.  Similarly, Congressional hearings revealed in 2008 that J&J has conducted “phantom recalls,” a process by which the company removes severely defective products from the market by hiring private contractors to secretly purchase all remaining available inventory to avoid informing the public of a serious health risk.  Also, in 2013, the Justice Department announced that J&J was found to have been bribing doctors and pharmacists to encourage off-label (unapproved) use of its products. 

   Pfizer is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world and, as one can imagine, the maleficence is abundant. The company withheld information and falsified records about defective heart valves in 1991 which resulted in numerous deaths and, afterwards, resisted the FDA’s request to inform existing patients of the risks to those who already had the valves.  Pfizer has been rebuked by the FDA on numerous occasions for marketing misleading and unauthorized information about its products like the well-known depression medication, Zoloft, along with others like Celebrex, Lipitor, and Zithromax.  One former sales representative said of Pfizer that “the whole culture of Pfizer is driven by sales, and if you don’t sell drugs illegally, you were not seen as a team player.”  Settlements in 2012 alleged that the company has bribed healthcare authorities in foreign countries to gain regulatory approval of its drugs.    In 1996, the company was also embroiled in a scandal involving an experimental meningococcal drug administered to Nigerian children without parental consent that resulted in numerous deaths. In 2011, Pfizer was ordered to compensate the families. 

   AstraZeneca, the multinational, biopharmaceutical giant, has an extensive history of authorizing unapproved use of their drugs and covering up their harmful effects to facilitate the products’ entry into market.  For example, Seroquel, an antipsychotic introduced in the early 2000’s to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was administered to children without ever having been approved for them.  When numerous children experienced devastating effects, executives covered up the evidence, in addition to bribing the researcher involved in analyzing the drug.  This incident produced a $520 million settlement with victims.  Likewise, the company concealed evidence of life-threatening side effects of its extremely profitable and widely prescribed medication, Crestor, from regulators, demonstrating their quest for profits over safety.  In addition, AstraZeneca was also accused of misrepresenting and concealing safety and efficacy information about Crestor to manipulate state Medicaid programs.

   Novavax, a small, American vaccine development company, secured the largest contract under the Trump administration to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.  In its 33-year existence, it has never brought a vaccine to market.  The company has attempted to develop vaccines for diseases like SARS and Ebola, and RSV, but have always failed, probably due to their desire to rush clinical trials, according to former employees.  The company is an absolute disaster, producing nothing of medicinal benefit, that simply uses its network of contacts to secure new funding every time a crisis breaks to keep itself afloat.  Two such “friends” are The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), an office of the Human and Health Services Department of the United States government that makes deals with drug manufacturers during epidemics, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  The former has been headed by two former Novavax employees, while the latter is on record for hoping to use vaccines for global population reduction.  

   The scariest part is that these companies cannot face any legal consequences if someone experiences injury from their vaccines. 

   For those who already know that vaccines are unavoidably unsafe, such general criminal practices as described here only further substantiates that pharmaceutical companies are extremely dishonest, unethical, and corrupt.  For those who perceive vaccinations as “good,” Paul says in Romans that those who say, “Let us do evil that good may result” will be justly condemned (3:8).  Be careful in whom you put your faith, for as the psalmist says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”

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