Guest Post by Robin Litster Johnson. Robin Litster Johnson wears many hats, including resilience and well-being advisor, fraud prevention expert, and Suzuki violin teacher. She is is passionate about the Book of Mormon and its relevance to our lives. Her favorite church callings have been Stake Music Chairman and Primary Chorister. She received an MBA with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior from BYU, and more recently a Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) degree from the University of Pennsylvania – Covid Class of 2020:)
I listen to the Book of Mormon almost every day and often find what I consider to be interesting correlations between it and other goings-on in life. Most recently, I am struck by the similarities between the Nephites’ attitudes regarding defending themselves against the Lamanites, Moroni’s preparations for war, Moses and the brazen serpent, and the development of the coronavirus vaccines and President Nelson’s encouragement to be vaccinated.
First, in Alma 48:15-16, it says, “…this was their faith…that he [God] would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; and also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies…”
It should be noted that the commonality above was not a static set of actions the Nephites were to take in every circumstance to order defend themselves, but rather a belief that in each varying circumstance they would be inspired and led to do what was appropriate for the situation.
Next, in Alma 49:8-9, when the Lamanites, led by apostate Nephites, came against them in battle, it says,
“But behold, to their [the Lamanites and apostate Nephites] uttermost astonishment, they [the righteous Nephites] were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni. And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war.”
It is clear in these verses that entirely new technologies, new tactics, and new strategies had been innovated and developed by the Nephites, because of the inspiration and guidance of their leaders, and because of the people’s cooperation and collaboration with their leaders.
Now flash back a few thousand years to Moses in the desert with the Children of Israel. In Numbers 21:6-9 we read:
“And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
It is interesting to note that the people asked Moses to pray to have the fiery serpents removed. The scriptures here do not say that that is what Moses asked the Lord to do. It simply says, “Moses prayed for the people.”
Next, it should be noted that the Lord did not remove the fiery serpents, which had been the people’s request. Instead, they were given an antidote to quell the effects of having been bitten.
This entire “Moses and the fiery serpent” scenario is expounded various times in the Book of Mormon, and the verses I find particularly relevant to this analysis are found in 1 Nephi 17:41 and Alma 33:20:
“…after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished…” and “But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.”
Now flash forward to March 26, 2020. President Nelson asked the Church, and the world, to join in a world-wide fast for relief from the coronavirus pandemic. He included, “As a physician and surgeon, I have great admiration for medical professionals, scientists, and all who are working around the clock to curb the spread of Covid-19.”
Less than two weeks later, President Nelson again called for a second world-wide fast on April 10, 2020 for relief from the pandemic, including (italics added) “that the present pandemic may be controlled,” and for “…our Heavenly Father and His Son — the Master Healer — to show forth Their marvelous power to bless the people of the earth.”
Nine months later, on January 19, 2021 President Nelson was vaccinated, and shared these comments (italics added):
“…We are thankful for the countless doctors, scientists, researchers, manufacturers, government leaders, and others who have performed the grueling work required to make this vaccine available. We have prayed often for this literal godsend.
As a former surgeon and medical researcher, I know something of the effort needed to accomplish such a remarkable feat. Producing a safe, effective vaccine in less than a year is nothing short of miraculous. I was a young surgeon when, in 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced that he had developed a vaccine against the cruel and crippling disease of polio. I then watched the dramatic impact that vaccine had on eradicating polio as most people around the world were vaccinated.
…My professional and ecclesiastical experiences convince me that vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life.
Receiving the vaccine today was part of our personal efforts to be good global citizens in helping to eliminate COVID-19 from the world.”
It is interesting to note President Nelson specifically stating that the polio vaccine eliminated polio around the world BECAUSE most people around the world were vaccinated, and implied, if not directly stated, that the coronavirus could be eliminated thusly as well, if most people around the world were to become vaccinated.
Also, on January 19, 2021, the First Presidency released the following (italics added):
“…Vaccinations have helped curb or eliminate devastating communicable diseases….COVID-19 vaccines that many have worked, prayed, and fasted for are being developed, and some are being provided… Church leaders… welcome the opportunity to be vaccinated. As appropriate opportunities become available, the Church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization….“
In February 2021, per President Nelson’s direction, the Church, through LDS Charities, gave $20 million to support global efforts to provide 2 billion (that’s “billion” with a “b”) Covid-19 vaccines to people in low- and middle-income countries.
In March 2021, the First Presidency upgraded the Church’s General Handbook (38.7.13) to encourage vaccinations.
In April 2021, it was announced that missionaries should be vaccinated, and if not, they would only be assigned to missions within their home country.
In August 2021, another statement was released by the First Presidency, including (italics added): “We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants…. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population…. we urge individuals to be vaccinated….”
To summarize the Coronavirus vaccine timeline:
- March 2020: the Prophet asks us to fast for relief from and a solution to the pandemic
- April 2020: the Prophet again asks us to fast for relief from and a solution to the pandemic
- January 2021: the Prophet is vaccinated, stating that he prayed many times for the development of a vaccine, declares its rapid development a miracle, and urges members to be vaccinated as they are able.
- February 2021: the Prophet directs $20 million to be given directly to vaccination efforts worldwide.
- March 2021: the General Handbook is updated to include the encouragement of vaccines.
- April 2021: missionaries are encouraged to be vaccinated.
- August 2021: the Prophet again urges members to be vaccinated, stating that diseases can only be controlled when the vast majority of a population are vaccinated.
In the event that my argument and the vital correlations between Moroni, Moses, and President Nelson are not apparent, I will attempt to lay it bare here. We are at war, metaphorically like the Nephites. Like the Nephites, new technologies have been developed to fight and win this war. The Prophet, highly knowledgeable and experienced in this battleground, has himself used these new technologies and has repeatedly urged Church members to use them as well in order to win this war. Yet, like the Children of Israel ignoring Moses as he lifted the brazen serpent for all to see, and like those whom Moronihah attempted to lead (see Helaman 4), there continue to be Church members who refuse to be vaccinated, many due to a belief in a false narrative.
It is true that individual choice in this matter has always been affirmed in each of the statements by President Nelson and the First Presidency, as personal agency is a “prime directive.” It is also true that there are genuine medical conditions which preclude some from getting a Covid-19 vaccination. For example, the daughter of a friend is expecting her first child, and because of her and her husband’s blood types, she had to receive a RhoGAM shot. Her doctors were uncertain how the Covid-19 vaccine would interact with that and recommended waiting until after the baby’s birth to receive the Covid-19 vaccination. There may be other medical conditions which would prohibit small numbers of others from getting the vaccine.
However, in my opinion, complacency, obstinacy, nor an affiliation with conspiracy theories constitute medical conditions that warrant the refusal to be vaccinated. “In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” (D&C 101:8).
I have several family members who are currently choosing to not be vaccinated. Their research for making this decision comes from “alternative” doctors. Some of their evidence is quite compelling. However, more compelling than their research, more compelling than the research presented by traditional doctors, and more compelling than any opinions proffered by political pundits on either side of the aisle is my testimony in the concept of a living prophet. I believe in the concept of a living prophet. Right now, the living prophet happens to be Russell M. Nelson. On this topic of being vaccinated against Covid-19, he has given clear, consistent, and continual counsel. Get vaccinated.
Don’t tell me what to do.
/mod/: You are in violation of our comment policy, specifically #5.
This is the 3rd moniker you’ve used on our site. You have the option of going back to your original moniker or be placed in moderation. Also, it’s gross for a man to suddenly use a female moniker to gain credibility on a feminist site.
This article was brilliant.
As one who believes in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I felt your appeal to these books—likening those situations to our own times—to help us navigate the rough waters of today’s world was excellent. Thank you Robin Litster Johobson!
Please excuse my misspelling of your name. I worked so hard on Litster and blew Johnson.
The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Prayed for a miracle, received miracle, denied miracle.
Thank you for so thoroughly laying out the timeline of prophetic guidance around this issue.Your connections to scriptural accounts is spot on. It sometimes takes a good dose of faith and humility to follow the prophet. We’ve all been there. Hopefully, your essay will help the vaccine hesitant gain confidence and choose to protect themselves and others.
I’ve know Robin for many years, we first met at BYU. Thank you for this Robin. I am always eager to hear what you have learned from your rich and blessed life. To the future.. let’s keep moving forward.
Susan
Thank you for this post, Robin!
Just to give an alternate interpretation, the poisonous serpents are literally injecting poison into the people and the people are dying. The poisonous serpents injecting poison into the people and killing them represent the vaccines, not the virus. The fiery serpent is symbolic of Christ. They are called to look unto Christ to live, not the prophet Moses himself, but Christ.
When they first began administering the vaccine to the public, there was a case in the UK in which a woman had an anaphylaxis reaction. Soon more and more people began having this allergic reaction. Because of this, a 15-30 minute after-vaccination stay was implemented to assist with any allergic reactions. Because my wife has had more than one allergic reaction to prescription drugs, we were very reluctant to have her receive the vaccination knowing this risk. We consulted with all of our doctors (family physician, cardiologist, gynecologist, etc.). Three of the six healthcare professionals advised her not to receive the vaccine. One advised her not to be one of the first to receive the vaccine and not to be one of the last ones. The other two told her she most certainly would die if she contracted Covid because of underlying health conditions and advised her to be vaccinated. We were in a pickle. We turned to the Lord with prayer after prayer for guidance. In all of these, we never felt the vaccination would be our physical saving grace.
The counsel from the Prophet and the General Handbook was to consult with medical professionals and receive guidance from the Holy Ghost. We followed the Prophet’s counsel, but not in the way many members expected – for some reason, they don’t include one’s personal communication with medical professionals and the Holy Ghost as following the Prophet.
As time marched on, we realized the personal decision we made for our family was the right one. Anaphylaxis was not the only side effect. Soon Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (blood clots), Myocarditis and Pericarditis (heart muscle inflammation), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (muscle weakness and/or paralysis), and even death have been documented – even by the CDC. I just read an article in which pathologists examined the autopsies of two teenage boys who died just days after receiving Pfizer’s vaccine. Their conclusion – the vaccine caused the boy’s deaths. This was not the first and only story of such heartache. There are hundreds of such stories I’ve come across.
In other words, although fully tested vaccines are safe and effective, the Covid-19 vaccine was not 100% safe. And as we have discovered, it’s not 100% effective either per the CDC. How could it statistically be, not having gone through 7-10 years of trial testing?
And here we are now. Those of us members of the Church who chose a different route are compared to disobedient Israel – a weak comparison indeed. Or we have been labeled the tares in the parable of the wheat and tares.
Our Prophet and other leaders of the Church have encouraged unity and love during these difficult times. Certainly, these comparisons of fellow Saints are anything but unifying or loving.