Post by goz on Jul 8, 2021 23:30:44 GMT
warning indigenous people ( who are an extremely vunerable demographic to catch Covid)
Not to have the vaccine.
www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/indigenous-health-organisation-reports-threats-misinformation-around-covid-19-vaccination/ar-AALWkZh
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress' chief executive officer says she is concerned by reports that some religious leaders are discouraging Indigenous Australians from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Donna Ah Chee said her organisation had received telephone threats regarding the Indigenous COVID-19 vaccination program.
"In one of our remote clinics we had a very good uptake of the vaccination program as a result of the recent outbreak at the Tanami mine," Ms Ah Chee said.
"Unfortunately, following that really good uptake in that local community, we had two phone calls to our clinic, accusing us of 'killing Aboriginal people'."
Ms Ah Chee said that, not only was the matter reported to police but there was also anecdotal evidence to suggest that a religious group was responsible.
"Congress has written to the [Alice Springs] Ministers' Fellowship, [asking] them to consider this as a real issue and a barrier to Aboriginal people getting vaccinated," she said.
Incredibly distressing
Ben Teefy is the pastor at Desert Life Church in Alice Springs and is deeply concerned about some of the scaremongering he has heard circulating this week through his church's community workers.
"When they were encouraging people to get vaccinated or asking them whether they had done so, or needed assistance to get to a clinic, or something like that.
"Those people replied, saying that somebody had discouraged them from getting that vaccine. And, so, there was sort of a bit of counter-messaging going on."
In addition Pastor Teefy condemned anti-vax emails that had been circulating from a "purportedly" Christian group.
"(It was) saying that the vaccine was immoral, and that you should just trust God," he said.
"The group doesn't represent any mainstream Christian type of group. It's just maybe an anti-vaxxer coming into play."
Pastor Teefy said that it would be "incredibly distressing" if people were being dissuaded from being inoculated on religious grounds.
"If it were on religious grounds, under the garb of anything remotely hinting at Christianity, we would consider that to be very disturbing, given that we couldn't possibly see any sound reason whatsoever for a Christian to say that there's something wrong with getting vaccinated," he said.
Written assurance
Pastor Ben Matson is the chair of the Alice Springs Christian Ministers' Fellowship — a group of 30 people representing 15 Christian groups in Central Australia — that meets monthly to discuss current issues.
"The fellowship welcomed the opportunity to respond to concerns raised by Congress in letter received Monday night," Pastor Matson said
"I was disturbed to hear that a church had said that Christians should not get vaccinated."
Pastor Matson said that Congress' letter had requested written assurance from the combined Christian churches that they would refute COVID-19 anti-vax messaging.
As part of the letter, he said, the fellowship strongly recommend people seek professional medical advice.
"Collectively, we strongly refute the views of those religious leaders who would say that, 'Vaccination is a sign that a person does not trust that God alone will protect them from COVID-19, and that [vaccination] demonstrates a lack of faith'.
"We can assure you that none of the churches affiliated with the Alice Springs Ministers' Fellowship have in any way discouraged their members or adherents [from getting] the COVID-19 vaccine."
Where does fucking religion get off when it comes to people's health?
Not to have the vaccine.
www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/indigenous-health-organisation-reports-threats-misinformation-around-covid-19-vaccination/ar-AALWkZh
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress' chief executive officer says she is concerned by reports that some religious leaders are discouraging Indigenous Australians from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Donna Ah Chee said her organisation had received telephone threats regarding the Indigenous COVID-19 vaccination program.
"In one of our remote clinics we had a very good uptake of the vaccination program as a result of the recent outbreak at the Tanami mine," Ms Ah Chee said.
"Unfortunately, following that really good uptake in that local community, we had two phone calls to our clinic, accusing us of 'killing Aboriginal people'."
Ms Ah Chee said that, not only was the matter reported to police but there was also anecdotal evidence to suggest that a religious group was responsible.
"Congress has written to the [Alice Springs] Ministers' Fellowship, [asking] them to consider this as a real issue and a barrier to Aboriginal people getting vaccinated," she said.
Incredibly distressing
Ben Teefy is the pastor at Desert Life Church in Alice Springs and is deeply concerned about some of the scaremongering he has heard circulating this week through his church's community workers.
"When they were encouraging people to get vaccinated or asking them whether they had done so, or needed assistance to get to a clinic, or something like that.
"Those people replied, saying that somebody had discouraged them from getting that vaccine. And, so, there was sort of a bit of counter-messaging going on."
In addition Pastor Teefy condemned anti-vax emails that had been circulating from a "purportedly" Christian group.
"(It was) saying that the vaccine was immoral, and that you should just trust God," he said.
"The group doesn't represent any mainstream Christian type of group. It's just maybe an anti-vaxxer coming into play."
Pastor Teefy said that it would be "incredibly distressing" if people were being dissuaded from being inoculated on religious grounds.
"If it were on religious grounds, under the garb of anything remotely hinting at Christianity, we would consider that to be very disturbing, given that we couldn't possibly see any sound reason whatsoever for a Christian to say that there's something wrong with getting vaccinated," he said.
Written assurance
Pastor Ben Matson is the chair of the Alice Springs Christian Ministers' Fellowship — a group of 30 people representing 15 Christian groups in Central Australia — that meets monthly to discuss current issues.
"The fellowship welcomed the opportunity to respond to concerns raised by Congress in letter received Monday night," Pastor Matson said
"I was disturbed to hear that a church had said that Christians should not get vaccinated."
Pastor Matson said that Congress' letter had requested written assurance from the combined Christian churches that they would refute COVID-19 anti-vax messaging.
As part of the letter, he said, the fellowship strongly recommend people seek professional medical advice.
"Collectively, we strongly refute the views of those religious leaders who would say that, 'Vaccination is a sign that a person does not trust that God alone will protect them from COVID-19, and that [vaccination] demonstrates a lack of faith'.
"We can assure you that none of the churches affiliated with the Alice Springs Ministers' Fellowship have in any way discouraged their members or adherents [from getting] the COVID-19 vaccine."
Where does fucking religion get off when it comes to people's health?
