I was a bit taken aback by the anecdote shared in Ms. Ronda Rich’s meditation on the current coronavirus crisis. 

While I am sympathetic to the seemingly miraculous occurrence recounted and joyful that the child survived, I believe the message conveyed is irresponsible given mandates coming from local governments and the CDC. 

Ms. Rich asks us to rejoice in an event where a parent ignored medical advice to save a child because Jesus told her to. Regardless of one’s religious stance, I would venture to assume that Jesus would prefer a minimum of unnecessary deaths among his followers who refuse to listen to medical personnel in exchange for personal interpretations of faith. 

Now is no time to ignore medical recommendation. Have faith in competent leaders, in highly trained doctors and nurses, and have faith in your community, spiritual or otherwise.

Samuel Robertson

Gainesville