John Simmons – November 16, 2021
In the book of Daniel, three young men by the name of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace after refusing to worship a gargantuan golden god created and instituted by the tyrannical King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar. While we don’t have a government that is forcing Christians to bow to idols of metal, Christians are increasingly being punished for not bowing to the god of COVID.
Teryn Gregson was a PGA Tour host and reporter as of Monday but was terminated after the company refused to provide her a religious exemption from it’s testing and mask mandates for unvaccinated employees.
Naturally, a person should then adhere to the belief system of whomever they choose to worship. But when a government (like Babylon or the current United States) or businesses decide to encroach within that space and claim ultimate authority over people’s lives, they have done something very ominous: they have declared themselves to be god.
That is why Gregson’s situation is unsettling and should come as a warning sign to everyone. In the sports world, there are repeated instances of teams telling players or employees that their religious beliefs have to be put on hold to comply with what they say. This violates our first amendment right as Americans to have the freedom of religion and becomes a dangerous trajectory for how much power we allow the government to have over our lives.
Fortunately, Gregson, like the three men in Babylon, took this as an opportunity to display her faith more vividly, as well as to promote and more unified country despite being axed for something as ridiculous as this:
“I hope that we can come together and unite on this issue and not treat people differently based on a very private medical decision that they make between themselves, and their family, and their doctor, and God.”
In the Bible, the three men were rewarded for their loyalty to God by surviving being thrown into the fiery furnace. Hopefully, Gregson will experience a similar experience of salvation from her enemies in the near future.