Some rants are like pent-up magma; the longer they lie below the surface the more explosive and dangerous they become. So, before I wait any longer and begin spewing out-of-character profanities, I’m going to vent some slightly subdued steam. The steam won’t be as scorching or forceful as it would be if mine were among the few venting sites. Yes, others have fumed their outrage over this issue; I’m just joining the chorus—again.
I refer, of course, to the many braying anti-science anti-vaxxers. Most of us have seen news stories or video clips of these rabid rebels yelling at and trying to intimidate responsible citizens who wear masks, get vaccinated, and follow all the other science-based and neighbor-honoring COVID protocols. And, sadly, many—perhaps most—of these fuming folks are fundamentalist white evangelicals.
Sad Poetic Justice
But beyond the average self-righteous Trumpist Joe and Jane, even more perfidious are the many radio show hosts who spew this toxic anti-vax nonsense. And again, sadly, many of them are evangelicals, and many of those evangelicals are pastors. These folks might not have the following of a Tucker Carlson or a Laura Ingraham, but they still influence hundreds, some of them thousands, and a few even reach—or reached—tens of thousands of gullible listeners.
I used the past-tense, reached, because many of them have lost their platforms for peculiarly malevolent persuasion—not by media censorship but rather by a COVID-19-caused early departure from this life. Yes, the virus they mocked showed them—in the starkest terms—just how potent it is.
Included among these departed disbelievers are—as noted in this Business Insider article—Dick Farrel, who repented of his anti-vaccine views shortly before his death; Phil Valentine, who also changed his COVID views as he lay dying; Marc Bernier; Robert David Steele; Caleb Wallace, who tried every quack remedy but rejected the vaccine; Pressley Stutts; and, finally, Bob Enyart.
Among Enyart’s other appalling views and actions were his callous, un-Christian mocking of and vitriol toward gay people, and, worse still, his habit of “gleefully” reading the obituaries of AIDS victims while playing the Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Another One Bites the Dust
Enyart’s untimely death is as sorrowful as the death of any fellow human being made in God’s image, as we all are. But as sad an occasion as his death was, it does not erase his many reprehensible and treacherous assertions made to his radio audience and to his congregation. Yes, Bob Enyart was not just a radio show host, he also was the pastor of the evangelical Denver Bible Church in Wheatridge, Colorado, a Denver suburb.
Enyart, who gave one of his radio shows the ironic title “Real Science Radio,” claimed that human fetuses were used to develop COVID vaccines. That widely believed assertion requires a complicated and nuanced response, but, ultimately, Enyart’s claims missed the mark for scientific accuracy. Even so, Enyart, and many like him, have spread this dangerous belief, fueling the anti-vax hysteria, which in turn has opened the castle gates to the microscopic enemy that already has killed nearly 700,000 Americans.
Among Enyart’s other appalling views and actions were his callous, un-Christian mocking of and vitriol toward gay people, and, worse still, his habit of “gleefully” reading the obituaries of AIDS victims while playing the Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Enyart’s Plan for an American Theocracy
Add to that disgusting behavior Enyart’s “Plot to Overthrow the United States Government.” Among the many bizarre proclamations Enyart made within his Dominionist-style manifesto is this:
Through ShadowGov.com we are building a parallel government. This government is operating on the Internet. Initially we are training and appointing only judges. NEXT we will appoint mayors, governors and ambassadors. We are looking to God to help us create a fully functional government on the web. Our judges will decide real-life criminal and civil cases drawn from the existing court system. We will put their verdicts and sentences on the net for all to see.
Enyart later added, “Eventually, when America self-destructs from her own wickedness, we will have thousands of Christians already trained, already appointed, already in place, all ready! Already governing.” Bob Enyart was openly plotting to bring about an American theocracy.
One might wonder why the divorced Enyart who has a criminal record for child abuse--and other offenses--would have wanted to bring about an American Bible-based theocracy. One source claims that Enyart’s first wife, Krista, filed for divorce largely based on her husband’s porn addiction. If that claim is true, Enyart should be among the last people advocating for a theocracy. Although the Bible never specifically addresses pornography—which, obviously, didn’t exist when it was written—many Old Testament passages call for death as the punishment for sexual sins.
Taking Many to the Grave with Them
Despite Enyart’s many blatant transgressions of laws and of common decency, most of his followers remain steadfast, even after the virus he misrepresented killed him. The same is true of most of the followers of the other ant-vaxxers listed above. Enyart and others of his ilk still have tremendous influence over hard-working Americans who lack the time—or the inclination—to research the validity of their claims.
These men—who fancied themselves virtuous leaders—died for their conspiratorial beliefs. And their misguided vitriol has led—and will continue to lead—untold numbers of their gullible followers to their deaths. And it appears that attempting to disabuse those naïve disciples of their false beliefs is an exercise in futility. Largely because of these infuriating, dogged deceptions, the COVID-19 virus will continue to spread and mutate, claiming the lives of thousands of Americans daily. If these deceivers were right about their belief in a God who judges sin, then they will have much to answer for on Judgment Day. And, if so, they will deserve any punishment they get.