To many of us, the most important element of life is our religion. It influences every decision we make and helps guide our conscience in matters of right and wrong. Our Constitution protects the individual’s right to practice the freedom of religion, one of the many things that make this country so special. Unfortunately, the NBA and the city of San Francisco don’t care about people’s religious beliefs.
On Friday, the NBA denied Golden State Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins a religious exemption from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The league released a statement saying that Wiggins must abide by San Francisco’s citywide COVID restrictions, which prevent anyone 12 or older from entering a large indoor space without being vaccinated.
Furthermore, the San Francisco Department of Public Health stated that even if those with a religious or medical exemption from getting the vaccine would not be allowed to enter a public space:
“Under the current order, if unvaccinated, they cannot enter indoor areas regardless of the reason they are unvaccinated and cannot test out of this requirement even if they have a medical or religious exemption.”
Both of these decrees by the apparently almighty NBA and San Francisco will prevent Wiggins from playing in the 41 home games the Warriors will have in the upcoming NBA season unless he gets the shot.
Normally, this would be the end of the situation; the league makes a rule (albeit a stupid one), the player doesn’t comply, therefore, the player faces consequences. But the NBA didn’t stop there, they actually consulted outside help to persuade Wiggins to take the vaccine.
The Warriors put Wiggins in a meeting with a doctor who explained to the NBA star the “suffering and deaths she has witnessed in patients who contracted the coronavirus.” Wiggins stood firm, saying he did not change his mind about his stance on the vaccine after this encounter.
Both the NBA and San Francisco have assumed through their actions that they are more powerful than the god of someone’s religion (Wiggins has not been clear what religion he follows, but the type of religion shouldn’t matter in this situation). They believe that because they want everyone in the league to be vaccinated, they can trample on someone’s deeply held religious beliefs to impose their own set of values and beliefs on someone else. Not only that, but when you don’t line up with their values, they will take bizarre and inappropriate measures to force you into submission.
This should be another warning sign to Americans as to the depths to which our government and business leaders have stooped to force people to conform to what the government says. Every totalitarian or communist government in history has sought to persecute those who do not view the government as the Almighty power on Earth. When you don’t comply, your life will become miserable, and they will start stripping away elements of your freedom and your values until you finally give in. That is what America is now viewing as acceptable.
And that is a disturbing thought.
