Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says Christians in the state and other parts of the South are “a little less scared” of COVID-19 because of their faith.
“I also said that the Bible also teaches us to take necessary precautions. And in our state and in our nation right now, there are certainly necessary precautions that we can take with respect to COVID. But I believe very strongly in my faith,” Reeves said before citing John 3:16 from the Bible.
“I believe very strongly in what the Bible says, and the Bible’s very clear that ‘Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life,’” Reeves said. “And that is my worldview. It’s how I believe; it’s what drives me every single day, and I think it’s what drives a large number of Mississippians. We should take necessary precautions with respect to COVID, but we also understand that we do have everlasting life if we believe in Jesus, if we believe in God the Father, and I certainly do.”
According to The Christian Post, Reeves said he stood by his statement after some questioned his Aug. 26 comments when he first said that people in Mississippi and the mid-South were a “little less scared” because they believed in “eternal life.”
“When you believe in eternal life — when you believe that living on this Earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,” he said before adding: “Now, God also tells us to take necessary precautions.
“And we all have opportunities and abilities to do that, and we should all do that. I encourage everyone to do so. But the reality is that by working together, we can get beyond this. We can move forward. We can move on.”
Since March 2020, Mississippi has had 439,611 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 8,490 deaths, according to the State Health Department.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Pool/Pool
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
