Although it operates at an intuitive level for most people, I think this is one of the reasons many feel trapped by COVID mandates. They recognize that restriction builds upon restriction, and short of an actual cure they do not see any easy way to reverse the ratchet. It is interesting and somewhat frightening, in our society at large, to see that you may now be treated as a moral monster for opposing measures which, just three months ago, you might have been laughed at for proposing.

This is a response to Bily Otten’s article “Why I Oppose Mask Mandates”, to bring up one additional concern that is, I think, a huge factor in our COVID response and significantly underdiscussed, which is that the rules we create themselves communicate something about the danger to people. This has the very unfortunate effect of making our COVID restrictions self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating, in churches and in society. If people look around themselves in public and see masks on every face, that communicates to them the message “we are all in great danger right now,” which naturally makes them desire the continuation of mask mandates and may prompt them to demand even more rules tomorrow. We can try to point them to comparative statistical data, but it is difficult to overcome a sort of liturgical experience they have every time they step outside their home.

Although it operates at an intuitive level for most people, I think this is one of the reasons many feel trapped by COVID mandates. They recognize that restriction builds upon restriction, and short of an actual cure they do not see any easy way to reverse the ratchet. It is interesting and somewhat frightening, in our society at large, to see that you may now be treated as a moral monster for opposing measures which, just three months ago, you might have been laughed at for proposing (like “wear a mask even when outside whenever you leave your home”). And this is not because we have learned during those three months that COVID is more dangerous than we first thought, it’s because the safetyism ratchet only goes in one direction.

This is also why mask mandates are connected to restrictions on singing or communion – rules create a greater perception of danger, and that perception then demands more rules. I’m not trying to promote anarchy as the solution here, but I am saying we should recognize that this ratcheting effect is a real concern and limit what we mandate and, perhaps even better, if we must mandate, make it clear when mandates are enacted under what conditions they disappear, show people the end from the beginning. I do wonder how many of the churches that have chosen mask mandates have a clear idea of when they will end. If I may be so bold – if you cannot answer that question right now, develop an answer to it.

To say one final thing, per another of Otten’s points, the fact that mask wearing effectively communicates a message is one of the reasons wearing one should be a decision left to conscience. Mask mandates are, in a limited sense, compelled speech. Masks say “we are in great danger right now,” and people who do not believe that is true, or who recognize and worry about all the (vast and widespread, in my opinion) secondary harm that has come to people who have imbibed that message and modified their lives accordingly should surely not be compelled to participate in the ritual.

David Shane is a professor of Physics at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan.