Why People Object to Laws That Save Lives

Wearing a seat belt or a face mask is known to save lives, so why do some people still refuse to put them on and even protest against laws requiring them?

“I just hate them,” says one woman when asked why she refused to put one on. “I think I hate them because you have to wear them, and I think it’s more of a ‘you’ve got to wear it’, so I don’t want it.”

“I think, whether you’re male or female, it’s a dominance thing,” replies the man next to her. “I’m in charge, you don’t tell me what to do.”

It’s the sort of reasoning you might expect from protestors who refuse to wear masks when out in public during the pandemic. Their objection is not just about comfort, or even scepticism that they can save lives. It’s also resentment about being told what to do by authorities. Except the interviewees above were not upset about laws that have made face masks mandatory in public spaces in many countries. Instead, they were talking about seat belts. Read More

Also See:
How Covid-19 Myths Are Merging with the QAnon Conspiracy Theory
QAnon: What Is It and Where Did It Come From?
Fact Check: A Guide to 9 Conspiracy Theories Trump Is Currently Pushing
How President Trump's Lies Are Different From Other People's
I Study Liars. I’ve Never Seen One Like President Trump.

What is the connection between refusing to wear a face mask, COVID-19 myths, QAnon conspiracy theories, President Donald Trump and lying?  They are all contributors to an alternative world view that is displacing the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles among a number of American Christians. This alternative world view, however, is no longer confined to the United States but is exerting in an influence in other countries such the United Kingdom and Germany. At the center of this alternative world view is President Donald Trump who has a long history not only of promoting conspiracy theories but also of telling untruths and half-truths and misrepresenting the facts. This alternative worldview collides with God's eighth commandment to not bear false witness, Jesus' warning against false prophets and his identifying of those who spread falsehoods as children of the devil, and the apostles' warnings against those who seek to deceive the followers of Jesus Christ with their false teaching. Indeed it has been argued that it is a major heresy that threatens the Christian Church today.