Displaying items by tag: Christian geneticist

Famed Christian geneticist Francis Collins has urged churches to remain closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amongst congregations. Speaking to the Southern Baptist Convention, Collins said that churches gathering in person are a ‘source of considerable concern’ because of the potential for ‘super-spreading’. Meanwhile the US Supreme Court ordered a federal district court to reconsider its support for restrictions on indoor religious services in California. The restrictions are being contested in several other American courts by Christians insisting their liberties are being infringed. Collins also urged Christians to reject the idea that mask requirements ‘invade your personal freedom’. He said, ‘This is a lifesaving device. When you put on that mask, you're protecting yourself from other people, but mostly you're protecting them from you. You're doing the unselfish, loving thing of saying, “I'm going to protect people from me”. That's a Christian action if ever I've heard one.’

Professor Francis Collins, the Christian geneticist who famously led the ‘human genome project’, has said he is hopeful about developing a successful vaccine to protect people against Covid-19. He has recently been asked to join the White House coronavirus task force to help the government combat the disease. As the head of the NIH - a government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research - Collins said that he was prepared to ‘say the truth’ to President Trump even if he disagreed with it. This followed the repudiation experience of leading immunologist and government adviser, Dr Tony Fauci. A prominent public figure in the fight against coronavirus, Dr Fauci is a ‘truth-teller who is incapable of doing anything except saying exactly what we do and don't know’. Collins added, ‘If there is one thing more infectious than virus, it is hope.’