VOA慢速英语2021 新冠病例激增 宗教领袖对疫苗保持沉默（在线收听）

The Bible Belt is often used to describe an area of the United States, mainly in the South, where people are deeply religious. As a result, religious leaders could help or hurt the campaign to vaccinate people in areas affected by high infection rates from the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

圣经地带通常被用来描述位于美国南部的一个地区，那里的人们信仰很深。因此在受到快速传播的新冠病毒德尔塔变种导致的高感染率影响的地区，宗教领袖可以有助于或是伤害到疫苗接种运动。

Some clergies are holding vaccination centers and praying for more shots. Others are against the vaccine or not talking about it at all.

一些圣职人员开始设立疫苗接种中心，并祈求获得更多疫苗。其他人则反对疫苗甚至完全不理会它。

Recently, the First Baptist Church of Trussville in the state of Alabama had an outbreak following its 200th-anniversary celebration. The church's leader promised more cleaning and face coverings. But he did not say the two words that health officials believe could make a difference: "Get vaccinated."

最近，阿拉巴马州特拉斯维尔第一浸会教堂在庆祝其成立200周年之后爆发了疫情。该教堂的领袖承诺进行更多清洁并戴上口罩。但是他没有说出卫生官员认为关系重大的那四个字：接种疫苗。

Dr. Danny Avula is the head of Virginia's COVID-19 vaccination effort. He suspected he might have a problem getting religious leaders to publicly support the shots. Members of his church called them "the mark of the beast." It is a saying to describe loyalty to the devil in the church's teaching.

丹尼·阿武拉博士是弗吉尼亚州新冠疫苗接种工作的负责人。他怀疑他可能无法让宗教领袖公开支持疫苗。教会成员称疫苗是“野兽的印记。”这是教会学说中形容忠于魔鬼的一句谚语。

A few religious leaders have gained crowds or media attention for their opposition to the vaccines, like Tony Spell. He repeatedly ignored COVID-19 restrictions to hold in-person church services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He told followers vaccines are like the devil and urged them not to follow the government's "evil orders."

一些宗教领袖因为反对疫苗而受到群众或媒体的关注，例如托尼·斯佩尔。他一再无视新冠肺炎限制措施，在路易斯安那州巴吞鲁日举行现场教堂礼拜活动。他告诉信众，疫苗就像是魔鬼，并督促人们不要听从政府的“邪恶命令。”

Curtis Chang is a church leader who also teaches at Duke University. He said most clergies stay silent on the vaccine issue to avoid tensions in religious communities already struggling with the pandemic and political division.

柯蒂斯·张是一位教会领袖，他同时也在杜克大学任教。他说，大多数神职人员对疫苗问题保持沉默，以避免在已经与大流行和政治分歧作斗争的宗教社区中引发紧张局势。

The National Association of Evangelicals, a group of Christian leaders, found that 95 percent of its members plan to get vaccinated. But Chang said many leaders have not spoken in support of vaccination.

由宗教领袖组成的全国福音派协会发现其95%的成员计划接种疫苗。但是张表示，许多宗教领袖没有发声支持疫苗接种。

This matters because vaccination rates are generally low across the Bible Belt where many church-goers resist appeals from government leaders and health officials.

这很重要，因为疫苗接种率在整个圣经地带都很低，许多教会信众拒绝听从政府领导人和卫生官员的呼吁。

In the state of Missouri, more than 200 church leaders signed a statement urging Christians to get vaccinated as cases exploded last month. They noted the church's teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself." The mayor of Springfield, Missouri said the area saw a big jump in vaccinations after the leader of a large church told followers that it was the right thing to do.

在密苏里州，由于上个月病例激增，200多名教会领袖签署了一份声明，督促基督徒接种疫苗。他们指出，教会教导人们“爱人如己。”密苏里州斯普林菲尔德市市长表示，在一家大教会的领袖告知信众这是正确的做法之后，该地区的疫苗接种量大幅提升。

Dr. Ellen Eaton is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She said churches could be effective at supporting vaccination as a way "to love your neighbors during this pandemic."

艾伦·伊顿博士是阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的传染病专家。她说，教会可以有效地支持将疫苗接种作为“在大流行期间要爱护他人”的一种方式。

"Next to their personal physician, many here in Alabama routinely turn to their church leaders with health issues," she said.

她说：“除了私人医生，许多阿拉巴马州人也经常向宗教领袖求助健康问题。”