Top Mormon Church leaders call on the faithful to get vaccinated and wear masks

This Thursday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints called on its members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear masks, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

"We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic," the governing First Presidency wrote to its 16.6 million-member church. "We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population."

"We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders," the letter concluded.

The Mormon leaders' pro-vaccination stance stands in stark contrast to many evangelical Christian preachers who are telling their followers that the vaccines are the "Mark of the Beast" that should not be taken by any Christian.