It strikes me that this whole COVID/mask fiasco is exposing a fundamental failure in conservative ideology. Conservatives say that people, if left to their own devices without government interference, will do the right thing, so we don't need Policy X, Policy Y, etc....

However, we HAVE BEEN leaving people to their own devices and they are simply too selfish to give a damn. The true irony of this, especially when we think about religious conservatives, is that they are almost entirely Calvinist.

Calvinists believe in the doctrine of original sin which says that people are born inclined to rebellion toward God and only the irresistible grace of Jesus Christ can save them from themselves.

So, theologically, they believe that there needs to be interference to save people from their most selfish impulses, but that belief somehow doesn't travel down the line to their political beliefs.

You'll note that Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, Black Christians, etc don't have trouble wearing masks. They also have a theology that emphasizes care for all of humanity, and that the community must support all of its members.

Incidentally, the earliest Western Christian settlers (the Puritans) had the same communitarian impulse. Winthrop's "A Modell of Christian Charity" argued that if your neighbor was struggling, you had an obligation to help him because the day might come when you too needed help.

If you've made it this far, let me give you the high points:
1. Modern evangelical Christianity is obsessed with individual freedom.
2. No other religious tradition shares this bent.
3. American Christianity has not, historically, shared this bent.