Religion Is Speeding Up The Spread of Covid-19.
With the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, scientists and health experts are largely agreeing on the measures to take to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Widespread testing, social distancing, and hygienic practices such as frequent hand-washing and sterilizing are some of the stipulated practices that would slow the spread of the virus.
For health care professionals, wearing protective masks in medical settings will keep them from contracting the disease while attending to those infected by the virus.
However, there’s a big problem at hand when it comes to conservative evangelical Christians, who may not agree with science. To them, they prefer taking a religious approach to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic rather than following the measures put in place by health experts.
Well, it’s not that Christian leaders are denying that Coronavirus is a real problem at the moment. If anything, some malicious ones are already taking advantage of the pandemic by selling dangerous supplements, declaring that prayer can be defeated by the power of prayer.
Just the other day, a South African pastor lured his congregants into swallowing some household detergent, saying that it would prevent them from contracting the deadly virus. Within no time, more than 50 congregants lost their lives after taking the household detergent.
To some other Christian leaders, the virus is a divine punishment inflicted on people because of their sin. Therefore, with prayer and fasting, it’s possible to beat the virus and probably stay safe during the pandemic.
Unfortunately, Christian leaders aren’t going to let Scientists overpower their knowledge. To some, it’s time to make some gains, and they’re not going to allow science to get on the way.
For this reason, Christian leaders have become the perpetrators of bad advice and misinformation that’s not only affecting their followers but also the public at large.
Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, has been downplaying the Coronavirus scare for quite some weeks. Falwell is accusing the media of wildly exaggerating the pandemic to destroy the economy.
While every other university and college in the country has shut down to combat the spread of the virus, Falwell is keeping Liberty open. The shamelessly greedy president is already allowing students back to the university, claiming that they need some time with friends.
In yet another case, Roy Moore, a Christian figurehead, brought down by multiple accusations of sexual misconduct isn’t adhering to calls for social distancing that threatens to disrupt in-person church activities.
“I am writing a letter to pastors on the duty to continue church assemblies, even amid these trying times,” Moore said in an open letter. “Churches are closed by tyrants who pander fear in the place of faith in God.”
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