More defiant pastors linked to COVID outbreaks as virus ravages churches nationwide in the USA
Churches are spreading "God's love" along with a deadly virus that's killing their congregations. Why don't the pastors care?
Pastors nationwide have flaunted coronavirus prevention measures with the anti-LGBTQ hate group Liberty Counsel serving as legal backup in several cases. The results of legal cases and political showdowns have been a mixed bag, but one thing has become crystal clear.
The churches are proving the Biblical adage “you reap what you sow” as the virus has ravaged congregations and killed both pastors and followers.
Related: Gay Republican thought COVID was a “hoax” until he infected his family & almost died.
At least 60 people have tested positive in the past week after attending events in three different churches and the number is expected to continue to climb.
While a separate minister apologized earlier this month for endangering his congregation after members started turning up positive, he remains the only one to do so. Dozens of churches have spread the deadly virus to members as religious leaders ignore science and tell their followers that God will protect them.
“I prefer to have faith,” failed Republican congressional candidate and conspiracy theorist DeAnna Lorraine - below - declared on a recent livestream. “I will live by faith instead of by fear.”
“Biblically, God does not want us wearing masks,” she added.
“Masks are a symbol of hiding yourself, of doing bad deeds, inappropriate deeds, or malicious things that you need to hide from. And it is also a symbol of stripping us of our unique identity because [when] we’re wearing a mask, we’re not unique anymore, we’re all the same. And God doesn’t see us that way.”
Authorities shut down a giant wedding in San Francisco being held secretly at Saints
Peter & Paul Church. While the church claimed they had instituted coronavirus prevention measures to ensure guests’ safety, even the newlyweds have come down with COVID. Their 100 guests returned home to cities across the country and have taken the virus with them; at least eight have already tested positive as well.
Health authorities had already warned the Catholic Church to stop holding large gatherings in enclosed spaces, but they were ignored.
In Colorado, Andrew Wommack Ministries held a conference for over 1,000 attendees despite being repeatedly warned by local and state authorities that they were violating emergency measures. The organization was represented by Liberty Counsel.
At least seven staff members and 15 attendees have tested positive so far with dozens more expected.
Wommack, an anti-LGBTQ televangelist, told his followers that if they “serve the Lord your God” they won’t get coronavirus.
The Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist Church in rural Alabama held a week-long revival despite knowing the dangers.
“We had church Wednesday night. We were in revival, morning and night services,” Pastor Daryl Ross
told local media. “On the way back over Thursday is when we found out. I got a call that one of our guys in the church has tested positive. So we shut down revival and, by Friday night, I’ve got church members sick everywhere.”
“We knew what we were getting into,” Ross added. “We knew the possibilities. But, my goodness, man, for three days we had one of the old-time revivals. It was unbelievable. And everybody you ask, if you talk to our church members right now, they’d tell you we’d do it again. It was that good.”
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John's comments:
I have little sympathy for those who believe that some Pastor or Reverand saying God will protect them and they believe blindly that - in this modern day and age - that they are protected, and then within days more than 40 of the congregation are ill with the virus and God know's how many will die because of the actions of these people. Absolutely dumb.
How many have they infected when going home, to the shops, to the mall, to their families - and how many will they accept as 'okay'- what numbver of dead is accepable, for spending a 3 day period in some old fashioned religious revival ( WTF ) and believe that suspicion and blind faith will protect them ? Are they just ignorant 'red necks' and should we feel pity for them ? Are they human beings being led astray by some priest hell bent of attention seeking from his audiance ( congregation ) - and are these people's ' time up' and that actually God is sick of their behaviour in worshipping Her/Him and wants to end their stupidity here on Earth by taking them out of the equation. ?
Or are they blindly believing what they are being told out of some old fashioned belief system handed down through generations of followers in the same church, maybe from the same family line, and are they just following in the steps of history... blindly believing anything they are told ? When you see how many millions of £ and $ are conned out of people by fake 'on line' services from banks, people claiming to be in love with you ( just send me all your money ) or companies claiming to be from your internet supplier about to cut off your internet supply unless you pay now - or any of the myriad of cons, then maybe we can see why an enigmatic liar in a frock with a dog collar can hood wink thousands of gullible people into not just handing over their credit card details, but their lives and their souls.
I wonder if there is a special hell for con men like this. A special place for absolute scum. Playing with peoples inner most beliefs and hopes and dreams. People who just see you as ' SUCKER....' & we can all imagine who else must be in that private hell.
WOULD YOU GO TO AN CONCERT of your most famous and worshipped singer - say Byonce - Streisand - Bassey - Dion - Sinatra - if possible and yet the price of the ticket could be your eternal soul ?
I feel for them all. Through their misguided faith, it has led them astray and into the arms of a deadly virus given them by the very church they worship and feel protected by.