Report: Bible Belt Christians Are Dying After Ignoring Social Distancing Guidelines

[progressoid]

AlterNet reports:

Many Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals have been irresponsibly downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 and doing so with deadly results…

Evangelical fundamentalists who openly defied social distancing guidelines are dying of coronavirus in frightening numbers…

According to a recent report from the U.K.-based Independent, the current coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 30 pastors in the Bible Belt, and many more parishioners, after church leaders “actively encouraged churchgoers to flout self-distancing guidelines.”

Writing for the Independent, Alex Woodward notes:

Dozens of pastors across the Bible Belt have succumbed to coronavirus after churches and televangelists played down the pandemic and actively encouraged churchgoers to flout self-distancing guidelines.

As many as 30 church leaders from the nation’s largest African-American Pentecostal denomination have now been confirmed to have died in the outbreak, as members defied public health warnings to avoid large gatherings to prevent transmitting the virus.

more...https://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2020/04/report-bible-belt-christians-are-dying-after-ignoring-social-distancing-guidelines/?utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1edQ42necPliG3oyi8DoUgvTBD7I7YTxjXDbWF7ahpo1kZe7iDrKyeIZE

[stopbush]

1. They would have been better off handling poisonous snakes than fucking with this virus.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. +1

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Gosh. What a shame.

[olegramps]

3. Yeah, I really feel for them not.

[abakan]

12. I feel for them

But I just can't reach em.

[Dios Mio]

4. Great new way to die for your beliefs.

Straight to heaven for you martyrs.

[SergeStorms]

5. Thoughts and prayers.

And their messiah here on earth wants Governors to open these churches up to regular "business as usual". And make no mistake, it is a business. I say, full speed ahead with the god-squad!

[AirmensMom]

6. It would be fine if they only killed themselves.

I'm all for that. But they end up spreading it throughout the community. That's the part that irks me.

[vercetti2021]

7. Well as I said a month ago

Off to meet God early

[3Hotdogs]

8. Mark Twain: "Mary Baker Eddy proves that God has a sense of humor."

--- and so did these fools.

[czarjak]

9. I don't feel owned.

[redstatebluegirl]

11. A Christian school in town had a big graduation, nobody social distancing no masks.

That was about 2 weeks ago, we will see what happens soon.

[Warpy]

13. They should have read the bit in their bibles about not testing god

It's a virus. It doesn't care how "saved" you are.

[Iggo]

14. I feel bad for their kids.

I always feel bad for their kids.