A number of Evangelical churches in America are insisting on staying open for communal service, despite the lockdown mandated in most states. We might indulge their belief that the plague is a “hoax”, or a “conspiracy” by the left, or that the only way to counter coronavirus is by faith, if these actions only affected members of these churches. In fact, of course, by ignoring all thoughts of ‘social distancing’, these fundamentalist fruitcakes are endangering the lives of other people too.
The idea that “God will look after his own” might have a certain appeal… but only until a congregation is hit by the first positive test, then the first hospitalisation, then the first death. “Ah”, the righteous will insist, “their faith can’t have been strong enough”. This kind of religiously inspired denialism isn’t just self-delusion; it has unfortunate real-world consequences…
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