It is now a running theme here. The battle against COVID-19 is also a battle against wingnut disinformation.
We appear to be running a scientific test on the existence of God on a national scale. Those who sincerely believe that God will protect them if they simply pray enough and believe enough and so no social distancing is needed … vs … rational sane individuals who (regardless of their belief or lack of belief) follow the guidance given by medical subject matter experts.
Let’s take a look to see what the wingnuts have been claiming this past week.
Wingnut proclamations from the last 7 days
It is all very much everything you might expect and a lot more.
Wingnut Coronavirus Claims – Denialism meets brick wall of reality
- MAGA Cultist Who Downplayed COVID-19 Dies of COVID-19
- Karen Kolb Sehlke claimed that everyone just needed “faith… and of course guns!”
Wingnut Coronavirus Claims – Folks who are ignoring health and safety guidance
- As U.S. Economy Falters, Right-Wing Groups Warn of Socialism, Call for U.S. to Go Back to Work … “The virus is not going to sink the American economy. What is or could sink the American economy is the socialism coming from our friends on the other side of the aisle,“
- Translation: “Protecting the wealth of the 1% is far more important than your need to not die”
- Sandy Rios thinks that Dr. Anthony Fauci is limited in his perspective by his “narrow medical interests” and hopes that President Donald Trump will sour on him.
- Translation: These medical subject matter experts know nothing, only our glorious orange leader can guide us
- Infowars Host Threatens to Mobilize Audience to Defy COVID-19 Social Distancing Orders … “I’m saying host parties, go out on the town in groups, go to your stadium, say, ‘Open up the ballgames again.“
- Translation: “Let’s live.” … and then die.
- Diamond and Silk encouraged people to defy social distancing: “The only way we can become immune to the environment; we must be out in the environment. Quarantining people inside of their houses for extended periods will make people sick!”
- Their tweet was removed for spreading misinformation.
Wingnut Coronavirus Claims – The Wrath Of God
- William Koenig Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is God Punishing U.S. for Trying to Divide Israel
- Translation: Something bad is happening, the gods must be angry
- Evangelist Franklin Graham: COVID-19 Exists Because Man “Turned His Back on God”
- COVID-19 does not check your beliefs before infecting you
Wingnut Coronavirus Claims – Conspiracy Claims
- Josh Bernstein wants President Donald Trump to launch military strikes on infectious disease research facilities in China.
- He really thinks that it is all their fault.
- Rodney Howard-Browne warns that vaccines will kill more people than all the viruses put together … and you can trust him because he says that he has studied it.
- “studied it” = he googled and found a few looney websites that confirmed his beliefs.
- Sandy Rios on Coronavirus: ‘We Have Been Manipulated and Played’ … “the American Family Association governmental affairs director, told radio listeners Wednesday that warnings they had received about the COVID-19 coronavirus were “greatly exaggerated” and meant to manipulate them.“
- Translation: The Lockdown is working = so the threat was not as bad as predicted
- Jonathan Shuttlesworth says that social distancing recommendations aimed at stopping the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus “are a police state test.”
- Glenn Beck has finally found a conspiracy theory that even he doesn’t believe.
- Stefan Molyneux claims “there’s way more evidence that coronavirus was developed as a bioweapon than that Assad ever used chemical weapons.”
- Actually no there is not – unlike him, I can cite actual evidence.
Wingnut Coronavirus Claims – Things to worry about
- Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Religious-Right Broadcasters Worry About Free Porn
- If they are truly worried about it, then they can simply choose to not look at it.
Way beyond just Bizarre
- Frosty Woolridge says that “endless legal and illegal immigration of third world people and their cultures and religions” is a far greater threat to America than the coronavirus.
- This guy is clearly terrified of foreigners.
- Rodney Howard-Browne warns that “we could be months away from people being executed in America for preaching the Gospel.”
- Translation: He wants a bit more attention and so is whipping up some baseless fear
- Josh Bernstein has an idea: “Thru Executive Order, [Trump] should immediately dissolve the Republican Party, Permanently rename the Democratic Party The American Communist Party, and immediately launch the AmericaFirst Party whereby every politician MUST have an anti Globalist Pro Nationalist agenda.”
- Translation: Hey, lets have a dictatorship and install our divine orange leader permanently
- Why Hasn’t Trump Ordered the Military to ‘Seize All Abortion Clinics’ and Outlaw Pornography? Rick Wiles Blames Jews
- For this guy every single thing he does not like is blamed on just one community. He would have done quite well in Germany during the 1930s.
- Mark Taylor has a question: “If Bill Gates can’t protect your computer from a virus, what makes people think he can through a nefarious corrupted vaccine?”
- Mark Taylor seeks to maintain his track record of being 100% wrong about everything
The Cult of Trump
- Curt Landry Says Christians Must Listen to Trump, Not Experts, About the Coronavirus
- This is the same guy who was advising folks that any vaccine will be … “from the pit of Hell”
- Jonathan Shuttlesworth says that he only honored social distancing guidelines to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus because they came from President Donald Trump: “If Hillary [Clinton] had won the election, I wouldn’t have honored day one of the quarantine.”
- Translation: “I can’t think for myself, I can only obey the glorious orange leader who has been sent by God”
- nobody loves Trump like Wayne Allyn Root loves Trump: “We still have faith in America and capitalism. We know God is still by our side. We still have faith in our G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) President Donald J Trump. In Trump we trust. In America we trust. In God we trust.”
- Translation: Trump is the second coming.
- Ralph Reed Makes ‘The Christian Case for Trump’
- Ralph perhaps fails to grasp that his Trump endorsement tells us nothing about Trump, and a great deal about his willingness to toss his values under the bus for his devotion to Trump.
They still don’t get how “Christian” their beloved messiah actually is even after this …
- Trump, Clearly Unaware of What Easter’s All About, Tweets “HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY”
- Mr. “Two Corinthians” strikes again.
Lots of other Non-COVID-19 Crazy stuff
It is not just COVID-19 that inspires this community to say daft things …
- Michele Bachmann warns that if Joe Biden is elected president, “this will become Barack Obama’s third term.”
- The White House Correspondents Association booted pro-Trump media outlet One America News Network out of the rotation of outlets granted press briefing seats because one of the network’s reporters defied social-distancing policies twice. OANN is now accusing the WHCA of “launching an all-out assault on the freedom of the press.”
- One America News does not promote news, just alternative facts and conspiracy theories. They are are so bad that they make Fox News look good.
- Finally, Scott Lively does not think that Bill Gates is the Antichrist, “but he could be.”
- Evangelicals have been predicting that the Antichrist will show up any day now since the year dot. When he finally did, they all enthusiastically voted him into office in 2016.
As I have pointed out for several weeks now, it might be tempting to think that the news of the Coronavirus has turned all these folks crazy. Alas no, they were always this crazy.
What else came out of the Wingnut fantasy land?
Lots of other stuff.
As always, it is an endless stream. Some of it is sad, some is rather grim, and some is quite frankly hilarious. Here are a few more samples …
Folks who think their beliefs trump common sense …
- Some Christians Are Still Going to Church, Citing Protection by “Jesus’ Blood”
- Louisiana Pastor Opens Church to 27 Busloads of People to Fight “the Antichrist”
- Ignorant Wisconsin Republicans Want the Governor to Open Churches for Easter
- Anti-Choice Activist Who Ignored Lockdown: I Gotta Die Sometime, What’s the Diff?
- Georgia Cops Charge Five Unrepentant Churchgoers Who Reject COVID Instructions
Folks who think it is supernatural …
Folks who strive to be as obnoxious as possible …
- Christians Light Crosses on Their Lawns, Insisting That’s a Non-KKK Sign of Hope
- Jerry Falwell, Jr. Wants to Arrest Reporters Who Covered Liberty U.’s Re-Opening
- Despite Tireless Doctor By Her Side, Woman Thanks Only Her Faith for Saving Her
Folks who see tragedy as an opportunity …
- Manna from Heaven: Churches Woo People With Toilet Paper Giveaways
- GA Church Planned to Charge Members For COVID Test That, By Law, Should Be Free
- Christian Mother: COVID-19 is a “Blessing” Because Moms Are Home With Their Kids
We also have some cases where the pastors and churches want to kill you, and the landlords and insurance companies are trying to save you …
- A California Church Was Still Meeting, So the Landlord Changed the Locks
- Insurance Company Cancels Policy of Corona-Defiant Church
Wingnut of the week – Pat Robertson
It is becoming increasingly popular for some TV evangelist to supposedly rebuke COVID-19 and declare that it is now finished.
The latest to jump on that bandwagon is Pat Robertson …
At roughly the 7 min mark …
Let’s not take it anymore. And I want you to pray in your churches, every church, instead of your — covering yourself and huddling and all that stuff — speak out. Pastors, everyone of you, in your churches, declare it! Declare the victory in the name of Jesus.
I ask you right now as we begin this program, you pray with me at this moment. We are going to rebuke this thing. We do not have to cower before an inert virus! Who ever heard of such a thing? We are God’s people! And this is a bug that is terrorizing our entire population.
We can’t let it happen. All the people, all the pastors, all across America, in your services, even if you have to speak in FM radio or speak to cars or whatever you do, declare it boldly! I want you to pray with me right now, “Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before You as the author of life, as the Creator of all life. Lord, this is Your universe. This is Your world. And Your people, God, have been terrorized by this inert virus. And so we come in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and we rebuke this thing! And we command it to leave our society and our land. And by the day of Easter, that there will be no more new cases of this coronavirus. In the name of Jesus, we speak that, and we declare it done in His name. Amen! And amen.
The foundation for him doing this is that he sincerely believes this Bible verse that directly quotes Jesus …
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:13-14
COVID-19 is still with us. This guy might as well be talking to a wall … in this case it is the brick wall of reality.
If you expect Pat to do something sensible, then you will be waiting for a very very long time.