The Pandemic And Religious Beliefs

[ZiprHead]

How do you think this pandemic will affect religious beliefs in first world nations?

 

[Keith&Co.]

How do you think this pandemic will affect religious beliefs in first world nations?

Beliefs? None. Practices? Maybe sacrament in individual serving cups.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Here in the USA,toxic Christian insistence on gathering in churches to get covid-19 and then pass it around is going to hasten the rise of more Nones as people realize that religion makes one stupid. The antics of idiot preachers will go a long way to demonstrate that bad religion can be dangerous to one and all. If in the near future, covid-19 spreads like wildfire because these ninnies insist on going to church despite the dangers of doing so, there will be little forgiveness.

 

[Bronzeage]

I don't see it having any appreciable effect, other than reducing congregations which are weighted toward those 65 and over.

There are a few ministers scattered across the county who were happy to parrot the party line, back when Trump was telling his supporters that Covid19 was just a bad cold, and kept holding services. It will be interesting to see how that works out for them, especially if any deaths or illness is connected to church attendance.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Does it seem odd to anyone else?
For about 40 years, i keep asking for evidence of any skybeast, BUT have been told it's wrong to 'test' God. This is the given reason why most Christains won't drink poison, or handle snakes, or heal light wounds, like they're promised as Paladins. It'd be arrogant to drink poison on purpose, but God will protect us if we do by accident.

But the very same people who would not gargle bleach for my salvation are insisting this is THE time to go to church, where God won't allow anyone to get sick from sharing communion or community.

Family membrrrs still attending, inviting me to ignore stay-at-home-ye-fecking-plague-monkeys-oders.

Or, if the churches i know about are cowardly and closed, that'll help me find the True Church in the chaff.

Why is this not Testing God? Why are y'all not treating this like poison, or venom, or Leprosy, or a basic understanding of science? Any those things ya avoid like, well, like The Plague?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I don't see it having any appreciable effect, other than reducing congregations which are weighted toward those 65 and over.

There are a few ministers scattered across the county who were happy to parrot the party line, back when Trump was telling his supporters that Covid19 was just a bad cold, and kept holding services. It will be interesting to see how that works out for them, especially if any deaths or illness is connected to church attendance.

Yep, there will just be fewer people around. In short, a small percentage will gain a bit of helpful knowledge, and another small percentage will die because they didn't.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Why is this not Testing God? Why are y'all not treating this like poison, or venom, or Leprosy, or a basic understanding of science? Any those things ya avoid like, well, like The Plague?

God lets the Christers drink poison and handle the serpents, according to a passage added to Mark by an unknown lunatic. Jesus himself can heal leprosy by spitting on mud or something. And the Plague's arms are too short to box with god. Er, God. You don't need no Obamacare if you got Jesus on your side. Let's follow Mr. Trump into those churches on Easter Sunday and pack 'em full. And sing those hymns LOUD, right into the head of the guy in front of you. Let the world know the power of faith.

 

[Torin]

The virus will cause a lot of fear and a lot of poverty. Both of those correlate with increased religiosity, so I'm predicting an increase in religiosity.

 

[Treedbear]

How do you think this pandemic will affect religious beliefs in first world nations?

I want to ask some of them how they can avoid the conclusion that the pandemic is an act of retribution against the people of the world by an angry God. I mean what are the signs lately? Global warming, the rise of nationalism, mistreatment of immigrants. I mean if HIV/Aids can qualify as "God's disease" what must a pandemic that shuts down the entire world's economies mean? The irony is that in order for us to realize how dependent we are on each other we are forced into social isolation. Somewhat akin to getting a camel through the eye of a needle. If people don't begin to re-embrace the virtues of the good Samaritan the next time it gets worse and this will look like a dress rehearsal.

 

[bilby]

I don't see it having any appreciable effect, other than reducing congregations which are weighted toward those 65 and over.

There are a few ministers scattered across the county who were happy to parrot the party line, back when Trump was telling his supporters that Covid19 was just a bad cold, and kept holding services. It will be interesting to see how that works out for them, especially if any deaths or illness is connected to church attendance.

In the majority of the first world, almost all regular christian church attendees are over 65, and a large majority over 80.

Only the USA bucks this trend.

In the non-US first world, this pandemic may well mark the final end of weekly christian church services; Already it's widely unsustainable to have churches open on Sundays away from Easter and Christmas.

 

[Bronzeage]

I don't see it having any appreciable effect, other than reducing congregations which are weighted toward those 65 and over.

There are a few ministers scattered across the county who were happy to parrot the party line, back when Trump was telling his supporters that Covid19 was just a bad cold, and kept holding services. It will be interesting to see how that works out for them, especially if any deaths or illness is connected to church attendance.

In the majority of the first world, almost all regular christian church attendees are over 65, and a large majority over 80.

Only the USA bucks this trend.

In the non-US first world, this pandemic may well mark the final end of weekly christian church services; Already it's widely unsustainable to have churches open on Sundays away from Easter and Christmas.

I don't believe that's going to happen, but there maybe some of the churches which find themselves in financial trouble because their minister pushed back against Covid19 precautions. Church members who see this as endangering the congregation for political motivations, will find another church to attend.

 

[southernhybrid]

I live in the heart of the Bible Belt and I don't think the pandemic will have a negative impact on religion here. I think it will make the nuttiest Christians even nuttier. They will claim that the pandemic is a sign of the end times or a punishment for behaviors that they don't like or a test of their faith from god.

The more moderate and mild Christians will be happy to return to their church groups. This type of southern Christians are known more for doing charitable works than for trying to convert others to their beliefs. They more or less assume that most of the locals are Christians.

WE don't have any other organized religious groups in the part of Georgia where I live, but I do know some people who have paganish woo beliefs and I doubt this will change their beliefs.

There are likely to be a very small number of believers who will suddenly begin to question their beliefs and some will eventually become agnostics, atheists or apatheists. For example a former neighbor of mine lost his young son to an infection and he suddenly lost his belief in god. Prior to that, he was a very conservative Christian. This doesn't happen very often.

Where I live, Christianity is deeply ingrained in the culture so I really don't see that changing anytime soon. And quite frankly, unless our country expands benefits to those who suffer in poverty, I can't imagine the benefit of ending Christianity here. Christians here, are often the primary organizers of charity, including food banks, free clinics etc. There are too many people who depend on these Christian organizations to provide them with the basics, especially during times like these.

 

[sinkorswim]

I wonder how many of these pastors are going to get sued when coronavirus decimates their parishioners, and they figure out that god didn't protect them?

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

 

[ideologyhunter]

I Corinthians 6: When you have a grievance against your Christian brother, do you dare to go to law before the unrighteous, instead of your brethren? Do you not understand that we saints shall judge the world? And if you can judge the world, can you not also judge trivial matters between yourselves? Do you not know that we shall even judge the angels? How much more shall we judge the matters of this mortal world! So, if you have such grievances, why do you take them to those who have won no respect from your brethren? I say, this would be shameful!
A message from doublechristianlegalzoom/bible@hellsawaiting

 

[dendrast]

That virus is going to persecute the fuck out of them.

 

[ZiprHead]

I don't see it having any appreciable effect, other than reducing congregations which are weighted toward those 65 and over.

There are a few ministers scattered across the county who were happy to parrot the party line, back when Trump was telling his supporters that Covid19 was just a bad cold, and kept holding services. It will be interesting to see how that works out for them, especially if any deaths or illness is connected to church attendance.

In the majority of the first world, almost all regular christian church attendees are over 65, and a large majority over 80.

Only the USA bucks this trend.

In the non-US first world, this pandemic may well mark the final end of weekly christian church services; Already it's widely unsustainable to have churches open on Sundays away from Easter and Christmas.

We have several church buildings up for sale here in our little city, one still operating with the for sale sign up. The catholic churches are consolidating here too. I've a feeling without personal attendance, donations are are going to drop precipitously and there will be more going under.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Could be. But some small local churches have a built-in rainy day fund, in the form of (untaxed) endowments, partly in the form of bequests from now-deceased widows, etc. Those Red Hat ladies sometimes have a bunch of dollars to bestow when they kick off. This was told to me by a Lutheran minister I've known for years.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

It looks like the toxic Christian brigade is out in full force, shrieking and howling about the states shutting down large religious gatherings. And howling their defiance. in some states, the idiot governors are paying attention and exempting churches from stay at home efforts. Swarms of stupid preachers are howling that God and Jesus are going to protect church goers from the virus. Of course we will soon be seeing a massive surge thanks to all this toxic Christian stupidity.

I here by name covid-19, the "Church Virus".

 

[Tigers!]

I here by name covid-19, the "Church Virus".

The "China virus" is a more accurate name. Even has the same first letter.

 

[DBT]

Some are seeing it as a sign of the end times, the beginning of the tribulation with the Rapture imminent.