# America's Bible Belt played down the pandemic and even cashed in. Now dozens of pastors are dead **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 6, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240 "2020-05-06T01:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/41 "2020-05-06T20:53:06Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I am not religious and I personally don’t think they should be holding services because of the risks. But if God is speaking to religious people and telling them to hold services, it seems like the followers should comply if they truly believe God is real. How do they know the voices in their heads are actually God and not something else? Like maybe voices in their heads… Look, if it was just the religious fanatics being put in harm’s way I’d say let 'em, but their religious freedom ends where it starts to hurt other people. In this case, holding jammed in-person services puts more than the religious fanatics at risk. Therefore, they do not have a right to do that. Especially since there are alternatives. These pastors are demanding people show up in person out of greed and/or arrogance. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/42 "2020-05-06T21:02:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Dozens” really isn’t very many. I mean, how many pastors are there in the Bible Belt? How many ordinarily die in any given month? “Pastor” implies a person leading a flock, or a congregation. A pastor is in the position to interact with more people than your average citizen. Pastors also comfort the sick and bury the dead. One Bible Belt pastor of a mega church stated he had “superior” immunity, and COVID-19 wasn’t a personal worry. He even bragged about his laying of hands to pray with a diagnosed COVID-19 patient who was a member of a congregation. Dead Southern pastors are a unique group who will no doubt spell grief for contact tracers. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/43 "2020-05-06T21:41:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Indeed not. And the bible holds advice _against_ conducting services. > > Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. > > It’s not just southern Baptist preachers dying. This virus is taking out orthodox rabbis in New York too. You have this: > [@Hebrews 10:](#): > > 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Which I know a flat earther who attends such a church who used this verse to continue services. So yes it’s in the good book not to forsake the assembly. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/44 "2020-05-06T21:56:19Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I don’t think God exists, so if someone says God speaks to them, I think they are wrong because I don’t think there is a God to talk to them in the first place. In which god don’t you believe? Humans have invented so many gods, it’s hard to figure which to ignore and which to offer blood sacrifices to. We know deities exist within human consciousness but we have no objective evidence of any elsewhere. Since our deities are internal, the voices in our heads must be holy. Always obey the voices, right? Voices in their heads direct leaders and believers. Almost as good as insightful intestines! Channeled voices say “gather” with a subtext of “spread contagion” so they do. The reasons for divine desires may escape human comprehension. What a pickle! I recall an old UG comix bit where the voices in Snappy Sammy Smoot’s head tell him to commit murder. He’s caught. As he’s strapped into the electric chair we see the moral of the tale: _If you can’t deal with reality, reality will surely deal with YOU._ Reject science and find out the hard way how the world functions. Wishing won’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/45 "2020-05-06T22:05:07Z")
Oh well, god’s will etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/46 "2020-05-07T02:28:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, some of them, probably. > > But yes, some people are dying of this virus. Some people die of lots of things. The question is, are a significant number of people dying of this virus? Would anyone write an international news story about dozens of pastors dying of heart disease, or in car crashes? Would we wonder if atheists would take glee at that fact? I’d have to say if dozens of pastors died from highway crashes all around the same time, that would be more than slightly newsworthy. The same can be said for dozens of bakers dyiing around the same time, dozens of streetsweepers dying around the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/47 "2020-05-07T15:53:12Z")
I believe anyone who wants to go to church (or temple, or whatever) should be allowed to go, with no limit on crowd size or density. The only catch is that they would not be allowed to leave. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/48 "2020-05-07T16:05:27Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I knew some atheists out there would find delight in this. > > My church, and every other one I know, hasnt had inside services for several weeks now and dont plan to until they say its ok. However we have been worshiping online and its been going well. My bible study is thru zoom. They do youth meetings and sunday school thru zoom. > > Yes, I’m sure their are those out there who dont use common sense but thats in every group. This. My church and I’m sure many others in the area have been streaming their services for weeks now. I don’t frequent church anymore, but I think this is awesome, and I hope it’s something they continue to offer even after COVID-19 subsides, especially when a lot of the congregation is elderly and particularly vulnerable during flu season. I find it pretty sick that some people are delighting in these deaths from COVID-19, especially if those same people are making the claim that everyone needs to social distance and how we’re all affected, whether we are coming into close contact with infected individuals or not. Seems pretty two-faced to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/49 "2020-05-07T17:09:41Z")
Since this is a difficult time for many people. I don’t have a problem with the propagation of a positive message for those who want to hear that. I think most religious leaders have been responsible. I wouldn’t have a problem with a service given to people isolating in their cars. A few pastors went out of their way to overlook public safety concerns. This is very much a minority of people, and it is sad they put others at risk. Some world leaders have made similar pronouncements, which may be more concerning. But I feel nothing but sympathy for innocent people who, to some extent, were taken advantage of. I hope this thing improves soon and doesn’t recur. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/50 "2020-05-07T19:16:56Z")
The anti-science attitude is a big problem in the US today, and if some anti-science people become examples of how stupidity can kill you, it works for me. The idiot protesters are just as good examples as idiot pastors. Religion has nothing to do with it, anti-science does. Unfortunately these idiots may also kill people who are innocent. And hooray for pastors setting up online services to protect their congregation. Why do you think God invented Zoom anyway? ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/51 "2020-05-07T19:42:29Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Would you say the same thing to gay men having unprotected sex in the late 80’s even when they knew it could kill them? People do reckless things in the face of danger all the time. I, for one, would. The guys that were doing that were not only risking themselves. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/52 "2020-05-08T01:58:39Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > And hooray for pastors setting up online services to protect their congregation. Why do you think God invented Zoom anyway? Zoom was created by Coyote and Loki to trick humans. Jehovah spies on everyone with that all-seeing eye - a peeping Tom. A beneficent deity would promote telepathic services so its followers would survive. The rule of successful parasites: Don’t kill your host. But I digress. I doubt most pastors, priests, and other sky pilots (cowboys called them “fire escapes”) are total morons. Most probably want followers to survive and continue with offerings. Alas, passing a biology class may not be required for (self) ordination. “Science works!” is a hard-sell to many, who are juicy prospects for infection. A deity that doesn’t save its believers may run out of believers eventually. Is faith Darwinian? ---
**Author:** ![wanderer2575](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@wanderer2575](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wanderer2575)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/53 "2020-05-08T02:22:53Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Would you say the same thing to gay men having unprotected sex in the late 80’s even when they knew it could kill them? People do reckless things in the face of danger all the time. I don’t really care about whatever reckless activity people engage in if it means they potentially kill only themselves. That’s not the case here. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/54 "2020-05-08T02:27:08Z")
> [@wanderer2575](#): > > I don’t really care about whatever reckless activity people engage in if it means they potentially kill only themselves. That’s not the case here. You mean themselves, their current and future lovers? Then lovers of the people they infect? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/55 "2020-05-09T13:51:07Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Would you say the same thing to gay men having unprotected sex in the late 80’s even when they knew it could kill them? People do reckless things in the face of danger all the time. I get the impression that you do not understand either Darwinism or homosexuality or both. Or maybe it’s me, who did not get the irony? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/56 "2020-05-09T14:10:05Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > […] > And hooray for pastors setting up online services to protect their congregation. Why do you think God invented Zoom anyway? To obtain their metadata and their contacts? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/57 "2020-05-09T14:22:25Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Darwin wins. Wrong. All of these guys have already reproduced. People who don’t have a degree in biology should really just categorically shut the hell up about evolution except to ask questions. Also, take is doubly bad because of all the people they probably infected. If you think the parishioners also deserve the Darwinist cull, think of the others they indirectly infected. I get the schadenfreude… I really, really get this temptation… but right now it’s not appropriate in most cases (I would consider an exception on a case-by-case basis for senior officials of the Trump administration). ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/58 "2020-05-09T16:47:39Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Wrong. All of these guys have already reproduced. > > People who don’t have a degree in biology should really just categorically shut the hell up about evolution except to ask questions. > > Also, take is doubly bad because of all the people they probably infected. If you think the parishioners also deserve the Darwinist cull, think of the others they indirectly infected. > > I get the schadenfreude… I really, really get this temptation… but right now it’s not appropriate in most cases (I would consider an exception on a case-by-case basis for senior officials of the Trump administration). Well I have a degree in anthropology and about 50 books on my bookshelf about evolution. Maybe you should shut the hell up about what others speak of. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/59 "2020-05-09T17:47:50Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > (I would consider an exception on a case-by-case basis for senior officials of the Trump administration). **Moderator Note** Let’s keep the political jabs out of this forum. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > People who don’t have a degree in biology should really just categorically shut the hell up about evolution except to ask questions. > [@rsat3acr](#): > > Well I have a degree in anthropology and about 50 books on my bookshelf about evolution. Maybe you should shut the hell up about what others speak of. And let’s not tell other posters to “shut the hell up” in this forum. Colibri QZ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240/60 "2020-05-09T17:57:24Z")
Yes sir [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-bible-belt-played-down-the-pandemic-and-even-cashed-in-now-dozens-of-pastors-are-dead/853240.md?page=4)