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Original poster

How are religions explaining the pandemic?

147 replies

Pantheon · 14/02/2021 12:22

Just curious as someone who isn't religious. Are religions giving explanations about why this is happening?

OP posts:
HarveySchlumpfenburger · 15/02/2021 05:53

Perhaps you could read up on the abrahamic faiths which all claim god created the world and is all powerful within it. That he is the only creator.

They have a book called The Holy Bible.

Playing devil’s advocate here, but doesn’t that same book have quite a famous story about how sin and sickness and death was introduced into the world?
If we’re going for a biblical literalist interpretation of bible study and accusing people of cherry picking, seems only fair that neither side cherry picks the relevant bits of salvation History.

StepOutOfLine · 15/02/2021 06:24

[quote everythingbackbutyou]**@LastTrainEast, as usual it's gloves off for attacking Christians and taking the piss out of their beliefs, in a way that would be viewed with much less acceptance if the target was Muslims, Jews, Hindus or Sikhs. As a Christian, the fact that so many people are totally cool with this is beyond frustrating.[/quote]
LastTrainEast is well known for simple views and reductionism (as well as a twist here and there to prove extremely black and white views) But you're quite right. If it were any other group of people they'd have been banned years ago.

@LastTrainEast- you seem to be the only person who thinks that those of faith take the Bible etc literally. Maybe YOU should do some reading. (You can move your fingers across the page if it helps) but cheers for the lolz. I passed your tripe to my (Catholic priest) student and to my (female Anglican vicar) student and they both came out with the same head-desk "do people still believe that we believe there's a man with a beard who said Fiat Luxe. Jesus Christ, where do these people come out from. No wonder hate speech continues to flourish".

See, not only do they not believe what you say they believe, they don't universally love everyone either.

Oh, I did ask both about Covid. No, it wasn't created by God (and neither was the plague of locusts etc) and it's being spread still by twats refusing to follow guidelines.

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 06:34

So what the fuck do they believe if it’s not the Bible? I mean, if you can believe more or less anything as part of the Christian church, what’s the point? Oh and FTR I think all religion is nonsense not just Christianity, so you can put that straw man back in its box.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Philosophy & religion
StepOutOfLine · 15/02/2021 06:40

I wasn't talking to you (if that "you" in your post is to me) That's why I tagged another poster. Hmm

Allegory, however.

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 06:44

Again, how convenient. Allegory pretty much covers all bases, doesn’t it?

StepOutOfLine · 15/02/2021 06:50

Yes, I suppose it does.

(I'm not religious btw- I have religious friends, as I'm sure you do, perhaps you could ask them? I'm just interested in the constant misinformation about what people of faith are supposed to believe by people who actually don't know)

EileenGC · 15/02/2021 06:51

Christian denomination here.

It’s a virus. It’s another sign of how fucked up this planet is, really. We’re all in this together and must do our best to protect those around us by keeping to the guidelines and taking care of those who need our help during this time. I can’t wait for all this suffering to end when Jesus comes again to take us home. No more pandemics, illnesses or death. That’s the hope that gets us through it.

EileenGC · 15/02/2021 06:54

@KeflavikAirport

So what the fuck do they believe if it’s not the Bible? I mean, if you can believe more or less anything as part of the Christian church, what’s the point? Oh and FTR I think all religion is nonsense not just Christianity, so you can put that straw man back in its box.
The majority of mainstream Christian churches don’t follow the Bible literally. They base themselves on tradition and interpretation of certain biblical passages (to put it simply, it’s more complex than just that). I’m not Roman Catholic or CofE, because most of their teachings do not align with what the Bible says.

I’m not saying there aren’t true Christians in either of those churches, people who read the Bible and follow God as well as they can. It’s just that the church’s (as an organisation) teaching aren’t in line with what’s written in the scriptures.

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 07:00

Well yes I do actually know that. It just all seems completely pointless to me.

EileenGC · 15/02/2021 07:04

It is not pointless to them, their faith is an important part of their life. It would be very much pointless to me personally, which is why I'm part of a religion that does follow the Bible's teachings. Doesn't mean I'm more of a Christian than any RC or CofE person.

eaglejulesk · 15/02/2021 07:15

As usual the people who don't understand the first thing about religion have all the answers! Hmm

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/02/2021 07:19

I wouldn’t expect any but the most extreme of clerics (of whatever religion) to put it down to divine retribution.

A dd worked in Shariah-law Aceh (Indonesia) in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

Imams there were saying that it was down to the wrath of Allah, because they’d allowed ungodly things like cinemas and swimming pools.
Touch wood I haven’t heard any such batshit nonsense about COVID.

WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo · 15/02/2021 07:23

Theres a virus. These things happen. Not sure what else religion is meant to think tbh Confused

CherryRoulade · 15/02/2021 07:28

@LastTrainEast

Well given that all things come from god you might expect some bishop to ask him why this one.

And so much for the power of prayer eh? Apparently it can move mountains, but you have to assume more than a billion believers praying now for the virus to stop and it didn't work. Finally that one is debunked then.

Hey! perhaps we can arrest the pope and the archbishops on conspiracy charges for their part. It would be ok. They could easily defend themselves by saying "oh no seriously it's not real. It's what we sell to avoid working for a living"

How silly. Do you know anything about faith?

It’s a virus. Faith helps many, many people cope in adversity. Faith helps many people cope with grief.

The tenets of most Abrahamic faith is that people were given self determination. It’s sort of what the book of Genesis is about.

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 07:29

Well there’s still the tiny detail of why a supposedly omnipotent all loving god is letting a virus run rampant Hmm

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 07:30

Touch wood I haven’t heard any such batshit nonsense about COVID.

You’d have heard it about AIDS forty years ago.

sammylady37 · 15/02/2021 07:37

@KeflavikAirport

Well there’s still the tiny detail of why a supposedly omnipotent all loving god is letting a virus run rampant Hmm
I told you, it’s the mysterious ways thing (AKA get out clause)
CherryRoulade · 15/02/2021 07:40

@KeflavikAirport

Well there’s still the tiny detail of why a supposedly omnipotent all loving god is letting a virus run rampant Hmm
Or perhaps that could be down to human greed, consumerism, capitalism and polarised wealth? We’ve not handled self determination well as a human race, have we?
sashh · 15/02/2021 07:41

My aunt, uncle and cousins are Jehovahs Witnesses. They think it’s the end of days and have been preparing for it since last March.

I watch Lloyd Evens on YouTube, JWs do seem quite excited.

sammylady37 · 15/02/2021 07:53

One of the explanations offered seems to be if things are going badly, it’s our fault, we didn’t handle the gifts given to us well etc. But if something good happens, the same people will be offering thanks to their god. Seems like he’s really done a number on them- if someone posted on the relationships board about their partner who expected all the credit for good things but blamed her for fucking up despite all he’d done for her and given her, there’d (rightly) be a deafening chorus of people calling him abusive.

eaglejulesk · 15/02/2021 07:54

Well said @CherryRoulade

EileenGC · 15/02/2021 08:04

Or perhaps that could be down to human greed, consumerism, capitalism and polarised wealth? We’ve not handled self determination well as a human race, have we?

Spot on.

KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 08:18

So that makes it ok to create the virus in the first place and then let it kill two million people to teach us a lesson? Or to kill millions of blameless children of malaria before their fifth birthday? Right, sounds legit.

CherryRoulade · 15/02/2021 08:23

@KeflavikAirport

So that makes it ok to create the virus in the first place and then let it kill two million people to teach us a lesson? Or to kill millions of blameless children of malaria before their fifth birthday? Right, sounds legit.
Perhaps if the Western world supported the provision of anti malarial treatment and eradication of poverty, malaria would kill far fewer people? Actually, no perhaps about it.
KeflavikAirport · 15/02/2021 08:28

No arguments from me on that. But still, why even create it in the first place? That’s kind of a shitty thing to do, surely?

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