Political Fight Over Church Gatherings Risks Further Coronavirus Spread | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, talks with Rachel Maddow about the Kansas governor's order limiting large gatherings including at churches is a matter of public health, not religious freedom, and the Republican legislature is foolhardy for forcing the limitation's reversal. Aired on 04/09/2020.
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Political Fight Over Church Gatherings Risks Further Coronavirus Spread | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

115 comments

  1. Trump: “So here’s the good news: The virus is a hoax, this will all disappear like magic, this virus is no different than the flu, I’m doing a great job, my uncle went to MIT, and we’re not going to let the cure be worse than the problem.”

    COVID-19: “So here’s the bad news. I am immune to Trump’s lies and gaslighting, I can’t read a calendar, so I don’t know when Easter is, I can’t be defeated with magic, because I am real and magic is not. I can only be defeated with science, facts, and common sense, and your so called president is a criminally incompetent sociopath who doesn’t believe in science, facts, or common sense. I am not religious, but that won’t stop me from showing up in places of worship. The flu is a fan of mine, and it wants to be like me when it grows up. And there is no cure for me, and that’s the problem.”

  2. “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”
    –Charles Darwin

    “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.”
    –Wayne Dyer

    “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
    –Martin Luther King, Jr.

    These quotes perfectly describe the current “stable genius” in the Oval Office, and his cult followers.

    1. Quotes from past dead figures in history, doesn’t apply to the problem at hand. Quoting the dead, just repeat the president. He’s a dead man walking. And doesn’t know what is coming. Prisoners of stupidity, the citizen’s are ready to stop the cancer killing America. We know the source of our life killer’s. They’re trying to wreck the country, would Anyone cry if Trump died? I will throw a party, and raise the flag. The source of Covid-19 in American soils. Drop dead Donald, and anyone involved with the tRump.

    2. Gregg Arsenault Empirically, it can be proven that the worship of a deity does exist (by the Method of Proof by Observation). However, the god of the Talmud (the god worshipped, by the ruling class, in this coronavirus affair) is not Jesus (and that is a finding that is substantiated by the scientific method).

    3. @kenneth payne bro your old and getting closer to death and about to face God for everything you say and done, a man filled with sin and a wicked heart.
      Yoi better hope that jesus isn’t real but I know
      He is.
      Its not about proving anything to anyone and yes jesus was a real.
      person. He was even documented by Roman’s. He spoke with a Roman general that being pilate.
      no wisdom in your reply I will end it here.

    1. Anybody here remember Reverend Jim Jones form Jonestown? How about Jim & Tammy Faye Baker? How about Jimmy Swaggart. These are just the J’s that spring to mind & there’s a whole alphabet soup of disgraced Evangelials running from A – Z with a heavy emphasis on J’s & Jims for some reason!

    2. Baby Clinton, You think Dementia Joe is going to remember all the genders? Russia could call Dementia Joe and get him to launch a nuke, take a nap and forget about it!

    3. @Trump 2Q2Q The Library please go to church. Shake everyone’s hand at least twice.
      Besides, if we started kicking out traitors, you realize you’d be gone first.

    1. Good point!
      If these Evangelical megachurches were taxed and all the “Christian” businesses that they control were taxed, at the same level as other businesses.
      We’d see just how quickly they’d loose their popularity and how quickly pastors would downsize.
      God shouldn’t be a tax shelter.😔

    2. @Simply Gina on YouTube If you take a historical view Henry VIII effectively did a land grab on the church to recover the fortunes that they were accruing. I have always taken the view that the bible says ” God will provide” so no church needs my money. However I am a cynic who thinks religion was started by some guy who figured out it was indoor work with no heavy lifting.

    3. We are all under Evangelical Law, Mike Pence and his followers are dictating everyday in Lies, Half truths, and Misdirection. When a known liar William Barr goes on national TV and preaches for Trump you know we are in trouble. When the My-Pillow guy goes on TV for Trump you know it’s trouble. When Sean Hannity goes on TV and live talks to Trump you know Trouble is here. All this to Overturn Roe vs Wade, Judges who think like Pence are sought out and appointed regardless of qualifications.

      You must realize that you are arguing with people who believe in talking snakes but not a Virus because it’s a Democrat hoax.

  3. I’m not super religious but I bet god would be cool with dipshxts staying home this weekend !!!!!!😎

    1. Nimander: he wants to be around to reap the church collection later. He can postpone his death and the Christian heaven can wait. The death Heaven is not that great, cos he is in the living heaven.

    2. @David Gainey my country is the world my religion is to do good I think I’ll be fine buddy but as long as we talk about it why don’t you explain how you as such a religious person will pick and choose what parts of the Bible you choose to follow that week and when changes need to be made to suit your life and needs it’s justified not to follow you got it wrong my sir I believe and am a honest realist I don’t lie when it suits me Lords peace and Canadian geese my dude 😎

    3. @Jake Spur jeez man you’re so uplifting and good spirited you should say something pessimistic sometime hahahahaha 😎

  4. Religious fundamentalism is a scourge in modern society; it played a central role in giving us Trump; it has hindered social and economic progress in a number of avenues; it has been a key obstacle in our fight against climate change; and is now obstructing our response to coronavirus. A key focus of political activity as we move forward must be quashing this fanaticism and assert the secular nature of the US government.

    1. Spot on. I knew these people didn’t believe in evolution. Apparently, they reject germ theory as well

  5. the sad part is professionals such as this gentleman will be scapegoated by politicians to divert blame from where it rightly belongs

    1. The REAL problem is politicians are basically exempt from criminal liability in the face of facts when they put actions in place the harm citizens. This needs to change.

  6. Remember when fox news cried that Democrats were trying to politicize the virus outbreak?
    Well, guess who is using the social distancing guidelines to scream about religious oppression and freedom.
    I’ll give you a clue. It’s not Democrats.

    1. Except the left is politicizing it. Nancy pushing green new deal crap in the stimulus bill, Rachel talking about how more blacks are dying from the virus (must be a wacist virus), it’s just that the left whining has become 24 hour background noise so you don’t notice it. Hope this helped.

    2. @Rene Curry Yes. They spew a/b life but what they really are talking a/b is birth i.e. Pro Life vs Pro Birth.

    3. @George Layton I believe the world would be a better place is there were NO religions/ personal Spirituality yes…. religion NO.

  7. If you’re church can’t survive without you to prevent the spread a virus maybe there is something wrong with your church , you give10% of what you make a year to a church run by a man who lives in a house you will never be able to afford . Think about that.

    1. Yeah, the Pope lives in a museum – including treasures which have been stolen, looted during the many and blood-thirsty conquests, and gifts donated by the delusional (thinking that gifts ‘buy’ them a better place in heaven. So their belief is, god is so materialistic he can be bribed – a fact backed up by the bible. Yet the best and most enduring acts of human kindness are often for free, just look at what’s going on in the world right now for a few examples).

    2. Wait! Are you saying churches are the most widespread and mainstream form of socialism that exists in the world? Republicans would never stand for that. [sarcasm]

    3. @Nathan Sharp churches are the absolute best form of capitalism they collect the money and use it to enrich their lives not the masses who come to them for salvation

    1. Actually and factually, MOST ‘organized religious groups are in complete support of the “Stay at Home” and social distancing guidelines. Perhaps it’s the religious right that is acting out like an unintelligent, uneducated , spoiled brat.

    2. The majority of religions did stop holding services when the Coronavirus became a real threat. The one talked about in this video is in a small minority. Your claim that organized religion promotes stupidity is laughable and is just not true.

    3. Nah, most churches were pretty on top of this. Even the ones in my podunk town jumped right on livestreamed services and granted dispensation from attendance obligations to anyone who couldn’t use that (bad internet etc). Stupid people promote stupidity, nothing more.

  8. A whole bunch of white evangelicals are about to compete for Darwin Awards. Savor the irony and wish them luck.

    1. Ritzy Ritz this is there plain the flock dies and they leave the evangelicals all there wealth 🙏

    2. @Look Upwards You may think those observing the lock-down restrictions are like scared chickens. They’re actually behaving like responsible citizens who appreciate that the best way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is to self-isolate and stick to social distancing. An evangelical pastor in eastern France (where I live) organised a service in his church when the wave was beginning to break here: the result – nearly 80% of the congregation became infected. Several have since died and many others not only spread the infection, but took up valuable resources in the hospitals because they were too “full of the holy spirit” to realise how dumb it was to be in such close proximity with a highly contagious virus on the loose. I’m sorry that you are upset that you can’t get your weekly imaginary friend fix, but if it brings home to you that it’s the community that you’re missing more than the “truth” of whichever religion you follow, maybe it will have done you some good.

  9. IF you believe in God, you know he’s everywhere. You don’t have to go to a certain building on a certain day to pray to him( her) stay at home. Stay safe 😷 blessings to all

    1. @eruis 313 no we are not being tested God does not test people and cannot do bad, he simply let things happen, he warned us that things would go that way because the whole world is in the hand of the devil 1John 5:19 those things were to happen and are a sign of the last days and a proof that Satan ‘s world is bad. We await a better world lead by our king Jesus in which wickedness will no longer exist, pray for the kingdom of God “thy kingdom come”Le texte que vous copiez s’affichera automatiquement ici

    2. @Chloe Lin No, THEY don’t understand that what they want, whatever the reason, is likely to get them or someone else killed. Now is not the time for selfishness of this sort.

  10. Do people realize that when our country can return to normal is not dependent on the states that are doing a good job, but on those that are doing the worst or nothing?

    1. So true. What’s the point of City’s like New York and Chicago locking down when other states are still doing business as usual. Until we get nation wide testing the economy will never fully recover and no country is going to want to allow travel or business with the US if there is a chance visitors my bring back a deadly disease. So we can very well see ourselves being given the same treatment Trump gave others i.e. travel bans and trade restrictions.

    1. @Paul Y The creepy tone he used to say that makes it absolutely certain he has not only stakes but A LOT of stakes in it.

    2. Far out, with the comments, you guys are doomed. Time to storm the castle with your rifles and hope the drones are still being refuelled. The disconnect between truth and wild conjecture is going to end your 170 year experiment with marrying business with personal freedoms Good luck!

    3. God is not a she/her! I thought God has been dead for decades, according to biblical scholars and academic theologians.

    1. jason you believe in your god Obama and we will believe in our god Jesus. See how history plays out for us.

    2. @David Gainey Sure hope ya’ don’t get Sick ! … I actually mean that, but You STILL gotta use your Brain !

  11. More people have died or been killed in the name of religion than any war or virus in human history.

    1. Viruses win that contest. Can’t blame what you can’t see. Viruses little Brother bacteria when teamed up are unbearable.

  12. Vatican: empty, Mecca: empty, Jerusalem with all the holy places: empty. Random church in Kansas? can’t stop going to church.

    1. they didn’t get the memo. It seems that the Lord has dropped them from his email distribution list. Wonder why???

  13. The irony is that Jesus never prayed in a church and he certainly never asked for cash!🤦‍♀️

    1. Right. Because he was most probably Jewish and probably prayed in a Jewish temple. That’s if he existed which he probably didn’t.

    2. What about in Luke chapter 21 when Jesus is actually sitting watching how much money each person puts in and praises the poor widow for her sacrifice when she gives everything she has left?

    3. @kayla wilson It would be fantastic if all those greedy fire and brimstone preachers in the US thought this way. But they don’t, and instead they prey upon people exactly like you described. In the name of someone who may or may not have lived 2000 years ago. Boggling to the mind.

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