Watch:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI4X7svEhlw&w=560&h=315]
Warren Throckmorton sent me this video and commented on it at his blog. Here is a taste:
MacArthur cited a recent CDC report on causes of COVID-19 deaths (Here is the CDC report in question). It provides the comorbid conditions for the vast majority of deaths triggered by COVID-19. COVID-19 and something else contributed to most deaths. What MacArthur seems to be unaware of is that most of those people would be alive today if they had not contracted COVID-19.
What is embarrassing for MacArthur is that this has been known for months. The CDC has released reports before showing the underlying health conditions of deaths and hospitalized patients. Yet, in ominous tones, MacArthur makes it appear he is revealing some previously concealed truth. While his scary announcement may serve his persecution narrative, it also makes his congregation and followers more vulnerable to the virus.
Read the rest here.
In 1918, the devil was the source of the pandemic. For MacArthur, there is no pandemic and the devil is the state of California.
UPDATE: At 11:41pm on August 30 I changed the title of this post. The second sentence in the original title of the post read, “Those who believe otherwise are Satanic.”
Several of you have told me that the original title was an unfair rendering of what MacArthur said. I disagree. I think that the original phrase captures the spirit of what MacArthur said in the video. Merriam-Webster defines “satanic” as “of, relating to, or characteristic of Satan.” A secondary definition is: “characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness.” MacArthur is clearly saying that those who believe COVID-19 is a legitimate pandemic, and as a result are putting restriction on churches, are both “of, relating to, or characteristic of Satan” and “characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness.”
In the end, however, I decided to change the title so that it more directly reflects MacArthur’s words.