The Dow at the moment I started writing this piece. There’s already been another 8% drop in today’s index. It is likely to continue this downward trend.

Last night as I was tooling around the internet looking at the latest COVID 19 updates it struck me that we’re living in very interesting times. A painful time of enormous shifts. For the last week the stock market has had record lows, culminating yesterday in a 2,013 drop on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Italy put their entire country on lockdown due to the spreading of the Corona virus. Jim Bakker was ordered by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission to stop marketing his Silver Solution as a cure for Corona virus. Hard times.

Between talking to various friends who have lost crazy amounts of money this week. One man lost 200K, another 70K and many other amounts the almost universal question was: “Why?” Almost to a man (or woman) they were asking how could God let this happen under such a good and Godly president like Donald J. Trump. Most of them are some version of Evangelical, ignoring the signs in the bonds market last year that we were due for a stock market downturn.

We sold, and we know others that sold at that point, moving money into safer places. But then again none of us were putting our faith, our religion and our entire beings into the words of our president. This is one of those unfortunate things that happens when you embrace a demagogue as Godly. I think if it continues much longer it’s going to result in a loss for Trump at the polls.

The downward trend is likely to continue as airlines and travel companies deal with the downturn in travel, affecting oil prices. Many industries are likely to be impacted by the world situation involving the Corona virus. Closed manufacturing in China is going to impact worldwide those industries that rely on China sourced parts and supplies,

At the same time you have the Evangelical world spinning and coming up with the most unscientific ideas in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. Last night our government officially declared it a pandemic, during a press conference, coming out with advice to follow that runs very counter to everything being posited by the usual gang of Evangelical cultural enforcers. The enforcers are still sticking with eat sauerkraut, use silver and “Don’t worry, because Christians cannot get this” or like a certain unnamed female cultural enforcer (Lori Alexander) posted this morning not to worry, gave bad medical advice to use elderberry syrup (Hello Cytokine Storm!) and proclaims she’s not worried and she does not wash her hands.

Head in sand. My head to the desk.

After the press conference we got good examples of why Evangelical arrogance, and “Not me!” never works out well. At least six representatives of our government and some of their staff are in self isolation, Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz (the one poking fun at the virus by wearing a gas mask to vote), Doug Collins, Paul Gosar, Julia Brownley, and Mark Meadows. All but one of these exposures occurred during the Right Wing Evangelical love fest known as CPAC. Two of this list then went on to spend most of the weekend with President Donald Trump. It’s a perfect illustration of what can happen when you think it will not happen to you because God. Shocking to think that the President was possibly exposed so quickly in so few steps.

None so far as I know have active COVID 19. I hope none of them get it. I don’t want to see anyone contract this no matter what I think of their politics, not even Trump.

Here’s where I am going with this. We are seeing unfolding in real time, and the world is also watching, and it shows yet again that the Evangelical claims of superiority because of religious belief is at best a farce. If and when these awful scenarios worsen we’re also going to see a societal shift against this type of Evangelicalism. What do you think?

And a quick word on Dow Jones, or as our president likes to call it ‘Dow Joans’, since I started writing it has gone up, down and all around. The market is crazy volatile today. Still well below where it opened.

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I have to apologize about yesterday’s piece on Bethel Redding cancelling the Healing Rooms. Didn’t research the why. Turns out it was so that the Healing Rooms ministry people could travel and minister. Bethel hasn’t taken the sensible step of canceling any sort of event to protect people from COVID19. They seem to be doubling down on their God will heal theology.

I should know better by now that to take the word of those on various Facebook religion watching groups. Second time this week they’ve got me. I promise to go back to double checking all the claims.

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