₦airaland Forum

Everyone knows that Nigeria is in trouble except Nigerians.

Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne said he wouldn't close the doors of his Tampa, Florida, megachurch until the End Times begin. The police weren't willing to wait that long.

On Monday, Florida sheriff's deputies arrested the evangelical pastor, who has continued to host large church services despite public orders urging residents to stay home to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Howard-Browne has been charged with two counts: unlawful assembly and a violation of health emergency rules. Both are second-degree misdemeanors, Chronister said at a press conference Monday.

Last week Hillsborough County issued an order directing residents to remain at home effective March 27 except for "essential services" -- including trips to the grocery store, the doctor's office and the pharmacy. The county's list of "essential services" does not include attending church.

Florida has more than 5,200 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 63 deaths, according to the state's health department.
Chronister said he and the department's lawyers have repeatedly urged Howard-Browne to close his River at Tampa Bay Church, making personal requests and speaking with the church's attorney. On Sunday, police went to the church to speak with the pastor, "who did not make himself available," Chronister said.
The church held two services that day. A video on the church's Facebook page shows a large group of people in attendance.

"His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk," Chronister said at a news conference on Monday, "as well as put thousands of residents who may interact with them in danger."
Howard-Browne was arrested in Hernando County, where he lives, and was not immediately available for comment.
But one of his attorneys issued a statement Monday challenging the logic of the county's stay-at-home order and saying the River church took extra health precautions for its services Sunday. The church gave each attendee hand sanitizer, had its staffers wear gloves and enforced a six-foot distance between family groups in the auditorium, attorney Mat Staver said.
"Not only did the church comply with the administrative order regarding six-foot distancing, it went above and beyond any other business to ensure the health and safety of the people," Staver added. "Contrary to Sheriff Chronister's allegation that Pastor Howard-Browne was 'reckless," the actions of Hillsborough Country and the Hernando County Sheriff are discriminatory against religion and church gatherings."

Since President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, most churches, mosques, synagogues and temples have temporarily shut down. But there have been a few defiant outliers, including a pastor in Louisiana.
Howard-Browne, who was born in South Africa and built the River into a megachurch with 4,000 members, is a prominent evangelical who prayed in the Oval Office with Trump in 2017. In recent days the Pentecostal preacher has made controversial remarks and floated conspiratorial theories about the coronavirus.

At a church service on March 15, Howard-Browne said he would not close his church's doors until the Rapture, when believers will be lifted up to heaven, according to evangelical theology.
At the same service, the pastor said he won't close his Bible School either, "because we are raising up revivalists, not pansies."
Howard-Browne defended his actions in a Facebook Live post titled "End of Days Part Three," according to CNN affiliate WFLA.
"I'm not again negating that people are dying from the coronavirus," he said. "We're not saying that, just saying that the thing is blown totally way out of proportion and if you shut the church down, the church is not a non-essential service."

Recklessness? Or religious freedom?
In a statement posted March 22 on its website, the church claims that closure orders violate religious freedom.
"The government deciding who can attend a service by way of a numerical limit does not demonstrate an equality of rights and ought to be seen as a per se violation of the principle of separation of church and state," says the statement, which was not written by Howard-Browne.
"These orders try to justify unequal application based upon the definition of 'essential' services. By what authority does the government declare the church non-essential?" it continues.
"The Church is a place where people turn for help and for comfort in a climate of fear and uncertainty. In a time of crisis, people are fearful and in need of comfort and community, more than ever before."

But many legal scholars and religious believers dismiss the religious freedom argument, saying the widespread social distancing orders meet a compelling governmental interest: public safety.
"It's unfortunate here that the pastor is hiding behind the first amendment," State Attorney Andrew H. Warren said at Monday's news conference.
Emergency orders like the county's are "constitutionally valid," Warren said.
"I would remind the good pastor of Mark 12:31," Warren said, referring to the Bible. "There is no more important commandment than to love your neighbor as yourself. And loving your neighbors is protecting them and not jeopardizing their health by exposing them to this deadly virus."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/us/florida-pastor-arrested-river-church/index.html

ChieduJoshua081:
So I should lose my knee caps because of the statistics abi ?

Well seems you really like the gloom and doom let me help you fast track ur wish. You will be the next to be infected and the next to die of the virus OK. Have a nice day .

Hahahaha. If wishes were horses, beggars will ride. So you know, prayers don't work.

ChieduJoshua081:
But that is a very strong statement you made up there and it's inappropriate and kind of appocalyptic. Science does not know if the sickness will kill Blacks the way it is killing whites yet. Be optimistic bro.

There is no need to be optimistic. Flu has killed millions of black people in the past and is killing now. We know that COVID-19 will kill a lot of Africans because of the lack of preparedness and infrastructure. We are just wishing away everything and never ready to take responsibility.

This is statistics of what has happened in the past, the 1918 pandemic (Spanish flu) in Nigeria

ChieduJoshua081:
Get the Bleep out of here. Prophesier of doom.

I'm a not prophet, I don't involve myself in such diddle. Just pointing you to what science is saying.

LadyBeee:
you will surely be dissapointed

I truly hope so

It's already everywhere. A lot of people will get sick and many will eventually die.

awwfar:
na u and all your family go wipe out ...amen

Lol, my brother, be prepared. Social distancing has shown to a more effective tool for fighting COVID-19 that prayers

excessmon:
What do I need to quote a failure for? Oga face ur life Abeg

Hahahaha, just be prepared, my brother. It hasn't started

a

LadyBeee:
back to sender. Idiot

Hahaha, typical Nigerians. Your wish cannot change or affect reality. Start practising safe distancing as much as you can. A lot more people will die; I mean a lot.

This is a statistics of how many Nigerians died during the Spanish flu (1918), I believe they didn't teach this in school. I am sure it won't be this bad but plenty of people will still die.

excessmon:
Maybe wen it finish ravaging ur village we come to the rescue......//.

If a country did not well try to appreciate it for once

It just started in Nigeria. You cannot wish away coronavirus. It is coming, there are already hundreds of cases in Nigeria now, quote me in 3 weeks time.

Many more will die in NIGERIA.

kelvindj98:
Your family will die, idiot.

Lol, Nigerians and denying reality. Italy, USA, Spain and the UK were all in our shoe at a point, they all denied and we can see where they are now.

Nigeria is just a few weeks behind the likes of Italy. Be prepared!

seankafor:
you re just ranting sheepishly.
Why aren't people dropping dead like flies unlike in your dream western countries you keep licking their asses with nothing to show?
Why dont you enter next flight to italy ?

Or is the country the cause of your mental retardation?

A lot of people will die in Nigeria from COVID-19. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands will have coronavirus in Nigeria. It's fact, prepare.

ichuka:
Because that's the reason He came in the first place.
The wages of sin is death.thats Gods prescription.inorder to reconcile man with God.He came and took the side of man on the cross.

Lol. You are funny.

ichuka:
wrong

So why was he killed by the romans?

These arguments are very important, they have liberated a lot of minds here on Nairaland. Many people read these arguments and make decision mainly based on the folly of religious people. It actually make people do more research and read more extensively on the history and evolution of religion. I am confidence that these religious argument turn more people to atheists more than anything else. Brother, keep up the good work!

DREAMZZZ:
burnaboy is even more talented and versatile than fela

By playing music on a computer? Many of you are sick.

Anything about the number of rape victims?

Laurene:
now comprehension is your problem. Even if America was involved, the war was not theirs. It was due to bad decisions by the then president of which he paid dearly for. Pressure from home was high he had to withdraw the foot soldiers. Same scenario played out in Mogadishu when the US wanted to capture Mohammed Farrah aidid, go and watch black hawk down.

slowpoke, aside the US civil war, which of the wars is America’s and which is not made in bad decisions?

BTW how did this change the fact that the US list the Vietnam war?

Chrisbeks:
They've been flying into Iranian airspace for long and Iran didn't do shiit! Go and check the news on the day the iraniand brought down the us drone, the Iranians confirmed that there was another US manned aircraft in their air space but they didn't attack it.

This was why it wasn’t shot down:

The air commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said that the US was warned twice about the infringement, the last time at 3.55am.
“When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4.05am,” the general told the Iranian state broadcaster. “Our national security is a red line.”

The IRGC claims there was a second US aircraft in the same area of sky in the early hours of Thursday morning, a P-8 spy plane, with 35 people onboard, shadowing the Global Hawk. The Iranians say they refrained from shooting the P8 after it heeded warnings and moved away from the Iranian coast. The US has not commented on that claim.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/21/iran-latest-trump-drone-attack-timeline-airstrikes-called-off

Laurene:
you have not of allies? they help each other in times of tribulation. the US withdrew their foot soldiers due to the pressure from home owing to the war was not theirs. instead they used airstrikes on them and were actually inflicting serious injury on them until an agreement was reached. go and read well the US involvement in the Vietnam war. so are you telling me that Vietnam would have defeated the US if the war was directly against the US? So they didn't RAN away, they only used diplomacy.

I don’t understand what history book you are reading. The US was directly involve in the war for about 8 years. Close to 60,000 US military men died in the war and more than 350,000 US soldiers were injured. More US soldiers died in Vietnam war than the whole casualties of Bokoharam (including Boko haram insurgents, all civilians, all soldiers (Nigeriens, Nigerians, Cameroonians etc), and other nationalities put together). How much more can you be involved.

Chrisbeks:
US military capability has developed a thousand times better than it was during the Viet nam war. Don't compare those times to now. And what did you expect US to do to Iran for bringing down a drone? Bomb them? It was just a drone. If the Iranian so much believe in themselves, let them bring down one US manned aircraft or fire on the numerous US warships that are in the Persian gulf and see if they are not reduced to rubble. They won't try it though, they know the consequences of that

Let US manned drone fly into the Iranian airspace, that’s the only way to know the answer.

Laurene:
they didn't RAN away according to you instead they withdrew their soldiers since it was not their war. USA was actually winning them through air strikes and bombings until a the Vietnams started crying foul. so you expect the USA to continue fighting a war that doesn't any way affect them?

Why did they go there in the first place, if it was not their war? They actually RAN away when they realised they could never win the war.

Chrisbeks:
You are not just sounding ignorant, you are also illiterate and can't comprehend simple English. Firstly, I said the US have the military capability to wipe Iran off the face of the earth, does that mean they will do it? Most likely not but do they have the military capability to do it? Absolutely yes!! I mean all they need to do is drop a nuclear warhead on every Iranian city and Iran is gone. And secondly, I didn't say no harm will befall the US, I said it will be minor. What can Iran do to the US apart from the US losing some soldiers and military hardware? The fact is that The US will crush Iran in a matter of weeks and the battle won't even be close

If you read about the Vietnam war, you will know that it’s not that easy my brother. In the course of the war, close to 60,000 US soldiers died with more that 350,000 injured. At a point they realised that there is no way they can win the war so they RAN away. The effect of that war is still been felt in the US today.

Iran is a difficult case, they recently shot down a US drone recently, the US did nothing.

lukui:
women who wear provocative and semi nude clothes are directly or indirectly asking to be raped.
let's call a spade a spade

Jeez! How can someone be this stup.id? Wole Soyinka was right, this generation of Nigerians are a breed of ignorant senseless internet degenerates

All this long story for a RAPIST?

thesicilian:
A good woman stands with her husband through thick and thin, and rebukes him only in private when he errs.

Bill Cosby’s wife did more than that for 20 years. We all know where he ended. Na time.

Andhominem:
Baba may have tactfully absolved Pastor Biodun of rape...

Are you a comedian?

You lied!