If shouting and wishful thinking could cure the coronavirus pandemic, the United States wouldn’t be having a problem right now.
Nevertheless, some of America’s most outspoken preachers has been churning out divinely inspired viral moments during the COVID-19 crisis, touting faith over facts in the lead-up to Easter.
They’ve also touched off fierce debate over individual religious freedom versus the public good amidst the crisis. U.S. President Donald Trump seemingly fanned the flames of such attitudes early on, when he offered vague and optimistic hopes of the virus simply vanishing from the United States. “One day — it’s like a miracle — it’ll disappear,” he said at a televised cabinet meeting on Feb.