Religious Lunacy is Going to Kill People

FYI, I believe God heals and protects people from disease.
I don't believe we get to choose when He does so.
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‘They have the blessings of God’

 Modi party official says those who offer ritual prayers won’t get infected with coronavirus

FILE PHOTOS: (L) Medics wearing protective gear examine a patient at a hospital in Kozhikode in the

southern state of Kerala, India; (R) Hindu women hold offerings during the religious festival of Chhath Puja,

in Ahmedabad, India. © Reuters / Stringer; Reuters / Amit Dave

A president of India’s ruling BJP party in the state of West Bengal has said that people who turn out for prayer during mass events are immune to the coronavirus, as they enjoy the protection of higher forces.

Dilip Ghosh, president of West Bengal’s branch of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared to brush off mounting concerns over the novel coronavirus after he took part in a Hindu prayer ritual known as “puja” in the city of Egra on Tuesday.

Look what is happening here... Thousands of people have come out to offer puja.

They are drinking water and using the same hands to have the Prasad

[food offered to a Hindu deity, consumed by worshipers]...

Nothing will happen, they have the blessings of the almighty.

Ghosh has dismissed the measures put in place to stop the outbreak around the globe, such as lockdowns and other restrictions of movement, arguing the traditional way of life in India would be incompatible with such policies.

“Mothers and sisters traveled a long distance after fasting to offer puja,” he said. “This is our culture and we see it everywhere in India. This is the identity of our country and we are progressing like this.”

The regional party chief also lamented the atmosphere of fear that has engulfed entire nations, arguing that waiting out the latest health scare in self-isolation is not befitting of people whose forefathers conquered space travel.

The entire world is scared of the coronavirus and millions are staying at home. Those who have conquered the whole world, reached the moon... they are scared of coming out of their homes.

So far, 50 cases of COVID-19 – a flu-like virus particularly menacing for the elderly and people with preexisting medical conditions – have been reported on Indian soil. That includes 34 Indians and 16 Italians – hailing from the Mediterranean nation that has emerged as an unlikely viral hotbed in Europe.

No deaths have resulted from the disease in India. In a bid to shield the public from the global outbreak, New Delhi rolled out a new spate of travel restrictions on Tuesday, barring entry to nationals from France, Germany and Spain, having suspended visas issued to the residents of China, South Korea, Iran, Japan and Italy earlier.

OMGoodness! If COVID19 takes hold in India, lookout! Worshiping of false gods will not help! The only good news here is that there are very few infected people in India, but such festivals in the next several weeks could be disastrous.

Pope tells priests in live-streamed Mass

to go out and meet coronavirus patients

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He live-streamed the mass rather than deliver his sermon

from an open window onto St Peter's Square

By Yaron Steinbuch

St. Peter's Square, Vatican City

In a livestreamed Mass, Pope Francis on Tuesday urged Catholic priests to summon the courage to visit people sickened by the coronavirus amid Italy’s national lock-down due to the deadly illness.

“Let us pray to the Lord also for our priests, that they may have the courage to go out and go to the sick people bringing the strength of God’s word and the Eucharist and accompany the health workers and volunteers in this work that they are doing,” said the pontiff, who was alone at the Casa Santa Marta chapel in Vatican City.

Meanwhile, St. Peter’s Square was almost empty Tuesday with only a few dozen people strolling around, most of them without masks.

The Italian government on Monday extended restrictions on movement from the hard-hit northern regions to the rest of the country — affecting all 60 million inhabitants.

The restrictions, which involved checkpoints on roads and at railroad stations, are set to remain in place until April 3 in efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed over 460 lives in the country. 

UPDATE: 827 as of Wednesday, March 11th.

More than 9,000 people have been diagnosed with the illness in Italy as of Tuesday.

More than 12,000 as of Wednesday!

The Vatican, a walled city-state in the heart of Rome, is respecting the lock-down and has imposed restrictions on movement and contact among personnel.

One person inside Vatican City has tested positive for the virus and five people who came into contact with that individual are under precautionary quarantine.

UK to Launch ‘Contest 3.0’ Counter-Terrorism Strategy After Spate of Attacks

The New Normal - Great Britain

Intelligence services have thwarted eight attacks since March, it is claimed

© Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP

British security experts say eight attacks have been thwarted since Khalid Masood killed five and injured more than 50 in the Westminster Bridge attack. Security Minister Ben Wallace said 21 plots have been foiled since 2013, eight of them since last March.

“Nearly 600 investigative leads are ongoing, covering about 3,000 people and approximately another 20,000 people who we have at some stage had concern about,” he told the Westminster Counter-terrorism Conference, hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

“It is not a spike in the threat, but a shift that we are now facing, and that is something we all have to deal with.”

'It is not a spike in the threat?' By my count, 21 threats in more than 4 years is about 5 threats per year. 8 threats since March is more than twice that rate. How is that not a spike?

Islamic State currently poses the greatest threat to the UK, he said, although he warned that Al-Qaeda and radical right-wing organizations also represent an ongoing danger.

Military successes against IS in Iraq and Syria make the threat more – not less – real, he said, urging Britons to remain on their guard. “Some of these threats are here to stay for a considerable time. We are going to launch the government’s new counter-terrorism strategy in the New Year, building on what we’ve learned… and keep one step ahead of the terrorists.” The strategy is called “Contest 3.0.”

Alistair Burt, the minister for the Middle East, was also on the panel. “There is no doubt that the threat to us all continues to grow,” he said.

“Even as we see ISIS pushed back on the physical battlefield, we know that they will continue to pose a threat in the region. We also know that the battle of ideas is far from won. ISIS is still capable of inspiring people to carry out attacks in its name and as such it remains a serious global threat.”

Jihadists were sent fleeing into the desert when the so-called caliphate fell and the de-facto capital for IS, Raqqa, was lost to Western-backed troops just months ago. IS supporters across the world are attempting to continue radicalizing people online, while hiding out in countries including Egypt and the Philippines.

EU Counterterrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove claimed it is now “easier than before” for a lone attacker to plan a strike. He said deadly weapons had become “miniaturized” and war tech like drones is more easily available.

Patrick McGuinness, the UK’s deputy national security adviser, said: “The frontline [against IS] is now online.”

Half of the 850 people who travelled from the UK to fight with IS have returned to Britain, it is believed.yy

How absurd that they don't actually know the precise number, the names, and the whereabouts of every one of them. These are criminals, or should be. If it isn't against the law to support radical Islam, it ought to be. IS, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Al-Nusra, Boko Haram, etc., etc., supporters should either be deported or locked up until they are no longer supporters. It's that simple! Allowing these lunatics to run around free until they are caught in a conspiracy, or until they commit a terrorist act, is just insane.