Darwin Award Nominee Pastor Rick Wiles Apparently Has COVID After Refusing Vaccines He Called 'Global Genocide'

[rum dick]

Conservative pastor Rick Wiles has apparently fallen ill with COVID-19 after condemning the vaccines that fight the disease, baselessly claiming they're being used to carry out a "global genocide."


Wiles—the founder of the conspiracy-promoting TruNews website and the senior pastor of Flowing Streams Church in Florida—asserted on this show in late April that he would not get vaccinated against COVID-19 and would survive the "global genocide."

"I am not going to be vaccinated," he said. "I'm going to be one of the survivors. I'm going to survive the genocide.

He added, "You and I are witnessing the first global mass murder and it's being led by Satan's team on the planet. You must survive it. Do not be vaccinated."

Then this week, TruNews, in a post to its official Gab account, noted that there was a COVID-19 outbreak at Wiles' church and asked for prayers.

"Flowing Streams is experiencing a sudden cluster of flu and Covid among some employees and their relatives. Rick Wiles made the decision tonight to close the offices and studios until a TBA date next week," the Gab post explained. "Our team needs to tend to sick family members. Please pray for your TruNews team."


“I am not going to be vaccinated. I’m going to be one of the survivors. I’m going to survive the genocide.” https://t.co/Q5dkpkRqbM pic.twitter.com/3FCHUAJ4i0

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) May 29, 2021
On Saturday, TruNews made a follow-up post, urging supporters to pray specifically for Wiles. "URGENT REQUEST - please be praying for Rick Wiles right now," the organization wrote. "Please repost so that there's an army of people praying."

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A Saturday email to supporters of Wiles was sent out by Flowing Streams Vice President Raymond Burkhart. In that message, Burkhart said Wiles had been transported to the hospital.


"Rick is very much in need of your continued prayers. Today, he was taken to the emergency room, and under medical advice, was admitted to the hospital. He is currently on oxygen and is expected to remain there for a number of days," he wrote.

In a previous Friday note to supporters first reported by RightWingWatch, Wiles' organization asked for prayer and said that the pastor was "very weak." It explained that Wiles' fever had subsided and that he did not have any "respiratory issues." But it said that there was concern over how fatigued he continued to feel. The letter included a prayer for supporters to repeat.


Polling has shown that conservative white evangelical Christians are one of the groups most likely to be skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines. A mid-February survey conducted by Pew Research showed that about 45 percent of white evangelicals said they "definitely" or "probably" will not get vaccinated against the virus.

While some Christian leaders—like Wiles—have promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccines, others have called on their followers to get vaccinated. Evangelical Christian leader Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and humanitarian aid organization Samaritan's Purse, has repeatedly urged people to get the shots.

"I thank God for the vaccine," Graham told CNN earlier this month.

https://www.newsweek.com

[gut]

Never cross the streams.

[Walter Sobchak]

Wiles—the founder of the conspiracy-promoting TruNews website and the senior pastor of Flowing Streams Church in Florida

...

45 percent of white evangelicals said they "definitely" or "probably" will not get vaccinated against the virus.

Story checks out.

I love anti-vaxxers. Will result in fewer Republicans.

[splitthis]

It is his choice.

[rum dick]

It is his choice.

Yep and it's tragically hilarious. Dumb gonna dumb.

[rum dick]

Wiles—the founder of the conspiracy-promoting TruNews website and the senior pastor of Flowing Streams Church in Florida

...

45 percent of white evangelicals said they "definitely" or "probably" will not get vaccinated against the virus.

Story checks out.

I love anti-vaxxers. Will result in fewer Republicans.

Imagine following someone like Rand Paul's life advice. Comical.

[Pablo]

Thoughts and prayers.

[MumblesBadly]

So, God DOES answer prayers?!!!

[Dan Druff]

Yeah some of these Christian fanatcis are pretty dumb regarding the vaccine.

I'm having a hard time finding a lot of stories in Newsweek or anywhere else about minority communities being very resistant to the vaccine. I wonder why that is...

[gut]

Yeah some of these Christian fanatcis are pretty dumb regarding the vaccine.

I'm having a hard time finding a lot of stories in Newsweek or anywhere else about minority communities being very resistant to the vaccine. I wonder why that is...

As Gavin Newsom would say, they just dont have access to vaccines, just like they dont have access to bank accounts and ID cards.

[Dan Druff]

Honestly Biden fucked up the vaccine messaging badly.

In order to push through their massive spending bills, they had to make COVID look like a continued crisis, and thus had to put forth the messaging that we'd be masking and distancing for a very long time. This left a lot of people on the fence asking themselves, "Why bother?" regarding getting it.

After the extreme pressure to change course, the CDC did the about-face in mid-May regarding their masking recommendations, and all of a sudden there was renewed interest in getting the vaccine.

Of course, the right had plenty of a hand in vaccine hesitancy, but Biden did the situation no favors.

The vaccine hesitancy comes from five places:

1) Young people who figure they don't need it

2) Minorities who are distrusting of it

3) Right wingers who are distrusting of it

4) On-the-fence people convinced by Democrats/media that not much changes for you if you get it, so why bother?

5) People misled by Dems/media into believing that masking and distancing keeps you safe, so you can just do that in place of the vaccine

Anecdotally, I know people in all five groups.

Group #5 is arguably the most tilting, because these are people who want to be responsible, but have been misled by the media for a year that masking/distancing is the gold standard of safety, and they really believe that they can stay safe while waiting awhile to see if the vaccine is safe. "I am still scared of the vaccine, but I wear a mask, sanitize my hands, and keep 6 feet away when I go out, so I'm not going to catch COVID!"

[Dan Druff]

The entire developed world: "Get the vaccine! Return to your life again! It will feel great!"

Biden/Fauci/CDC: "We can't let our guard down! We need to keep masking, even if vaccinated. If you get together with other vaccinated people, wear a mask, and make sure it's not a large group! Don't travel, even if vaccinated, because you might transmit it elsewhere! We need to keep masking for the remainder of 2021!"

[rum dick]

Biden would have a much easier job if the former idiot in chief would just to a psa supporting vaccinations. It would save lives and help trumps legacy. But then again Trump is the moron who coulda easily won re-election if he just acted remotely intelligent about covid and didn’t have such a disdain for masks. And maybe didn’t push injecting bleach and snorting hydroxyshit

[Dan Druff]

Fauci is an out-of-touch old putz who needs to retire. We shouldn't have had an 80-year-old man leading the COVID prevention effort. I don't care what he's done in the past. The dude is 80 and clearly didn't have his finger on the pulse of what was going on. It also became clear very early that he was more interested in being a star than doing his job.

If this recent revelation (which to me isn't so much of a revelation) gets him pushed out, then the country is better off.

Bring on younger doctors who are actually interested in science, and not attention.

[Dan Druff]

Biden would have a much easier job if the former idiot in chief would just to a psa supporting vaccinations. It would save lives and help trumps legacy. But then again Trump is the moron who coulda easily won re-election if he just acted remotely intelligent about covid and didn’t have such a disdain for masks. And maybe didn’t push injecting bleach and snorting hydroxyshit

I actually agree with most of this.

However, Trump actually was correct to have a disdain for masks. The left/media's obsession with masks killed a lot of people, bringing a false sense of security to those who otherwise would have been more cautious when going out. If cloth masks were mostly ineffective in preventing COVID (which it seems like they were), then the advice to wear them was harmful, not helpful. DUCY?

I realize Trump took this position not because of science, but because he was trying to pacify his anti-masker followers, but you can't blame him for our COVID results in this respect.

Evem wonder why blue states didn't do better than red states with COVID -- even if you look county-by-county -- if it was only the right being irresponsible?

Also, Biden's mistakes are Biden's mistakes. He's giving the wrong advice because of politics, not because of Trump fucking him beforehand.

[rum dick]

The entire developed world: "Get the vaccine! Return to your life again! It will feel great!"

Biden/Fauci/CDC: "We can't let our guard down! We need to keep masking, even if vaccinated. If you get together with other vaccinated people, wear a mask, and make sure it's not a large group! Don't travel, even if vaccinated, because you might transmit it elsewhere! We need to keep masking for the remainder of 2021!"

Dunno about your secret location but life is pretty much returned to normal where I live. Maybe you could take a deep breath when you feel outrage about to come on, count 10 and it’ll go away?

[rum dick]

Biden would have a much easier job if the former idiot in chief would just to a psa supporting vaccinations. It would save lives and help trumps legacy. But then again Trump is the moron who coulda easily won re-election if he just acted remotely intelligent about covid and didn’t have such a disdain for masks. And maybe didn’t push injecting bleach and snorting hydroxyshit

I actually agree with most of this.

However, Trump actually was correct to have a disdain for masks. The left/media's obsession with masks killed a lot of people, bringing a false sense of security to those who otherwise would have been more cautious when going out. If cloth masks were mostly ineffective in preventing COVID (which it seems like they were), then the advice to wear them was harmful, not helpful. DUCY?

I realize Trump took this position not because of science, but because he was trying to pacify his anti-masker followers, but you can't blame him for our COVID results in this respect.

Evem wonder why blue states didn't do better than red states with COVID -- even if you look county-by-county -- if it was only the right being irresponsible?

Also, Biden's mistakes are Biden's mistakes. He's giving the wrong advice because of politics, not because of Trump fucking him beforehand.

I’ll never understand why people didn’t and still don’t comprehend the point of wearing masks. It’s befuddling. But you are correct about the false sense of security.

[Dan Druff]

The entire developed world: "Get the vaccine! Return to your life again! It will feel great!"

Biden/Fauci/CDC: "We can't let our guard down! We need to keep masking, even if vaccinated. If you get together with other vaccinated people, wear a mask, and make sure it's not a large group! Don't travel, even if vaccinated, because you might transmit it elsewhere! We need to keep masking for the remainder of 2021!"

Dunno about your secret location but life is pretty much returned to normal where I live. Maybe you could take a deep breath when you feel outrage about to come on, count 10 and it’ll go away?

California still has a lot of mandated restrictions until June 15, despite the CDC guidance against these restrictions coming a month earlier than that.

Not sure what you consider "normal", though. I can't even go to a freakin' Dodgers game without paying 100000000x the normal prices because there are so few seats of two being sold (due to both COVID capacity reductions and the restriction of not allowing a group of 4 seats to be split).

[gimmick]

Dunno about your secret location but life is pretty much returned to normal where I live. Maybe you could take a deep breath when you feel outrage about to come on, count 10 and it’ll go away?

California still has a lot of mandated restrictions until June 15, despite the CDC guidance against these restrictions coming a month earlier than that.

Not sure what you consider "normal", though. I can't even go to a freakin' Dodgers game without paying 100000000x the normal prices because there are so few seats of two being sold (due to both COVID capacity reductions and the restriction of not allowing a group of 4 seats to be split).

Maybe work towards trying to fit in one seat.

Also, "Gandolfini dying unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 51 kinda freaks me out because I'm close to that age, and unlike other celebrities who die young, it doesn't appear his death was a result of reckless living...



...Detective Druff on another mystery case.

[limitles]

California still has a lot of mandated restrictions until June 15, despite the CDC guidance against these restrictions coming a month earlier than that.

Not sure what you consider "normal", though. I can't even go to a freakin' Dodgers game without paying 100000000x the normal prices because there are so few seats of two being sold (due to both COVID capacity reductions and the restriction of not allowing a group of 4 seats to be split).

Maybe work towards trying to fit in one seat.

Also, "Gandolfini dying unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 51 kinda freaks me out because I'm close to that age, and unlike other celebrities who die young, it doesn't appear his death was a result of reckless living...



...Detective Druff on another mystery case.