4 ms·
This is quite a gamble from what I can gather. If the infected congregation of 500 hopes to seek medical attention, they will not find it. Central has no hosp
by nimbius 7y ago
This is quite a gamble from what I can gather. If the infected congregation of 500 hopes to seek medical attention, they will not find it. Central has no hospitals, however Baton Rouge (the next nearest city) has a few. Tony is hoping that if his cavalier defiance of what he perceives to be a political agenda pays off, he will be able to avoid what his congregants have not: unemployment. He is rolling the dice to get blood from a stone.
Tony's gamble is dangerous and calculated, as is evidenced by his strategic use of busses to block media coverage. If a massive outbreak in Central occurs, his congregation will not be forgotten. People will remember Tony and his flock long after the federal governments attempts to "flatten the curve." They will remember flooded hospitals and associate any decline in regional medical care with him and his attendees. Whats worse, Tonys name will be on the lips and hearts of anyone in or around Baton Rouge who cannot get care, or who has watcehd a loved one perish to this disease.
At worst, Attendees will be shunned from employment, outed on social media, and ostracized from their community. Tonys quick attempt to turn some cash in a recession will ultimately send him out of the city on a rail as other faith based communities out him as nothing more than a huckster, not a leader. Tony might even see a few civil suits for his efforts.
Then there are the people who lose family, parents, or children. They wont think twice about torching the busses he hid behind. he'll stay in their memory long after the collection plate is passed this sunday.
- ctdonath 7y agoA congregation of 500 is not a “megachurch”, >10,000 is.
- threatofrain 7y ago550 attending in a single session is pretty big, and the week before was double. Over 10,000 in a single sitting is a high bar to set.
- true_religion 7y ago550 isn’t a lot. My elementary school had more than that many children in it. And we were a Catholic school, and thus all attended the same church with our parents boosting the numbers way higher than that. To put it lightly there are McDonalds restaurants with a higher capacity than 550.
- ctdonath 7y agoHence “MEGA church”. There are several in the Atlanta area. One is actually 12 campuses, seating ~2,500 each, typically with a live pastor at one being telecast to the others on life-size projections (effect of virtual presence is pretty convincing). Others hold thousands at one sitting with multiple services. 550 is “normal” in comparison.