Researchers trying to investigate the origin of the present coronavirus epidemic have sought to study the site in Wuhan, China, for the purpose of halting future epidemics. China, however, has made that impossible. They have demolished what is claimed to be ground zero for the deadly disease.
Months after being shuttered following an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus, the Wuhan market was recently torn down. The Chinese communist government is claiming the location was ground zero for the deadly outbreak now spreading across Planet Earth.
Meat from exotic animals is suspected to have been contaminated by the virus, which made the jump to humans in the unsanitary conditions of the market. After infecting market patrons, the speed and ease of modern transportation guaranteed the disease would soon begin popping up all over the world.
Some doubt that this is what really happened. Arkansas senator Tom Cotton has hinted at a “super laboratory” in Wuhan—meaning a high-security bio-lab in the city—as a possible point of origin for the contagious disease. According to Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Russia doesn’t seem to be buying China’s story either. “American officials have noted the existence of networks of thousands of social media accounts, many reportedly Kremlin-tied with identical posts, publishing messages claiming that the virus is meant to wage economic war on China and propagate anti-China messages.”
Iran isn’t totally convinced of the official Chinese story either, but rather is claiming that the virus is the result of biological warfare. Gholam Reza Ja-LA-li, head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization, told Fars News Agency that the virus’ effects and the panicked media coverage means it could be a “biological attack” meant to destabilize the economies of Iran and China. Even the White House has requested an investigation into the origins of the killer virus. Unfortunately, any investigation into where the deadly illness allegedly began will be massively hindered by the fact that the building is no longer standing.
For China, which has been the center of criticism over censorship and underreported virus numbers, the destruction of the Wuhan market is not an assuring sign.
Vice President Mike Pence met with the president’s coronavirus task force recently—and received a new round of criticisms this week from some on the political left after the White House released a picture of the vice president praying with the coronavirus task force in his West Wing office. After the task force prayer photo began circulating on social media, it didn’t take long for some on the political left to mock the prayer or take offense at it.
One writer who writes for the “Friendly Atheist” blog stated: “It’s not a joke when people say the Republicans are trying to stop a virus with prayer.” The blogger then asked: “Science? Reason? Something sensible? Of course not. If this virus truly becomes a pandemic, we are at the mercy of people delusional enough to think their pleas to God will fix the problem. The same God who presumably created the virus, at least in their minds, will somehow make sure it hurts only a handful of Americans … and a ton of Chinese people.”
Evidently this “friendly atheist” thinks those who pray are out of their minds. But people who pray also believe in working and doing what is necessary to deal with a problem. The friendly atheist likes to mock a straw tiger—a sure sign of a feeble argument.
The friendly atheist also thinks that Americans only want to protect Americans but not “a ton of Chinese people.” So atheists have concluded that we are mean and hateful. There are a number of praying people in ministries that provide free medical care and relief, such as Samaritan’s Purse, who are praying people with a heart.
Cathy Young, a contributing writer for the libertarian magazine Reason, pushed back against liberals who object to the prayer. Young suggested some critics might be holding a double standard. “Yea, I am sure that if they held a Muslim pray session you people would be totally cool with that,” she wrote.
