Why is apostle guillermo maldonado fake

The melodramatic videos are an attempt to represent how the introduction of coronavirus vaccines could herald the biblical End Time. Some churches and Christian ministries with large online followings — as well as Christian influencers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube — are making false claims that vaccines contain fetal tissue or microchips, or are construing associations between vaccine ingredients and the devil.

The rapid spread of this material has triggered debate and concern among U. Christian leaders and experts who believe the religious movement against vaccines is growing, even as many leaders such as Pope Francis and Southern Baptist Convention policy leader Russell Moore are urging people to get shots. Both approved vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, passed rigorous federal safety reviews and were shown to be more than 94 percent effective at preventing disease.

Smith, who is Christian and married to a Baptist pastor, said her posts trying to disavow anti-vaccine sentiment have been met with hostile responses and threats. The prevalence of these baseless or distorted claims is yet another example of the way technology companies have failed to control the spread of harmful and problematic material on their platforms. Groups opposed to vaccines have long used social media to get out their message. But with the development of coronavirus vaccines and the pandemic shutdowns, the companies have enabled misinformation about vaccination and the virus itself to become much more widespread.

White evangelicals, along with Black Americans of different faiths, are some of the groups with the highest levels of vaccine skepticism in the United States. Just under a third of U. Other polls have found higher levels of vaccine skepticism among White evangelicals.

Some creators said they were not entirely certain that the material they were sharing was accurate or certain to become reality, but that it was important to raise questions — and to warn and potentially protect fellow citizens. The video was viewed over , times. Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram banned in December covid-related content associated with the mark of the beast, fetal tissue myths and misinformation connecting vaccine ingredients to the Antichrist as part of a broader ban on vaccine-related conspiracy theories.

Such material has become harder to find but is still available, according to a Washington Post review using the Facebook-owned analytics tool CrowdTangle.

Regions Tampa St. Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter. Investigations Narratives Pulitzer Winners. Connect with us. About us. Obituaries Homes Jobs Classifieds. Careers Advertise Legal Contact. Log in. Account Manage my subscription Activate my subscription Log out. By Miami Herald. Published Dec. The pastor, who hosted President Donald Trump for a rally in January where the campaign launched an "Evangelicals for Trump" coalition , also referenced a "New World Order" conspiracy theory , warning parishioners about a "satanic global agenda.

King Jesus International Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment and further context on his statements. Since the pandemic began, misinformation has spread online about COVID , with some people saying it was a "hoax" and even making false claims about vaccines containing microchips.

The US is getting closer and closer to having a vaccine available to the public, and health experts have said a vaccination could be essential in stopping the spread of COVID More than 15 million people in the US have been infected with the virus since the pandemic began, and more than , people have died from the disease. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. For reprint rights.

Times Syndication Service.