It is just another epidemic that will kill many people until it stops. If we look at the 1918 influenza pandemic, we can see that about one-third of the world's population (500 million) became infected while the number of deaths worldwide were estimated to be 50 million. This information comes from CDC. Show him evidence in numbers and express to him that it will be okay. Here is a link you can use to show him that there will be no horsemen of the apocalypse. [cdc.gov] Nonetheless, do what you have to do to stay safe.

Confirmation bias on his part obviously, but an especially poor quality at that. The Corona Virus is a pretty minor event compared to, say, the Spanish Flu of 1918, which in turn was very tame compared to the End of Days. Some people are just rooting for the world to burn so Jesus will come and rescue them from it, I guess.

a root problem Beth is that you have to live in a closet with your own beliefs...wow...think of that. Since I was a kid, I have seen that people who fear life...fear death...are the ones most believing in Religion. They are either incapable or unwilling to search or accept any alternate explanation for the basics of our reality. Another sad fact is that as a youngster in a Catholic School...I read the Bible thru and thru...found many beautiful parts....love, forgiveness, helping the poor and other concepts yet, most today, seem to only see the barbaric, the evil side of humanity...so many phony Christians actually believe Trump is the 'Chosen one,' imagine that but no surprise...irrationality of the simplest form...so where does that leave us? the ones trying to understanding the failure of following religion? After this past week I see the need to organize and win in November, critically important as things might start getting pretty scary in this nation oif we lose. no longer a Dem VS GOP issue...it is rationality versus fear...democracy versus authoritarianism...reason versus religious control...never thought we would come to this...but...

Pestilence - granted any epidemic can look like that to a Christian.

Probably the four horseman are part of a mushroom induced narrative which reflected the internal world of a paranoid schizotypyl Christian.

Fantastic writing and a marvellous cautionary tale.

It could also have been pink bunnies and unicorns if their mood had been better!

SOS
SOS
and.....
SOS

I remember the same conclusions in the 70's growing up in southern baptist country. My mom would listen to and read crap non-stop about this dude being the anti-christ or that event signaling the end times. Then we had group after group after group waiting for the earth to end. It's ALL a sign of the complete ignorance christians support when they press a literal interpretation of their buy-bull.

Religion is just a tool. It's a method to instill social rules for a smoother-running community. Like all tools some are better than others. Some are of higher quality while others are more fitting to very specific cultures. It pays to make them malleable. Literal interpretations are too constrictive.

Nope regular occurrence

The societal phenomenon that scares me is that some religious people really want the apocalypse to happen ... total destruction as if there could not be any hope for humanity. It frightens me that people can believe that in a fanatical, suicidal, homicidal way. How did you feel about that possibility while growing up?

Except the same thing has been happening for 2000 years. The plague in medieval Europe was a big one.

The people turned on the clerics as nothing was improving because their job was to pray things better and no sign of a messiah.

Hopefully the same will happen this time!

No doubt people said the same thing about the Spanish flu.

When people are frightened it is common for them to stop thinking clearly.