Fake News, Fake Prophets: Mis/Disinformation, Public Health, and the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Nigeria and Beyond: A Christian Narrative
There are several religious innovations in Africa that trace their origin back to plagues, influenzas, and flus, such as the Aladuras in Yoruba land in South Western Nigeria. But this has been understudied. This article seeks to examine the reactions of some Christian pastors to the outbreak of the...
| Subtitles: | Fake News, Fake Prophets: Misinformation, Disinformation, Public Health, and the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Nigeria and Beyond |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
The University of North Carolina Press
2022
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| In: |
Cross currents
Year: 2022, Volume: 72, Issue: 4, Pages: 355-367 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | There are several religious innovations in Africa that trace their origin back to plagues, influenzas, and flus, such as the Aladuras in Yoruba land in South Western Nigeria. But this has been understudied. This article seeks to examine the reactions of some Christian pastors to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. In the wake of the pandemic, the metanarrative among many pastors, prophets, and prophetesses, especially among the Pentecostal Churches, was discordant. But the most vocal and popular among these was that it was a sign of the apocalypse. This drew media attention as it was linked with the deployment of 5G cellular networks in some countries, including Nigeria. Others demurred, dismissing it as a mere health challenge. Because of their large followings, Pentecostal and charismatic churches became a source of concern for both governments and the general public, as they had the potential to either convey helpful information or weaponize mass media to spread conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation to deflect the global health challenge. The question is, how do religious groups react in the face of health challenges? What is the impact of their rhetoric on their members and wider society? What is the role of social media in this challenge? Does this challenge rekindle the old controversy between science and faith? Who is the most vulnerable to fake news and mis/disinformation in a global pandemic? As public intellectuals, how can scholars of religion react in this quagmire? Unarguably, the COVID-19 pandemic has inaugurated a new normal. These contestations are examined in this essay. |
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| ISSN: | 1939-3881 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Cross currents
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/cro.2022.0031 |