A video went viral on social media in which Pastor Lamartine Posella, leader of the Palavra Viva Baptist Church in São Paulo, appears making a controversial comment about the storm that hit the coast of São Paulo during Carnival, leaving 44 dead so far, 49 missing and more than 2,496 thousand homeless.
For the religious leader, the climate tragedy would be the result of the action of “evil spirits” that would have been released with the realization of Carnival. “It was the biggest ever in Brazil,” he said, referring to the storm.
As for this information, in fact, the rains that hit São Paulo between the 18th and 19th were the highest recorded in 24 hours in the history of the country. The data are from the National Center for Monitoring and Natural Disaster Alerts (Cemaden) and the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), according to the G1.
“The Bible says that angels… they have power to affect nature. To move the winds; to make storms. The Bible says that even flaming fire. That means it wasn’t a normal storm,” continued Posella.
“It was a storm, in my opinion, that has the hands, literally, of evil spirits that came to express their hatred, their anger”, added the religious leader.
Afterwards, the pastor questioned the reason for the tragedy to occur precisely during the Carnival period, associating the festivities with the supposed action of the spirits that would have caused the storm in São Paulo.
“I have no doubt that portals are being opened,” he said. “Portals that give legality for these evil spirits to act. God, He often allows calamity, because He wants to get the attention of His people, and He also wants to give people the opportunity to repent of their sins. Dear ones, let’s pray for them.”
reactions
Most of Posella’s followers agreed with the pastor. Some recalled the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, where more than 40,000 people died, arguing that these facts were “signs” from God to humanity.
A follower also remembered the reports of spiritual revival at the University of Asbury, United States, and lamented the current situation in our country. “Turkey in tears! USA in prayer! Brazil at Carnival! Brazil country of discrepancy, this explains a lot!”, She wrote.
Known in theological circles for his liberal positions aligned with the political left, the theologian and activist Hermes Fernandes, on the other hand, criticized Posella, arguing that tragedies like that of São Sebastião are the result of the way humanity itself deals with nature.
That is, for Fernandes, the storm that hit São Paulo has nothing to do with demonic action. “How is it possible that in the 21st century, with all the scientific advances, someone with academic theological training still nurtures such a rudimentary animist belief[?]”, he questioned.
“That doesn’t fit in the gospel. The only one about whom the disciples exclaimed, ‘Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him,’ is Christ. Now, if He has power over natural phenomena, why doesn’t He prevent tragedies from occurring? The answer is relatively simple. God created the world and established laws that once broken bring consequences. I do not mean moral laws, but those that govern nature.” Watch: