Christian pastor who thought COVID-19 is just 'mass hysteria' among the first in Virginia to die from virus

One of the first deaths in Virginia from coronavirus was a 66-year-old Christian "musical evangelist" who fell ill while on a trip to New Orleans with his wife. As the Friendly Atheist's Bo Gardiner points out, Landon Spradlin had previously shared opinions that the pandemic was the result of "mass hysteria" from the media.

On March 13, Spradlin shared a misleading meme that compared coronavirus deaths to swine flu deaths and suggested the media is using the pandemic to hurt Trump. In the comments, Spradlin acknowledged that the outbreak is a "real issue," but added that he believes "the media is pumping out fear and doing more harm than good"

"It will come and it will go," he wrote.

That same day, he shared a post from another pastor that told the story of a missionary in South Africa who "protected" himself from the bubonic plague with the "Spirit of God."

"As long as I walk in the light of that law [of the Spirit of life], no germ will attach itself to me," read a quote from the post.