Liberia’s men of God predicted Ebola death toll as God’s punishment for gays

As far back as July, religious and spiritual leaders meeting in Monrovia predicted that the Ebola crisis would only worsen if affected nations didn’t take immediate steps to stave off what they concluded was a punishment from God for homosexuality.

So they implemented a national prayer and fasting program — and now the numbers of Ebola cases in Liberia are on the decline, the World Health Organization reported.

The Liberian Observer reported months ago that more than 100 bishops, pastors, deemed prophets, evangelists and ministers under the Liberia Council of Churches convened in Monrovia and concluded: God sent Ebola into Liberia because of the sins of the nation.

Then, the men of God signed a resolution that found: “God is angry with Liberia and that Ebola is a plague,” the Liberia Observer reported. They concluded: “Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness,” the resolution states, the Liberia Observer reported.

The resolution called on the government of Liberia to “be locked up for three days of fast and prayer,” the news outlet reported.

So did the resolution work?

The United Nation’s World Health Organization has reported that the virus has left at least 4,922 dead in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — with more than half the deaths in Liberia. Just this month, in fact, Liberia declared a shortage of body bags, CNN reported.

But at the same time, the WHO reported Thursday that the number of deaths in Liberia due to Ebola are on the decline. Medical experts cautioned against an overabundance of optimism.

“The danger now is that we move, instead of a steady downward trend that gets us down to zero, that we end up with a oscillating pattern where the disease starts going up and down and areas start getting re-infected,” said Bruce Aylward, an assistant director-general at WHO, CNN reported. “What gets the heat out of this thing and slows it down isn’t necessarily what is going to get us to zero.”

WHO reported the numbers have been declining for about a week, but not in Sierra Leone or Guinea.