David Farrier joined anti-5G Facebook groups after receiving online abuse for appearing in a pro-5G commercial.

He told The Project that memberships in these groups have swelled since the pandemic.

One of the larger groups has grown from 3,000 people before the crisis to 13,000 and climbing.

In a tweet Farrier said he had filed police reports about death threats against the prime minister he had seen in some of the Facebook groups.

"For them, this flat denial from the government just proved their theories correct.

This was a conspiracy that went right to the top.

And in the groups, they continued to cheer the arsonists on."

New Zealanders were already wary of 5G: A survey released in December found 46 per cent of people were worried the network could affect human health, according to Newsroom.

But since the coronavirus has become a pandemic and New Zealand went into a strict lockdown, conspiracy theories have become more popular.

The Prime Minister's chief science advisor, Juliet Gerrard, has launched a website aimed at correcting misapprehensions around 5G.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that coronavirus is in any way connected to 5G," it reads.

"It has all the ingredients for leading people to conspiracy theories," said Karen M. Douglas, a social psychologist who studies belief in conspiracies at the University of Kent.

Source

• nytimes.com
• newshub.co.nz
• twitter
• newsroom.co.nz
• nytimes.com
• rnz.co.nz
• Image: rnz.co.nz

NZpray2day is available for Android devices.

NCRS Director, Colin MacLeod, says NZpray2day is designed to support young and old in Catholic schools and parishes to enter simply into the richness of the ancient Christian cycle of seasons, saints and readings.

"It's not an exhaustive source of all information in these areas," MacLeod says.

"Rather, it takes ‘snapshots' and encourages people to seek a moment to reflect, pray and respond."

"It also brings in pieces of history to link this liturgical journey with aspects of the story of New Zealand and the wider world."

"We hope it will be an inviting and useful tool for individual, class and staff prayer in schools, and for whanau and parishioners throughout Aotearoa and abroad."

MacLeod says the project has been a major labour of love and "was deceptively complicated to create."

He says NZpray2day could be available on Apple's iOS platform by mid-year.

"Our simple hope is that NZpray2day helps people become more easily aware of the gentle cycle of days and months which link us to creation, the life of Jesus and the shared journey of the Church.

"It is a journey we walk together."

Source

Supplied: David McLoughlin
Communications Adviser, NZ Catholic Bishops
Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa

But not everyone takes heed. There are instances of ringtones, texting or even calls during being taken during liturgies.

Deacon Greg Kandra says his favourite moment involving a cell phone in church happened near the end of one Mass.

The priest was about to make an announcement about the second collection.

During a dramatic pause, someone's mobile phone went off, playing the "Mexican Hat Dance."

Without missing a beat, the priest quickly improvised: "How appropriate. Because now we're about to pass the hat…" read more