Pastor Freddy Naranjo of Tabernacle of Praise Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, says he will not be leaving the area in anticipation of Hurricane Harvey.

Because he has complete faith that God will intervene.

Pastor Freddy Naranjo, at Tabernacle of Praise Church, explains why he and his family will remain in town for the storm. #stxwx #Harvey pic.twitter.com/hg4Emw4Ojk — Kirsten Crow (@CallerCrow) August 25, 2017

We’ve faced some tougher and harder winds in the past… I was raised here in town and we’ve seen the worst… when other hurricanes come in. I think, again, we’re just praying and believing that it’ll slow down or something miraculous will take place… I think a lot of times there’s fear that comes in on people’s lives… I believe many times we move by fear instead of believing God can do something supernatural.

Christ, this man’s going to get people killed. Prayer didn’t stop Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy. And even if Hurricane Harvey dissipates, it’s not because God’s doing anyone a favor. The wise thing to do is brace for the worst and hope for the best. That means getting out of the hurricane’s way.

What’s scary is that the hurricane is expected to make landfall right where Naranjo lives.

In Corpus Christi, where Harvey could make landfall and Mayor Joe McComb has issued a voluntary evacuation order, Walmart shelves were clearing quickly, as the city canceled Friday’s dockets in city court and provided self-serve sandbags to residents.

Science accurately predicted the eclipse we saw this week centuries ago. A clip that went viral this week showed a newscaster from 1979 talking about how that day was the last total solar eclipse we’d see in North America until August 21, 2017.

Science has a good track record is all I’m saying. While hurricanes aren’t predictable in the same way, you would think this week would’ve shown some people the wisdom of listening to scientists.

Ignoring warnings from people who know what they’re talking about because you foolishly think Jesus will save you is awful advice and another example of how religious can harm you. (There’s a classic joke about this very kind of irrational thinking.) Hell, you don’t even have to abandon your faith to take meteorologists seriously. You can just say God sent the warning, so you’re getting the hell out of town.

Let’s just hope this pastor doesn’t have a congregation that takes him seriously.

