Hulk Hogan sparks backlash for suggesting coronavirus is punishment from God: 'Maybe we don't need a vaccine'

Former WWE star asks social media followers if they can 'handle the truth'

Hulk Hogan says 'maybe we don't need a vaccine' for coronavirus (Getty)

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan is facing criticism after suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic is a punishment from God and “we don’t need a vaccine”.

On Monday, the WWE star shared his beliefs on Instagram, where he compared the pandemic to the “plagues of Egypt”.

“In three short months, just like He did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship,” Hogan wrote. “God said: ‘You want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians, I will shut down Civic Centres. You want to worship actors, I will shut down theatres.’”

According to the 66-year-old Hall of Famer, who has more than 1.5m followers on Instagram, God is also punishing those who “worship money” by shutting down the economy and collapsing the stock market, as well as those who don’t want to go to church.

“‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land,’” Hogan continued in the lengthy caption.

The retired wrestler, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, then suggested that “maybe we don’t need a vaccine” and that this time of “isolation” should instead be used for “personal revival” and to focus on Jesus.

“Maybe we don't need a vaccine, maybe we need to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where we focus on the ONLY thing in the world that really matters. Jesus,” Hogan concluded.

The post has divided Hogan’s fans on social media, where some praised the wrestling star while others expressed their disappointment and concern over the dangerous message.

“You just lost a fan today. I'm in a nursing home and have a high chance of getting this illness. In a county next door to us 26 people have tested positive for this illness and in my state of North Carolina 35 people have died so far. So hurt over this,” one person wrote.

Another said: “We definitely need a vaccine…”

This is not the first time Hogan has referenced religion while appearing to discuss the pandemic on social media. Last week, the former reality star shared a photo of a highlighted bible quote with the caption: “This is one of the most powerful gifts to our human race, it’s as powerful as it gets here on Earth, thank you God. Only love HH.”

According to the most recent figures, there have been 369,179 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, where the virus has killed more than 11,000 people.