Religion

Choose ONE of the following topics and write an essay between 1000-1200 words long.
Examine the response of a particular religion to the coronavirus crisis. It should be a religion that is familiar to you, either your own, or closely related. You should discuss, if possible, the official response by global/national leaders of the religion, and popular/local responses by individuals and communities. I am christian so I need this essay on christianity or any religion related to that.

Your essay must include the following information:

Give the full name of the religion (Buddhism, Christianity, mostly christianity) and what branch of that religion (i.e. Orthodox, Baptist, Soto Zen, etc.), and the geographic location or locations mentioned in your sources.
Locate, and give the full web link to at least 3 reliable news sources that discuss the response of this religion to the coronavirus. For newspaper/news articles or videos, examples include CNN, The New York Post, Al Jazeera, BBC News, Time. You may also use web pages or articles written by the leadership of the religion or the place of worship, i.e. statements by bishops, imams, pastors, rabbis, or statements from the web page of the place of worship you’re discussing. Social media posts by private individuals stating their own opinions or responses online do not count as sources, they must be institutional or journalistic!
Has the global/national religious leadership given a public statement responding to the virus? What is the main point or points of this statement, and what religious teachings or values does the statement refer to in support of its points? Is their statement complying with the orders and advice of government and health officials, or rejecting it? Why or why not? Give the web link to the statement.
What has been the reaction from members of this religion? Have they agreed with/followed the directions of their leadership, or disagreed? Do they give reasons for their response? Are they complying with government and health requirements or not?
Describe in detail any physical changes in services of worship. Has the religion stopped live services of worship? Is it practicing social distancing in places of worship? Are members of the religion engaged in any volunteer or charitable work to help victims of the coronavirus and its economic/social effects?
If you examine the response of a specific place of worship, please answer the following. Is the place of worship part of a larger religious institution, or is it independent? Give the full web address of the place, and the web link for any online pictures/videos/live feeds that you saw.
You should not describe or explain the religion’s beliefs, practices, or doctrines in general, just what it is doing differently, or how it is responding to the epidemic.

ANSWER

Religion

Reaction from Christian church members and the adherence to COVID-19 directives

Introduction

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected the religious sector extensively. It adjusted interactions and association across various Christian-based settings. In a bid to prevent the increased spread of the disease in the Church setting, religious leaders have temporarily closed churches. This has been welcome both negatively and positively by the followers. Those supporting the move understand the dire situation at hand that calls for behavior change. However, the reluctant members are concerned about the right to practice their religion freely, especially during these demanding times. Even though they disagree, they have followed the directives. Notably, they have adhered to the rules and regulations put in place by the government and healthcare agencies to curtail its spread. Coronavirus guidelines set in place by the government in conjunction with healthcare institutions have been welcomed and practices by Christian believers amidst positive and negative attitudes about halt church operations temporarily.

Christian’s reaction to Coronavirus

Coronavirus caught everyone by surprise and continues to spread at an alarming rate, causing havoc and panic globally. Christians exist as one of the groups that took a strategic move to avoid further spread. Staying at home has been the call that Christians continue to make in a bid to protect themselves and others against the disease. Keeping distance is a practice that Christians have adopted during this pandemic. They believe that everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves and others, and staying at home is a recommendation that has been largely incorporated in the Christian religious domain. As Esau (2020) states, Christian churches have closed their doors for believers. For example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stopped its services globally to curtail the spread of the illness. Initially, a section of Christian-based Churches had failed to align with the healthcare directives of social distancing. Members continued to attend services as usual, overlooking the potential spread of the disease. For example, in South Korea, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, located in Daegu, has insisted on in person-meetings, banned health masks, and prayed while touching hands (Wildman et al., 2020). This lead to the increased spread of the disease. However, 27% of these believers distanced themselves from the Church (Wildman et al., 2020). The exposure enabled them to make viable and autonomous decisions. Today, Christian members have headed to the call to observe social distancing. However, some of the members have been concerned that this affects their right to free practice.

The stay at home directive has received rejection by some Christian church members who have argued that this is an extreme measure. In California, Christina members have argued that the governmental constitutional power to shut down religious institutions is an extreme measure that tampers their right and freedom of worship (Wilson et al., 2020). This emerged from the decision made by the church leaders to close the churches until further notice temporarily. For most Christian believers, the concept of not gathering as God’s people is unacceptable (Burke, 2020). They love gathering in person, and the stay at home directive means that they can no longer fulfill their spiritual needs. Overall, the order to have churches closed temporarily as authorities strive to find a viable solution is to protect and save lives. This has attracted both positive and negative reactions from the believers. While others are cautious and keen about their health and thus support this idea, a segment of the Christian domain has raised concern over denying their right to free practices of their religion. Amidst these variations, Christians are adhering to the governmental and health requirements.

Christian believers have adjusted their actions and behavior to meet the government and healthcare requirements as far as COVID-19 is concerned. Some of the strategies they adopt include self-isolation, social distancing, and the wearing of masks. A study by Bodas and Peleg (2020) on an Israel Christian population shows that they have adopted the self-isolation perspective to protect others from acquiring this disease. This disease is spreading rapidly and has caused panic globally. Thus, Christians have relied on the developed regulations to protect themselves and other people around them. A study on North American churches shows that Christians are social distancing to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Also, online communions is a strategic change that has been developed in these churches to protect lives. In conjunction with healthcare stakeholders, the government is committed to addressing this pandemic with the development and implementation of directives. Everyone is needed to align their actions with these crucial requirements.

Overall, church members have welcomed the decision to close religious institutions as required by the government temporarily. Even though some deem the move to interfere with the right to freely worship, they have adjusted their behavior to reflect the current demands. Self-isolation, social distancing, and the wearing of masks are practices that Christians have accommodated in their daily lives. These regulations attract adverse consequences, and everyone is expected to abide by them irrespective of their religion and other characteristics. Thus, Christians continue to follow all the COVID-19 regulations to the latter.

References

Bodas, M., & Peleg, K. (2020). Self-Isolation Compliance In The COVID-19 Era Influenced By Compensation: Findings From A Recent Survey In Israel: Public attitudes toward the COVID-19 outbreak and self-isolation: a cross-sectional study of the adult population of Israel. Health Affairs, 39(6), 936-941.

Burke, D. (2020). What churches, mosques, and temples are doing to fight the spread of Coronavirus. CNN. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/14/world/churches-mosques-temples-coronavirus-spread/index.html.

Evener, V. (2020). Spirit and truth: Reckoning with the crises of Covid‐19 for the Church. Dialog, 59(3), 233-241.

McCaulley, E. (2020). Opinion | The Christian Response to the Coronavirus: Stay Home. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/opinion/coronavirus-church-close.html.

Wildman, W. J., Bulbulia, J., Sosis, R., & Schjoedt, U. (2020). Religion and the COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2020.1749339

Wilson, S., Boorstein, M., Harnandez, A., & Rozsa, L. (2020). Coronavirus creates conflict for churches, where gatherings can be dangerous but also provide solace. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-church-services-outbreak/2020/04/05/7f5b63cc-7773-11ea-90ad-819caa48d39f_story.html.