Religion

Overview of COVID-19 and Religion:

1. Social role of religious scholars, clerics and practices in the containment of COVID-19.
2. Orthodox versus moderate religion driven opinions on spread of COVID 19.
3. Increased commitment towards religion due to COVID 19.  

I think one of the things that is noteworthy about the United States is that it is both a highly religious and a highly secular country at the same time.

-John Turner

John Turner describes how religion and secularity both flourish in the United States. Approximately 75 percent of Americans identify as Christians, albeit in diverse forms of Christianity. About a quarter of Americans, especially the younger Americans, report no religious affiliation. In response to COVID-19, most religious institutions switched hosting in-person gatherings to pandemic-friendly online format. However, some religious institutions questioned if the coronavirus cancelled the first amendment, but post responded prudently. Turner notes how as the pandemic has dragged on conflict over the reopening of religious spaces has increased, specifically across political lines.

Turner’s presentation on Religious Response and COVID-19 is below:

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Pakistan calls itself a religious state, an Islamic state.

-Sumrin kalia

Sumrin begins her presentation by describing the history of how Pakistan came to be a. democracy, claiming Islam as an ideology for state-building. Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic reveal the frictions that underlie between religious communities and the state. Many religious groups did not respond to the government directors and defied the advisories for coronavirus precautions. The contested history of Islam’s relationship with the state caused a fragmentation of religious authority and caused a hindrance in immediate lockdown of religious events.

Sumrin’s presentation on COVID-19 and Religion in Pakistan is below: