Covid-19 Crisis: Christians Call to Unite in Trust of Holy Spirit - Essay Sample

Introduction

2020 marks a unique history in the world because of the impact of coronavirus pandemic. While being an extreme crisis, various religious traditions call into question several beliefs proposing that with trust in the Holy Spirit, it is possible to cope with the extreme situation. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, Christians have tried to convince people reflecting on the story of Jesus Christ. According to them, during this difficult time, all people have been called to be spiritually one, the way Jesus and the Father are one. As brothers and sisters, all people in the US and elsewhere confess by a common faith in Jesus Christ. Other religious institutions are also not left out; they have developed guidelines, which contribute to the public well-being as well as other measures that make people comply with Covid-19 prevention guidelines. The purpose of this paper is to discuss three religious traditions' responses to coronavirus and demonstrate how the approaches they use are flexible to adapt and engage with modern technology like the internet.

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Christianity

Pohl and Musil assert that Christian traditions are among the many virtues that give meaning to life in all aspects (7). In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Christianity is teaching people around the world that during these exceptional situations, being one is the only thing that can draw confirm and support to one another. The Christian believer is using different strategies to interact to encourage one another as well as reminding everybody that all people are suffering from physical isolation. Also, they remind everyone to abide by government and healthcare measures of keeping their distance from others, even though their loved ones. At the same time, they urge people to surrender some of their liberty and be absent from workstations. During this period, listening and giving attention to others is very paramount. Most Christian groups remind people each time that coronavirus is a serious disease for humankind with no vaccination and no approved medication. The only way to slow down its spread is to follow government and health guidelines and understand that hope is a dimension of faith. For example, Apostle Paul in the bible asserts those who have hope will be saved. They should wait with the patient as the world is ravaged by much suffering since Christ is risen and He is aware of the situation.

Moreover, Christians are at the frontline enlightening communities are proving support and guidance to people (Elsanousi et al. n.p). Men and women of Christian faith have put efforts to mitigate the impacts of coronavirus in that they train people to build good communication during this time of the crisis. The coronavirus pandemic requires full effort of the community to prevent the transmission, Christians have found it important to turn to religious theology and texts to comfort the community as well as encourage them to follow safe practices. In a similar parallel, Christian groups are issuing opinions, guidelines, and guidance to the community on how to prevent the pandemic (Elsanousi et al. n.p). In response, the community re-analyzes the religious practices that are provided through faith practices and then adapt to meet the Covid-19 prevention criteria. To prevent transmission, Christian religious institution has turned to virtues platforms such as radio, media, and email to conduct daily prayers and worship. These techniques help to mobilize individuals hence surrounding their wellbeing.

Judaism

As coronavirus is seriously impacting the world, the Jewish religious institutions are undertaking high alert measures to enlighten people about the effects and transmission of the disease. With the question about the spread of the virus, the Jewish community reminds people that they can prepare to reduce the impact on the community. The vital concern of Judaism is the safety and well-being of everyone in the community. According to Jacobs, the Judaism religion has created a staff task force, which works to specifically address coronavirus concerns (n.p). At the same time, the Judaism group remains to ensure that there is communication with the leading public health officials to provide guidance and measures to all people. As mentioned by Jacobs, the congregation is urging all people to follow governmental updates. Also, Judaism leaders discuss community communication and how they can prepare programs to reach all people. The Judaism congregations are responding to the coronavirus pandemic in a way that can minimize the risks as they visit people.

Even though the government and the health sector are putting effort towards mitigating the impact of coronavirus, Judaism leaders reassure people that they are available to provide any type of help during these times of crisis. They remind people to love a stranger and not to turn panic to bigotry and hate. Additionally, they urge people to pray for medical scientists for the wisdom and skills around the world fighting the novel coronavirus. Judaism is also collaborating with other religions on charitable initiatives to prevent the transmission of coronavirus. Faith actors utilize religious teaching particularly lessons from the Abrahamic faith to remind people that there is still hope. They encourage people on the importance of taking precedence over all commandments that are required in the Talmud. Judaism religious actors craft context-specific messages to reinforce government mechanisms through channels such as social media, radio, and calls.

Islam

Islamic institutions are also working to mitigate the impact of coronavirus pandemic. In an article, Islamic Relief Worldwide, advising people to adapt to the new Islamic religious practices in a bit to curb the spread of COVID-19 is the goal of Islam. Whilst governmental precautions are acceptable, Muslim leaders have been to places of refuge to provide foodstuffs to the needy despite the religious faith. They discourage religious discrimination and persecution since they aim to safeguard human lives; both believers and member members of society. Even though some of their measures pose a question in the community, they encourage people to exercise goodwill and patience. At the same time, they urge people to continue following official guidelines to protect themselves and others from infection. They provide information such as the closure of mosques, self-isolation for people who exhibit symptoms and safe adaptation of traditional Islamic burial practices. This way, they could limit the transmission of the disease and also protect the frontline workers. Also, Muslim leaders offer spiritual consultation and counsel to people who have lost their loved ones amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fundamental principle of the Islamic law 'does not harm' encourages believers to turn to humanitarian work, especially during these times of crisis (Islamic Relief Worldwide n.p). Islam law offers significant methods that can help deal with the situation, for instance, they ensure that there is no misinformation about the disease. The Muslim community has established a link with the world health organization across the world, which provides information about the disease hence making it easy for them to identify communities at risk. The Islamic religion has a collective responsibility of saving lives as well as outlining primary obligations to protect lives. Islam has also taken virtues platforms such as social media, radio, and email to mobilize people and also to conduct prayers together. Elsanousi et al. avow that the Quran tells Muslims that if anyone saved another's life it would be as if he saved all humankind (n.p). Also, Muslims have created fatwas calling to encourage people in the community to adhere to governmental measures.

The approaches that Christians, Judaism, and Islam use are flexible to adapt and engage with modern technology. As mentioned by Elsanousi et al., the three different religions have taken social media, radio, and email to reach people. During this hard time of coronavirus pandemic, many places have been locked down forcing people to stay at home. On the same hand, many people spend their time online. This makes it easy for religious institutions to reach the majority of their believers and other people in the community online, particularly in social media and radio. However, email can only be used for the believer and loyal members of the religious groups. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are flexible to adapt and engage with modern technology particularly the internet to conduct daily prayers, worship, and mobilize. Also, radio through live streaming is flexible to adapt and engage with modern technology and if shared it can reach many people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, coronavirus is a serious disease, which does not discriminate on religion or community. It is a good move for religious institutions such as Christians, Judaism, and Islam to share information regarding Covid-19 and stop transmission. At the same time, because they are partnering with the community as well as using technology, the spread of the virus is likely to be halted.

Works Cited

Elsanousi, Mohamed, Visotzky, Burton, and Roberts, Bob. "Love your neighbor: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity come together over COVID-19." World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/religions-covid-19-coronavirus-collaboration/

Islamic Relief Worldwide. "Islamic Relief Launches Guidance on Safe Religious Practice during the Coronavirus Pandemic." Islamicrelief.org. https://www.islamic-relief.org/islamic-relief-launches-guidance-on-safe-religious-practice-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

Jacobs, R, Rabbi. "Coronavirus and Your Congregation: What to Consider, How to Prepare, and More." Union for Reform Judaism, 2020. https://urj.org/blog/2020/03/02/coronavirus-and-your-congregation-what-consider-how-prepare-and-more

Pohl, Nejc, and Bojan Musil. "Modeling compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines: The critical role of trust in science." (2020). https://psyarxiv.com/6a2cx/download?format=pdf