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In my previous posts about religion during the corona outbreak I mentioned the churches that were suing the state of California over banning religious gatherings. Here is an article that goes into more depth about why they are suing, as well as how the case is proceeding. During the start of this outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a lockdown for the citizens of California which prohibited non essential businesses from operating during this time. The issue that churches are facing right now is that they argue that they are essential for the  "spiritual health of the congregation". 

One pastor named Patrick Scales believes that he an “have in-person church services while making every effort to prevent contact between congregants by adhering to social distancing guidance, just as grocery stores, laundromats, and marijuana dispensaries are implementing to keep their customers safe". While this is something that could be done, the argument could be made that every bit of unnecessary contact we can remove will make this virus pass much more quickly. The reason why grocery stores are still open is because people need food and water to biologically survive. The need for religion is very high up on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, which implies that it isn’t as necessary as the ability to stay clean and procure food. However, in a 1st world country, people feel as though they are entitled to the comforts of life they’ve always had. The churches could move to online worship as I have stated before, but some still seem reluctant to make the switch. 

When I went to church and youth group, we used to teach that you don’t need to be in a formal place of worship to experience the Holy Spirit. I feel as though that sentiment is even more important now than ever. The Holy Spirit comes through the community of believers, and that community can exist remotely in order to keep everyone more safe during this time of uncertainty. 

Another Pastor has also started copying the drive-threw sermon that was discussed in the last post, and she states that it was an idea that she would like to continue doing. I think if a church has the space and means to do sermons like this, they should be encouraged to participate. This way they feel as though their religious freedom isn’t being attacked, and they also stay safer than just letting them congregate in the building again.      

Another pastor had said that he "believes that scripture commands him as a pastor to lay hands on people and pray for them". This complicates things as this interpretation can actively harm others, and himself. I think it’s important to not have a knee-jerk reaction to these restrictions, but rather they should look at it as an opportunity to build community remotely and reach out to those in their congregation, instead of wasting resources suing a Gov. over trying to keep the general public safe.

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I remember when we learned about the Amish community in class, and how they liked to keep to themselves and how they are a self sustaining community. So when I think about how the virus is effecting the community around me, it’s hard to imagine them having an easy time with all of this. According to the article, they had to get a large mass of Amish seamstresses to get around 12,000 masks in two days. It’s crazy to think that in a small community like this, they need t divert people from one task to another in order to match the needs of the community.

So far there have only been three reported cases, but the impact has been felt across their community. The workers that are occupied by other tasks, such as sewing face masks, do not apply for federal aid even though they are no longer working their regular job. A huge amount of the community is diverting its energy to making face masks and shields, as well as other medical garments. Many in the community are reaching out to those on the outside in order to make masks for them and keep everyone safe. Many companies that operate in the Amish communities have switched production to more robust face masks. This is used to recoup a lot of losses that the community is facing, and also helps to aid people outside their community.

This reminds me of what my aunt has been doing lately. She has experience with sewing and has also started to make face masks out of elastic and fabric she already had lying around at home. She has been selling them online during this time of medical shortage and has been able to actually start turning a profit and is helping others get access to face masks to keep them safe. 

Many in the Amish community are also reaching out to the more economically impacted families by giving out face mask kits for free. This speaks to the sense of community we talked about in class that the Amish have, and is very inspiring to see in a time that so often brings out the worst in people. However, it seems that the Amish are hit just as hard as the rest of us with the social distancing, if not more so. They have a very communal way of life that doesn’t offer many opportunities for remote contact. Many important functions, such as funerals, weddings, and family gatherings have to be postponed. 

Many Amish community members are also unaware of just how bad the situation has got. They don’t always have access to the news sources we do, which leads to some gatherings still taking place, even though the leaders urge them not to. It seems as though people from all walks of life have a difficult time adjusting to change in their normal routines.   

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I thought it was interesting to read that only 10 states are preventing in-person religious gatherings, as I would have thought all states would have prevented in-person gatherings. When we look at the map its interesting to note that the more republican leaning states have yet to ban religious gatherings. Some people feel as though their religious freedom is being imposed upon when they are being told to stay home. A group of churches even got together to sue the Gov. of California, but a federal judge rejected their request.

I think it’s odd that people feel as though their freedom is being attacked. The churches could still live stream and individuals could still meet in small groups in personal homes, as the government isn’t putting us on lock down. It just seems dangerous to gather in such a large group and the ban on it isn’t to infringe on people’s rights, its to try to keep people from getting infected.

Some states label the churches as “essential” which makes for a difficult argument. As some people can say they feel as though the community around church and “feeling” the holy spirit in their place of worship is essential to their mental and physical health. It is easy to see why people would initially react negatively, but you’d think they’d be able to come to a conclusion that would help save more people than potentially harm them. 

A lot of them same states that are allowing religious gatherings of any size, but are banning equivalent size groups for other types of gatherings. Viruses don't discriminate, they will infect who ever they can no matter the type of gathering. That is why it is so dangerous to keep these gatherings continuing. A lot of the states on the east coast are limiting people to gatherings of 10 or fewer. I think that this is a fairly good solution, as a lot of small groups or bible studies consist of 10 or fewer people already. This gives individuals the chance to connect with others in their spirituality, but they aren’t meeting in such large numbers that could be a threat to others. 

Some religious leaders are still holding services even though the government is telling them not to, which is pretty irresponsible as it puts the lives of their congregation at risk to catching the disease. Some congregations have been creative and started doing “drive-in” religious services where they park their cars six feet apart in participate from inside their cars. This is a pretty neat solution and keeps contact with others to a minimum. It’s important for people to stay connected with their communities and to remember their mental health. but they also need to consider their physical health and not make it easier for this virus to spread in their communities.       

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At the beginning of the article they mention how some scholars have argued that the Bible heavily influenced America’s founders. This reminds me of how in class we discussed that the founders were more pluralists than belonging to any one religion. Nevertheless, they reported that “49% say the Bible should have at least ‘some’ influence on U.S. laws, including... 23% who say it should have ‘a great deal’ of influence“. This is an odd stance to take in my opinion, in order to have a true freedom of religion wouldn’t the governing body need to be more neutral in their influences, as the bible is still just a religious book at the end of the day.

The religious “nones” however, feel as though the bible should not influences our legislation at all. This reminds me of when in class we discussed Madalyn O’Hair and how she pushed to get religion out of the public schools, as since they were funded by our government they should not have any sort of religious affiliation. I think that if we only turn to one religion to make our laws and base our government on then we are very limited in our scope of understanding for other cultures and religions. If the government isn’t respecting and protecting each individual then it cannot govern over them effectively, as there will always be a disenfranchised group. 

In there research they found that the elderly were much more likely than the youth to want biblical influence over there laws. I think this goes back to my last post where I discussed that they were raised in a more religious environment where it was still in school. But now that the newer generations aren’t being bombarded by religion, they don’t think it’s as necessary as the older generation views it. Also, to no ones surprise, Republicans wanted to have the bible influence legislation more than Democrats did. 

I think the most disturbing part of this article was the response to this question:  “When the Bible and the will of the people conflict, which should have more influence on U.S. laws?” The pew research center found that 28% of Americans believe that the bible should take priority over the will of the people. What about all of the people who don’t even believe in the bible? How is it fair to base laws and legislation from stories out of what is essentially a book of metaphors? I’m not saying that the bible doesn’t have some good lessons in it, but it also has some very gruesome and barbaric tales in it. I just feel as though the will of the people should be the influencing factor of a democratic republic such as ours, as the government is created to serve the people, not some book.

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The pew research center has found that in the U.S., a smaller share of adults identify and Christian, while those who claim no religious affiliation have grown. This first reminds me of Obama’s speech we watched in class where he addressed the “religious nones”. It’s important to realize this ever growing group and how they will have an impact on politics as they continue to gain more support. The article found that both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing a loss of the population share. It seems as though people do not want to be affiliated with the church anymore.

The rate of religious attendance has also been in decline, and I can personally say that I have also stopped attending the church I used to go to. I even used to work at that church, but a new pastor stepped in whose views I did not agree with so I had to part ways with that institution. It’s a difficult thing to do, to stop going somewhere that you once viewed as a home and have many great memories at, but that’s one of the problems with religion. If the leader of the congregation’s values do not line up with the people they are preaching to, it can lead to people just wanting to leave all together.

Pew also found that democrats are moving to “none” faster than republicans, and that younger adults are more likely to make up this category as well. In their research it shows that the older a generation is, the more likely it is to identify as religious. This might have to do with the fact that so many of us have grown up being forced to go to a church, or being told from a very young age that this is something we have to do. But as the youth get older and are able to make their own decisions, I think they want the freedom to come to their own conclusions and not have to rely and being told how to act or how to think. 

In class we learned about Madalyn Murray O’Hair, she was an atheist who championed the separation of school and church. Many younger adults were born after her movement had taken place, leading us to be born into a world the pushed religion on us less while at public school. This could also be a contributing factor as to why it is more prevalent to identify as a “none” than with the older generation who already grew up with religion in their schools. I was less cynical about religion growing up because I was able to go to church when i chose to, my parents never forced me to go to a church or identify as a religion. I think the more that religion gets pushed on people the more likely they are to go away from it as an adult.

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I would consider my knowledge of home schooling to be very sub par. I do not know a lot about what they teach or how the parents legally become teachers. The video we had watched in class was very eye opening to me. 

I grew up in a household that didn’t really push religion, I chose to start going to a youth group in 8th grade with one of my friends. I always enjoyed hearing readings from the bible, but I never took what it was saying as fact. So when we saw this video in class where parents were teaching their children from the bible as if it was scientific fact was very eye opening to me. I think it is important for an individual to feel as though they have the freedom to practice and teach their religion to their children. But when they teach their children that humans just appeared into existence and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that’s when we might have a problem. 

Children should be given access to more than just their immediate religion, it’s important for them to learn about other ways of thinking and come to their own conclusion. When they are raised in an echo chamber they grow up to be even more close minded than their parents and even more afraid of change. In the above article, Gryboski says that homeschooling may be increasing because of other secular reasons, like safety  and academic performance. They are arguing that there is a move away from public schooling because of the quality of these schools, not because of the absence of religious studies. In the article they claim that school districts are constantly attempting to require things of home school students and parents that the law itself does not ask for. This makes the parents that choose to home school feel as though their way of life is under attack and that they are losing their rights. I think there's an interesting discussion that can be had around that idea of a parents right to raise their child, but also the child’s right to freedom of information and knowledge. 

The video in class showed how the evangelical home schooled kids went to a prayer school where they practiced speaking in tongues and praying about all of the sin in the world. In the video the children were very emotional and distressed. The woman in charge said it was because of the passion that these children had for God, but I don’t think it came across that way to most people. You could argue that these children are being forced to feel as though the burdens of the world are their fault and they need to pray because they are the only ones who can help the world. That’s a lot of responsibility to feel like you have at that age. I think it is the parents right to bring their kid to a church like that and to home school them and teach them what they want. At the same time though, I feel like regulations and general health check ups are something that should continue to happen for home schooled children.