PLAYLIST:

Messages

Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. leads an online Bible study session. Screenshot by Anonymous.

The pandemic raised immediate and serious questions about the relationship between the physical health of individuals and the public. From the start, public health officials focused on the pressing issue of maintaining individual health and promoting responsibilities of communal health and safety. Religious leaders and groups joined in and often focused on the relationship between physical and spiritual health. They sought to find meaning for illness and health from within their own religious traditions and from others. In worship services and gatherings, religious leaders often included references to healings and communal responsibilities for the sick found in sacred texts and traditions. Online services included prayers for the sick, Zoom meetings organized faith-based charitable responses to the crisis, and creative spiritual people found innovative approaches to safely care for the needs of the sick and the despairing. In all types of virtual and physically-distanced contexts, messages were given and received about caring for the physical and spiritual needs of people living with pain, fear, and isolation during the pandemic.

The clips in this playlist highlight some of the efforts from religious leaders and groups to address the physical and spiritual crises. In messages to listeners and viewers, we hear calls for caring for the stranger, attending to fears and anxieties, and understanding that religious traditions have something pertinent to say about the pandemic. In some clips we hear high-profile religious leaders take the opportunity of the pandemic to reach out to address the spiritual needs of ailing and fearful people. Some clips feature people speaking directly about religious teachings on health, illness, death, and the afterlife. We hear a prayer of gratitude for breath, that provides a vivid reminder of the bodily struggle with the virus. There are messages given that relate health precautions to positive and negative outcomes in the same faith tradition. In all of the messaging, the relationship between the individual and the communal as well as the physical and the spiritual, is a primary concern for religious communities during the pandemic.

– Amy DeRogatis
Catholic invocation of St. Corona

After invoking several saints – including St. Corona, the patron saint of epidemics – for protection during an online Catholic worship service, a priest urges viewers to continue supporting their churches during the pandemic.



Contributor: Anonymous
Date: 03/25/2020

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Christian prayer on cable news

Bishop T.D. Jakes leads a televised prayer for strength and peace during the pandemic.


Contributor: Amy DeRogatis
Date: 03/20/2020

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Easter sermon about fear

Rev. Abigail Henrich delivers an online Easter sermon about fear, explaining that fear during the pandemic is similar to that of Jesus’ disciples, and that fear is real and present.

 

Contributor: Rev. Abigail A. Henrich
Date: 03/20/2020

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Buddhist discussion of death

A Buddhist monk discusses the certainty of death during an online service while reflecting on her own experiences with death and the people in her life who have died.


Contributor: Skylar Berlin
Date: 05/08/2020

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Islamic discussion of sickness

During an online lecture, a Muslim man explains that Allah sends angels to accompany and monitor sick people while they are ill.


Contributor: Anonymous
Date: 05/09/2020

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Muslim women's study session

A Muslim man welcomes people to an online Muslim women’s study session and provides an overview of the group’s activities, including studies of good character.


Contributor: Ashley Ramos
Date: 04/29/2020

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Online Bible study

Pastor John K. Jenkins, Sr. leads an online Bible study session during which he discusses faith, science, and the importance of health precautions, as well as how to maintain faith while following safety guidelines.



Contributor: Anonymous
Date: 03/31/2020

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Evangelical altar call

During a televised altar call, evangelist Franklin Graham encourages people to trust in God and not be afraid during the pandemic.



Contributor: Amy DeRogatis
Date: 03/28/2020

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Evangelical pastor interview

During a Fox News broadcast, anchorman Chris Wallace and televangelist Joel Osteen discuss how churches are adapting to the pandemic and note the millions of people who are watching services online.



Contributor: Skylar Berlin
Date: 03/29/2020

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Global Unity Transmission Meditation

During a Facebook Live video, a woman discusses the eternal nature of human soul and spirit, and the resulting inability to truly die.



Contributor: Skylar Berlin
Date: 04/04/2020

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Jewish Shabbat morning service

During a Facebook Live Shabbat service, two Jewish women invite viewers to wake up and sing a prayer to thank God for breath.



Contributor: Skylar Berlin
Date: 04/25/2020

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Buddhist speaker during Memorial for the Homeless

During a webcast memorial for the homeless, a Buddhist lama explains the Buddha’s teachings of equanimity, compassion, and the essential goodness of all beings.



Contributor: Lauren Pond
Date: 12/21/2020

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Christian speaker during Memorial for the Homeless

During a webcast memorial for the homeless, a pastor discusses the first and second commandments in the Christian New Testament Gospel of Matthew, and the importance of loving one’s neighbors.


Contributor: Lauren Pond
Date: 12/21/2020

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Street evangelist

A street evangelist decries fear of the coronavirus and churches that take safety precautions, suggesting that Jesus can provide the strength and faith to overcome fear.



Contributor: Kyle Byron
Date: 11/21/2020

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Easter worship service

During an online Easter service, a pastor describes the story of Jesus’s disciples finding the empty tomb on Easter morning. He focuses on the question posed by the angels: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”


Contributor: Emily Esserman
Date: 04/12/2020

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