Grief and mourning in Covid-19 pandemic and delayed business as a new concept

The measures, restrictions, and death-related rituals in the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the mourning-related routines of individuals. Moreover, mourning processes have been affected by the restriction of death-related cultural rituals, funeral ceremonies performed only by the officials, and the prohibition of visiting graves. This study aims to investigate the experiences of individuals who lost their loved ones in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. For that purpose, the phenomenological method is employed in the design of the study. Individual interviews were conducted with nine participants who lost their relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured interview forms prepared by the researchers. The study participants described the various factors contributing to the grief and mourning process in the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors were categorized into three following main categories: grief and mourning responses of the individuals lost loved ones, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses;risk factors including the expectation of harm, unfinished business, and restriction of death-related religious-cultural rituals;and protective factors including relative support (i.e., family, spouse, friend, partner), tele-support (i.e., mobile phone, internet, social media), positive coping strategies (cognitive, behavioral, and religious-spiritual), and delayed business. The "delayed business” concept was also addressed within protective factors and explained in general terms. Finally, the findings were discussed considering the literature and presented some theoretical and practical implications.

The Shifting Social-Religious Behavior of the Minority Muslim Jama’ah Tabligh

This article discusses the changes in religious rituals and social relations experienced by members of the Jama’ah Tabligh as a minority group identified as a cluster in the spread of COVID-19 in Wonosobo, Indonesia. The socio-religious changes during the pandemic were not only influenced by the medical dangers of COVID-19 but also by the societal stigma toward groups of sufferers. This article is based on a research conducted in November 2020 using qualitative methods with data collected through interviews and observations. The results of this study indicate that changes in worship behavior carried out by members of the Jama’ah Tabligh in Wonosobo are caused by the negative societal stigma toward the group. Other groups carried out behaviors of repression and expulsion of all members of the Jama’ah Tabligh, a minority group. As a result of the negative stigma, members of Jama’ah Tabligh responded with a more inclusive attitude. Excessive concerns raised by the community are influenced by mitigation efforts carried out by the authorities in a repressive manner. The socio-religious conflicts that have emerged after the pandemic should be a concern for all groups, beyond health and economic recovery.

Rituals of Contagion in Closed Religious Communities: A Case Study of Amish and Mennonite Communities in the USA During the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, government and medical guidelines emphasized social distancing to limit exposure. These guidelines significantly impacted closed religious communities, particularly those opposed to modern technologies, such as Amish and Mennonite communities. How did these religious communities respond to COVID-19 policies in the USA? We draw data from Ohio and Pennsylvania scribe entries published in an Amish/Mennonite correspondence newspaper. While some of these communities altered church rituals to comply with government directives, others maintained communal worship without disruption. Mennonite communities were more likely to conform to guidelines.

Biblical Sabbath as Critical Response in an Era of Global Pandemic and Climate Change

In modern times, the idea of the sabbath is often limited to a day when people attend religious services or observe rituals in their homes. Biblical sabbath, however, is one of the first codifications of labor rights in world history. This tradition emerged in an ancient economy that extracted agricultural wealth from subsistence farmers to support wealthy elites. Increasing demands on labor were coupled with reductions in the amount of produce available to individual households for sustenance. This led to impoverishment and to interest lending that often resulted in the loss of ancestral property and debt servitude to wealthy creditors. Sabbath traditions, both a weekly day of rest and periodic cancellation of debt, were attempts to mitigate the negative impact of this royal‐imperial system. Those traditions functioned as a critique and a corrective to the royal‐imperial economy. These traditions still have conceptual and practical utility for today’s globalizing economy that is challenged by climate change and reshaped by the COVID pandemic. “Sabbath economics” is built on a notion of abundance limited by self‐restraint—seven days of wealth for six days of work. This model overturns modern assumptions of scarcity and unlimited needs and wants. The values expressed in this ancient tradition can help us imagine the role of work and rest in a just and ecologically sustainable future.

One novel virus, different beliefs as playmakers towards disease spread in Africa: looking at COVID-19 from a religious lens.

Religious and spiritual observances that draw large people together are pervasive in many parts of the world, including Africa. With the recent emergence of COVID-19, these mass religious gatherings may pose significant threats to human health. Given the compromised healthcare systems in many parts of Africa, faith-based institutions have a huge responsibility towards the management of the potential spread of the virus through effective organizational strategies or interventions. This essay sheds light on what the novel virus has to do with religion, the role of religious practices in inhibiting or spreading COVID-19, and what appropriate evidence-based interventions religious or faith-based organizations could adopt to help prevent the spread of the disease in Africa through a unity of thoughts for religious action.