The Absence of Presence and the Presence of Absence: Social Distancing, Sacraments, and the Virtual Religious Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The response of churches to the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic invites a closer examination of the relationships between virtual and embodied religious communities during a time of social distancing. The speed and the scale of the closure of church buildings during Easter 2020 sheds light upon the multiplicity of practical, emotional, and spiritual responses to a relationship between church and people that is increasingly dominated by online interactions. Such a seismic shift in social culture opens up the possibility and challenges of a new understanding of belonging and participation in a religious community. Given its liturgical, pastoral, and sacramental significance, Easter 2020 was a highly charged moment for the relationship between the Christian churches and the faithful, and between religious worship and social media. In the shift from embodied community to virtual congregation that followed, the material absence of physical presence in collective worship was striking, as was the psychological presence of that absence. This paper analyses different understandings of religion, church, and community in the period of a pandemic, and argues for the value of an approach that situates the debates spawned in the context of historical precedent, personal experience, and theoretical approaches to networks, communities, religion, and social media.

Ban of Religious Gatherings during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Christian Church Leaders’ Well-Being in Ghana

“…At the same time, religious leaders more than ever before had to adopt alternative means (e.g., telephone, Internet) of offering pastoral care from the home environment (Bryson et al, 2020 ; Swift, 2020 ). This has significantly contributed to framing a new meaning for religious participation, community, and belongingness (Parish, 2020 ). The implications of these changes on the well-being of religious leaders need further investigation.…”

Coronavirus-Driven Digitalization of In-Person Communities. Analysis of the Catholic Church Online Response in Spain during the Pandemic

“…During the coronavirus pandemic, for many communities, telematic communication became, from one day to the next, the only possibility of maintaining contact with believers (Campbell 2020;Parish 2020) due to the restrictions imposed by the authorities to slow the spread of the disease. Faced with this scenario, bishoprics, parishes, religious congregations, movements, and suchlike implemented alternative communication strategies and systems.…”

“…On one hand, given the suppression of public worship in most churches, believers turned to the internet to continue practicing during the toughest weeks of the pandemic (Campbell 2020;MacDonald et al 2020), following the recommendations of health care institutions and also those of religious ones, such as the Holy See, the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Anglican Church in the United Kingdom (Aguirregomezcorta 2020;Parish 2020). In the cases of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, the pandemic coincided with some of the most emblematic dates in the liturgical calendar.…”

Strengthening Roles of Pesantren in The Solving Problems Management of Coronavirus 19

“…This is much more than an upsurge in spontaneous religiosity brought about by fear and isolation. Rather, it is something that creates (and is created by) ashifting understanding of the relationship between a religious community that is locally defined as a communion of believers, and in which relationships are already established, and the experience of an online virtual community that humanises in a time of isolation but also relies on bonds that may not be embodied in the physical world (Parish, 2020). This problems makes intersections between ulama, community, Islamic symbols in societies discussion.…”