Keeping the faith – religion in the time of corona
From reverends to rabbis, religious leaders are finding innovative ways to engage with their followers, finds Lauren Libbert
In times of crisis, faith can be hugely important. Community prayers, an inspiring sermon, even coming together at a church bake sale… each provides solace and inspiration at a time when the world no longer makes sense. So with lockdown in full force and places of worship shut, reverends, rabbis, imams and granthis have been forced to think creatively about how to bring God into homes and nourish people’s faith at a time when they so desperately need it.
And technology has played an integral part. “We’re seeing a complete transformation of technology,” says Rabbi Baruch Levin of London’s Brondesbury Park synagogue. “Something that has so often been a tool of polarisation, to sow division and hate, is now being used for the purpose of sharing goodness and kindness and inclusivity in a way we’ve never seen before.”
Here, then, are examples of how Christians, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs are using technology to enable their religions to thrive in the time of coronavirus.
Christianity: online poetry, podcasts and readings
The Rev Jane Proudfoot at St Wilfrid’s Church in Grappenhall, Warrington, has set up a YouTube channel to connect to her congregants, now they aren’t able to come to Sunday services.
“It’s been a steep learning curve,” she says, “but it’s a great way of communicating with people and making them feel they are supported with worship and prayer. I record prayers every day and try to choose readings pertinent to what’s going on. It’s only four to seven minutes long and people have already told me they find it comforting.
“The church isn’t open for services, but people can still come in for quiet prayer and we’ve produced special prayer booklets to take home. I believe strongly that church is not a building – it is the people – and we can worship God from wherever we are and still connect through prayer and love.”
Lillie Smith, a 21-year-old Brighton university student, is still going to Sunday services, albeit online. “We have an online live stream for worship and a talk by our rector, followed by joining in communion and prayer,” she explains. “We’re also staying connected through online calls and videos within smaller groups. As it is written in Matthew 18:20 – ‘Where there are two or more gathered in My name, there I am with them.’”
Esther Wane, 47, from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, is a voice artist and audio book narrator who has put her faith – and her lovely, calming voice – to good use by creating a new podcast to give fellow Christians comfort through the crisis.
“I’ve found my faith a real source of strength. I meditate and write a journal to God most mornings and started a podcast called Poems, Prayers and Passages, where I record psalms and poetry to offer comfort to others.
“I have asthma and was born with a heart condition, so I can’t really be of practical help during the crisis – but I can still use my voice to help soothe and lift others. I’ve recorded 17 episodes so far – anything that eases people’s anxiety at this time is good.”
Islam: Friday sermons and virtual Ramadan
With mosques closed and Ramadan approaching – this year, it runs from April 23 to May 23 – Muslims are using online platforms to practise Islam.
Adnan Omanovic, co-founder of MyTenNights, an innovative tech-forgood platform that automates users’ donations over the last 10 nights of Ramadan, says that Friday, the holy day for Muslims, when they usually go to the mosque for prayer and to listen to a sermon, has become a day to go online: “Now, many mosques are creating virtual sermons for people to dial into instead, and some scholars have moved religious classes online.
“The Al-Salam Institute in East London, for example, is now streaming ‘alternate’ Friday sermons on its Facebook page, allowing followers to join in from the comfort of their homes.” Meanwhile, Islamic prayer courses have been turned into live-streamed webinars.
Muslim influencers are also playing a key role in keeping up spirits. Mubina Kadiri, 25, who works in marketing and is a fan of @aliofficialUK (who has more than 360,000 Instagram followers), says: “It feels important to be connecting with others of the same faith, however you can.” She is using the lockdown to deepen her faith in other ways. “I’m reading the Koran in English and Arabic every evening, and I’ve signed up for a free online Arabic course.”
Judaism: Virtual bar mitzvahs and online learning
Last Saturday morning, Naftali Arden, aged 13, was due to have his longawaited bar mitzvah and read from the Torah – the five books of Moses that form the basis of Jewish Law – at Borehamwood and Elstree synagogue. He’d spent a year learning his 200 or so verses and his parents had planned a celebratory Friday night dinner and Sunday lunch party with music, dancing, magic and sushi. But the pandemic meant the synagogue was shut, the party was cancelled and Naftali’s bar mitzvah was a non-event.
“Naftali was devastated,” says his mother, Tania Arden, a bookkeeper. “But then someone suggested doing a virtual one, streaming it live on Facebook.”
Virtual invites were sent and the bar mitzvah was live streamed from the Arden home on a Thursday evening at 8.30pm with Naftali, flanked by his two siblings, telling his virtual guests “No fluffy slippers and absolutely no Arsenal dressing gowns”, before confidently reading a section from the Book of Prophets.
“It was amazing,” says Tania. “Over 4,000 people watched including friends from London, Israel and America, and the lovely messages we got afterwards made it all so meaningful. Naftali was thrilled to have connected people and it ended up being a wonderful replacement.”
For Brondesbury Park synagogue, keeping people connected to their faith through technology is the way through this crisis. In this period of lockdown, all members can access the online morning prayer services daily via Zoom, a video conferencing app, as well as connect to online learning events and sign up to community WhatsApp groups to support the elderly and the vulnerable.
“When everything is in a state of turmoil, instinctively as human beings we look for something that represents stability that can carry us and provide an anchor and community does just that,” says Rabbi Levin.
Sikhism: Food deliveries and online prayers
The Sikh community already has four dedicated digital TV channels to reach its 430,000-strong community in the UK, and many of them are now broadcasting daily prayers as well as general coronavirus advice.
“We don’t have an overarching authority that governs the religion,” says Gurch Randhawa, a professor at the University of Bedfordshire, “so many of the gurdwaras [the place of assembly and worship for Sikhs] had to make their own decisions about closing. In the Sikh religion, God is not confined to a building but is everywhere around us.
“People have started watching dedicated YouTube or Facebook channels, and the elderly who live alone are receiving WhatsApp messages to access the daily prayers.”
Gurdwaras have long been an access point for international Sikh students who have no family here in the UK. “They would come for a communal meal – possibly their only meal of the day – so now we’re offering takeaway and delivery services to make sure they can still get the support they need,” says Prof Randhawa.
“We have to keep supporting people through this crisis.”