Faith leaders can help prevent health care rationing by canceling in-person gatherings

The debate among houses of worship about whether to meet in person is understandable and challenging. If there were ever a time when we needed our spiritual resources, it is now.

The unpredictability of whether or when any of us might contract the coronavirus, the uncertainty of our individual and collective economic future, and the unsettling idea that we might not have access to the medical resources we need, call for the grounding and reassurance faith can provide. Right now, however, faith communities that insist on gathering in defiance of public health advice can contribute to further sickness and death.

We know that more than half of the cases of COVID-19 identified in South Korea were linked to one woman, Patient 31, who attended worship services in February at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu. More than 25% of the Hasidic Jewish community of Kiryas Joel, N.Y., tested positive for coronavirus as of March 27. Malaysia became the largest known center of transmission in Southeast Asia as a result of an international religious gathering at the Sri Petaling Mosque in Kuala Lumpur Feb. 27-March 1. Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Tampa pastor this week for violating local restrictions on gatherings, citing “reckless disregard for human life.”

Under these circumstances, one would expect people of faith to cease and desist, recognizing this disease is a test, not of our willingness to cling to traditional forms of religious expression at the expense of health and wellness, but of our ability to transform the expression of our faith to protect the safety and welfare of everyone. And yet, some faith leaders are appealing for exceptions to shelter-in-place orders, on grounds of religious liberty. Others are ignoring recommended social distancing practices, feeling that they are the best judge of the needs of their congregants.

In the past few weeks, most communities of faith have taken action to contain the pandemic. They have challenged themselves to deepen and strengthen their spiritual muscles through sophisticated technologies like video streaming and green-screening for worship and lifecycle events, as well as simple gestures like phone calls, emails, texts and letters for social and emotional nourishment.

This week, I officiated at a funeral via Zoom for a cousin in New York who died of a glioblastoma. A local colleague buried a congregant who died of the coronavirus in a small, family-only graveside ceremony, with attendees standing 6 feet apart. Another recent funeral was followed by the family driving through a large synagogue parking lot filled with people who wanted to come to the cemetery but were prohibited. They gathered, sitting in or standing next to their cars, leaving one empty space between each vehicle, exhibiting the personal sense of loss and support for the family of the deceased that would normally be visible at the funeral.

Weddings and other events such as baptisms, bar and bat mitzvahs, and the observance of holy times like Ramadan, Easter and Passover, have either been adapted or postponed to meet the demands of public health. Many houses of worship are live-streaming prayer, study classes and even social events from the homes of clergy and teachers, offering congregants and students an unexpectedly intimate albeit virtual experience. This is being done in compliance with legal and medical demands. All the while, clergy wonder and worry whether anyone is ever going to get dressed to go to church or synagogue or mosque again.

Health experts are predicting that rationing of health care resources is inevitable, because they could be inadequate to meet the needs of everyone who will require skilled medical personnel, an ICU bed, or a ventilator. Even still, some rabbis, imams and pastors are rejecting measures that have successfully reduced the number of people who need these scarce resources. So is God testing those faith leaders, or are they testing God?

No one is asking faith leaders to stop leading, witnessing, teaching, preaching or offering pastoral support. In fact, we are being asked to step up and do more. We have only begun to see the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our families and communities. People need faith more than ever when they are losing jobs, having to distance physically from their family and friends, and living without their usual structure of relationships and support systems. We can help them through prayer and counseling, and by continuing to offer a healthy diet of spiritual nourishment.

Nonetheless, the most important thing to do right now is to refrain from encouraging or enabling personal contact in public. This form of self-restraint will literally save the lives of worshippers and the lives of countless others, so that all of us may return to praying in physical community when this crisis is over. We yearn for normalcy in our places of worship again. And, God willing, that will come sooner rather than later if we all implement the proper precautions asked of us today.