Buddhists' Methods for Confronting COVID-19

Many religious groups are confronting COVID-19 by moving religious services online, but there are other ways of confronting the crisis.  As this article explains, people -- Buddhists in this case -- can also appeal to rituals and magical practices.

Several examples are given.  In Thailand, special talismans have been distributed at Theravada Buddhist temples to help protect people from contracting the virus.  Buddhist groups in Japan have practices expulsion rituals to clean their country of the virus.  The Dalai Lama has even encouraged people to chant mantras to obtain protection.

Of course, many Buddhists also engage in scientifically-grounded practices that help prevent the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks.  Yet, many people combine these "secular" practices with the religious ones.  We should not forget that religion is for many people a source of power to help them confront the challenges of life, including a pandemic.

Religious Exemptions to COVID-19 Rules for Social Distancing

The Pew Research Center compiled information about variation across states in COVID-19 social-distancing rules for religious groups, a matter already touched up in an earlier post here.

Here are some key points;  see their full article (dated 27 April 2020) here.

• 10 states (including California) have declared that there should be no in-person religious gatherings.
• 15 states have placed no restrictions.
• The remaining 25 states (plus Washington D.C.) have various types of limited restrictions, such as limitations on the size of religious gatherings.

Of course, religious groups in states that allow gatherings may still choose to suspend in-person activities.

Examine the map and you will see that the geographic distribution of these restrictions in very uneven.  None of the 10 states that forbid religious gatherings are in the south, and none of the 15 that have no restrictions are on the west coast or in New England.  Can you think of any explanations for this pattern?