This is an Easter like no other for regular and occasional churchgoers. But Britain’s faith communities will be vital in helping Britain through the coronavirus ordeal
Towards the end of his landmark work A Secular Age, the philosopher Charles Taylor wrote that, while churches in the west have emptied at an accelerating rate in the 21st century, most of us still seemed to value their presence in our cities, towns and villages. Traditional places of worship are still cherished, Prof Taylor suggested, because they act “partly as a holder of ancestral memory, partly as a resource against some future need (eg a rite of passage, especially a funeral); or as a source of comfort and orientation in the face of some collective disaster”.
That the coronavirus pandemic counts as a “collective disaster” is beyond dispute. But, at least in a physical sense, our churches, mosques and synagogues have found themselves unable to provide a space of refuge. As with almost all other forms of human bonding, faith has been driven into the cybersphere by the need to socially distance. With the pews empty, this will be an Easter weekend like no other, both for regular churchgoers and for those who, in uniquely challenging times, might have been tempted to pay a visit.
Continue reading...from Islam | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3eg9N0q
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