AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus
Within the past month, many Americans have been affected by the Swine Flu, now scientifically known as the H1N1 virus. Unfortunately, this has also impacted religious services across the country. Some Christian chuches have gone as far as recommending the fellowship refrain from holding hands during certain prayers as they commonly do. They also thought it may be best to avoid shaking hands during the part of the service where individuals offer peace to those around them.
Not only does this subconsciously make everyone a bit more paranoid about contracting H1N1, but this also defeats one of the central missions of the church, or any spiritual gathering, which is a sense of community. Many church-goers have alternate social circles where they can deal with current events in whatever fashion they choose. For many, their spiritual circle is the one setting where they would like to leave earthly or everyday issues at the door.
The age-old battle between science or fact and religion or belief stand at odds once again as the airborne truths of the world pervade places deemed to be sacred. Instead of falling prey to these types of preconceived notions, it makes much more sense to take advantage of one of the great aspects of science: statistics. Statistically, the H1N1 virus has been about as fierce as the common flu. In fact, thousands of people reach their demise due to the common flu every year. Just because someone hears a sneeze or cough in the back pew does not mean the entire gathering should abandon their established practices.
In order to keep the religious or spiritual communities alive-and-well, the group as a whole can choose to engage in scientific data with a sense of rationality and not let it strip away the core values of its existence. Those involved in these circles should continue to unite as one, holding hands, and embrace the awe-inspiring feelings which led them to be a part of such a community to begin with.
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