Maintaining Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
Media provided by senior, Mariema T. ’22.
During the pandemic, many students leaned on religion during times of tragedy, repeating a pattern seen throughout history. Have students at Grace relied more on religion than ever before, and have they done so during what, most of us would agree, may be the most challenging years of our lives?
Religion, at one point in time, made the world turn. It was a daily practice and an idea for which people were willing to make extreme sacrifices. Nowadays, people don’t rely on religion as much as they used to for community, security, and guidance. Looking more specifically at American religion, according to a Pew Research Center survey from 2012, the “number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.” Could this trend amongst adults correlate with the experiences of teenagers?
Eli J. ‘24, a sophomore at Grace, identifies as Jewish and practices rituals associated with holidays like Channukah and Rosh Hashanah. Eli agreed that, in his experience, it was difficult to maintain his faith during the pandemic. Without spaces like churches, mosques, and synagogues, it can be very difficult to maintain one’s faith during a time of isolation and strict stay-at-home regulations. A fundamental figure in practicing worship is a person of guidance like a pastor or an imam.
When asked about his ability to practice his faith in the past year and a half, Alejandro R. ‘24 admitted that,
“there’s only so much you can do on your own.”
Grace Church Episcopal Church, 46 Cooper Square. Media provided by Gazette Media Staff.
Faith can be difficult to maintain, especially during a pandemic. As stated by Mariema T. ’22, who is Muslim, “During Covid, we couldn’t have classes anymore and [the classes] moved from in-person to online so it became less of a tangible experience.”
The pandemic presented new challenges to teenagers with a religious affiliation. Online school imposed a new schedule and disrupted the routine of our daily lives. When the pandemic hit New York City, students stopped traveling to school, dropped their in-person extracurriculars, retreated inside their homes, and were ultimately restricted from visiting their houses of worship. It was a difficult time for students to simply wake up in the morning and complete their homework, let alone keep up with their religious obligations.
According to another Pew Research Center investigation, this weakening of faith evident in some Grace students is contradictory to the experience of the rest of the world. As the report explained, “some Americans say their religious faith has strengthened as a result of the outbreak, even as the vast majority of U.S. churchgoers report that their congregations have closed regular worship services to the public.”
If so many Americans have strengthened their faith during the pandemic, why might a student’s faith dwindle during the pandemic? This loss of faith in students is probable because children often adopt the religion of their parents. Another Pew Research survey was conducted to affirm these claims, discovering that “When it comes to religious activities in general, about two-thirds of teens who do religious things with their family say they do so partly or mostly because their parents want them to.” Since adolescents may want to break away from a religion they practice only because it was their parents’ choice, these teenagers and students do just that while their parents are distracted by the pandemic.
Without houses of worship, students’ faith diminished because there was no sense of community to encourage them, no religious figure for advice and guidance, and little hope to continue. Now, though, as March 2020 becomes more and more of a distant memory, communities can start visiting houses of worship weekly and freely express faith in places where they feel most comfortable and supported.