Examining Causes and Implications of COVID 19 pandemic from Religious Education Perspectives

Abstract

This paper examines the Religious Education (RE) perspective of the causes of disease epidemics and plagues such as COVID 19 from the lenses of biblical teachings. The COVID 19 that started in China in December 2019 and has caused unforetold suffering and death globally, hitting hard on developed countries such as; China, Italy, Britain, Spain, and the United States. At the time of carrying out this study, more than 1,000,000 people had died from COVID and over 30,000,000 were confirmed infected cases in at least 177 countries the world over (World Health Organization, 2020). The global spread of coronavirus has proved to the world that there is no superpower and no man-made technological advancement can replace God's supernatural power and the virus spares no one. From a biblical perspective, human trust in political and economic power, technology, nations embracing homosexuality/lesbianism as normal, human arrogance and pride, oppression of the poor, religious hypocrisy in churches and mosques all have the potential to ignite God's wrath. Coronavirus shut down cities, public transport, and businesses and created an economic, social, and political crisis at a global level. Public means of transport like buses, trains, taxis, personal cars, and motorcycles are all out of use. Air spaces are empty and many airports around the world are closed, Entebbe airport of Uganda inclusive. In many countries, passenger planes are grounded. Even borders are closed, and human quarantine is the order of the day. No movements of citizens from one country to another. The tourism industry is down, many hotels are empty, restaurants; shopping malls, and shops are closed. Prostitutes and criminals have been rendered out of action by the pandemic. Every country is nursing its citizens, fighting an unseen tiny enemy called COVID 19. Many firms and financial institutions have laid off their workers, and now people have to struggle to bring food for the family on the table. The majority of the poor are lacking everything especially food. People have been confined to their homes, businesses are closed, schools and institutions of learning are closed. Sick people and pregnant mothers are confined to their homes, they have no means of transport to reach health centers for treatment. There are no more parties to attend, no night clubs, no hangouts to meet up with friends, no weddings, no discos, no soccer matches, and too many people on the streets, and even money banked on accounts is useless. The global lockdown has brought silence in the streets, cars are just parked there, demobilized. Hundreds of bodies in the most affected countries are buried in mass graves and family members are unable to arrange for funerals of their relatives because of the stigma and isolation attached to the diseases. The entire world is quiet, nobody can travel to outside countries for medical treatment, business, or conferences. People have died from the COVID 19 pandemic in large numbers daily in countries like Italy, Spain, India, Brazil, South Africa, and the USA. Even superpowers are failing to contain this disease because at the moment, there is no cure or vaccine for it. Due to the negative effects of the virus, nothing else in life seems to be very important. Spouses who have been avoiding one another are now locked together and this has increased domestic violence. Against this backdrop, many Christians have raised questions about whether or not, COVID 19 is a punishment from God. This narrative is based on the teachings from Leviticus 26; 14-46 and Deuteronomy 28; 15-68 which spells out God's wrath upon the disobedience of mankind. Deuteronomy 28; 59, says "I will send on your descendant's incurable diseases and epidemics that cannot be stopped" because you disobeyed the law. From a religious perspective, COVID 19 events point the call to repentance and a return to God as in Amos 5, 8; 4-14. Coronavirus is a wake-up call that this world is temporary and no matter how much we struggle and accumulate wealth in life, death awaits us and it's a reality that life is vanity (Ecclesiastes 12) that science cannot challenge.