South Korean Churches Increasingly Closing Due to Coronavirus Spread
As I predicted church services in South Korea are now being effected by the spread of the coronavirus linked to a church in Daegu:
Consequently, South Korean religious communities have been seeking preventive measures as there have been growing fears about religious events in large churches and temples that can become a focal point of infections.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu has suspended all Masses held by churches, institutions and schools in the diocese for two weeks until March 5.
It is the first time that a Catholic diocese has decided not to hold Masses since the first outbreak was reported in South Korea on Jan. 20.
A church in central Seoul was closed for about two weeks earlier this month as one of its believers was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.
However, few Protestant and Catholic churches or Buddhist temples have actually rescheduled or reduced their services or events despite the rapid spread of the virus.
Yonhap
If people are avoiding cramped churches it seems then that sporting venues will next be avoided by Koreans.
In HG Wells’s War of the Worlds, the invasion from Mars ended up being defeated by humble terrestrial microbes. Will COVID-19 microorganisms also be the death of the invasive memeplex that is religion? (Tongue only partially in cheek.)
Sorry Kevin, humans like to create lists of dos and don’ts.
God sends plagues so He can get our attention, so we will stop complaining, and so we will repent. And for other reasons..
We don’t need rituals, we need repentance and a relationship with God. That’s the message of the Bible.
All religions are rituals. And many so-called Christians fall victim to the “if I do this God will love me” heresy.
Ephesians 2:8-9 ought to have settled that; but we all want a way to be the master of our own destiny…