COVID-19 has impacted all facets of life worldwide. One of the many institutions forced to alter their traditional modes of meeting and practice has been faith communities. With so much of the world participating in organized religion, it begs the question, what role does faith play in peoples’ experiences of the pandemic? Additionally, as the number of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding increase, do people perceive the COVID-19 pandemic as a similar natural disaster? How does the COVID-19 experience compare in people’s minds to other forms of natural disaster, such as hurricanes? Over the summer of 2020, I interviewed faith leaders from various communities throughout the southeast United States who have previously experienced hurricanes to understand the evolving relationship between faith and the natural world, and how that relationship has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zoom password is 167217