Church leader's Interpretation of COVID-19 in Nigeria: Science, Conspiracies, and Spiritualization
The need for governments across the globe to collaborate with religious leaders in the fight against COVID-19 has been emphasized by international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there has not been much discernible scholarly effort to know what religious leaders...
| Subtitles: | "Spirituality, Mental Health, and COVID-19" |
|---|---|
| Authors: | ; ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science + Business Media B. V.
2024
|
| In: |
Journal of religion and health
Year: 2024, Volume: 63, Issue: 1, Pages: 741-764 |
| Further subjects: | B
church leaders
B Conspiracy Theories B Interpretations B Covid-19 B Government B Religious leaders B Spiritualization B Nigeria |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The need for governments across the globe to collaborate with religious leaders in the fight against COVID-19 has been emphasized by international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there has not been much discernible scholarly effort to know what religious leaders think of COVID-19. The present study, therefore, explored the interpretations church leaders have about COVID-19 in Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen leaders from Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. Using a thematic analytical approach, the study found that only few church leaders interpreted COVID-19 as a medical problem in line with science (33%). The rest interpreted the virus as a tool of conspiracies/political manoeuvrings (27%) and as a spiritual event (39%). The study discussed the implications of the findings for policy and research as well as how to address some of the harmful interpretations. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1573-6571 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s10943-023-01947-9 |