In Japan, COVID seemed to deliver a very serious blow to any organized religion. There was a prominent case early on of a superspreader event in a South Korean church that got a lot of press attention here. In response, all of the religious organizations I know of stopped holding public events and at best held quiet private festivals with the most highly involved priests. Even with the pandemic declared over and people no longer required to wear masks, attendance is not picking up. Instead, it is dying out. Most of Japan's religious people tended to be older to begin with, and they had a very high vaccination rate. One member of a group I am active with was hospitalized with something or other and shared a room with a COVID patient, from whom he caught the bug and was subsequently neglected enough that he phoned a family member saying, "I'm dying. Can you call the nurse to me?" He passed away some ten minutes later, we were told. Others simply perceive themselves as having aged a lot, and are too preoccupied with struggling through each day to attend to spiritual matters. One group I belong to appears to be on its last legs, and another group I have been active with for nearly 25 years is not holding its training course this year for the 4th year in a row. They'll provide a mini-course online. Most of the younger people I know have been prevented from doing very much outside the home and every time I ask, the situation is the same. We have a holiday coming up, but no one is going anywhere, not even hiking. COVID caused Japan simply to go very local, close its doors, and stop engaging in all forms of "unnecessary" cultural or spiritual activities. Along with face masks, it appears to have created permanent or near-permanent changes in this society. I don't know how it will all play out, but the situation is very sad at the moment.
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branchandroot
Re: Religious affiliation since the coof?
Date: 2023-04-26 11:55 am (UTC)Most of Japan's religious people tended to be older to begin with, and they had a very high vaccination rate. One member of a group I am active with was hospitalized with something or other and shared a room with a COVID patient, from whom he caught the bug and was subsequently neglected enough that he phoned a family member saying, "I'm dying. Can you call the nurse to me?" He passed away some ten minutes later, we were told. Others simply perceive themselves as having aged a lot, and are too preoccupied with struggling through each day to attend to spiritual matters. One group I belong to appears to be on its last legs, and another group I have been active with for nearly 25 years is not holding its training course this year for the 4th year in a row. They'll provide a mini-course online.
Most of the younger people I know have been prevented from doing very much outside the home and every time I ask, the situation is the same. We have a holiday coming up, but no one is going anywhere, not even hiking. COVID caused Japan simply to go very local, close its doors, and stop engaging in all forms of "unnecessary" cultural or spiritual activities. Along with face masks, it appears to have created permanent or near-permanent changes in this society. I don't know how it will all play out, but the situation is very sad at the moment.