Thanks be to God the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ who has been a fortress to us all against every wind of life. There are several schools of thought as regards the issue of the Corona lockdown and religious activities, from healthcare professional view to the layman ideology. However distinguished readers, it is my duty to tell you my informed perspective on the matter as brief and informal as possible. Stay with me! 

Religion and Mankind
According to Rashmi Iyer, "Religion is a system of sacred belief and practices both in the tangible and intangible form". Parts of the most significant importance of Religion to mankind are; 

-For Cultural Identity
-Values and Ethics,
-Spiritual Connect
-And The Idea of Welfare... (Rashmi Iyer 2018 emphasis mine)

It is important for us to understand the background of how Spirituality is linked up with the Soul of its adherents and by extension their mental health/psychological well-being. Health, according to the World Health Organization, is 'the state of complete physical, social and mental well-being and not necessarily the absence of infirmities'. It is important for us as humans to understand that the lockdown is very useful for our physical well-being, however, because health stands on the tripod of physical, social and mental well-being, it is therefore pertinent to ensure the concurrent wellness of the population in the other two areas as highlighted by WHO i. e.  Social and mental. 


Without a bias towards any religion, it is more than obvious that people get much morales when in their religious gatherings because it is not only a communion of physical bodies but a coming together of Souls, of Angels, and of the Heavenly (Hebrews 12;22). Hence, the lockdown has created a psychological adjustment to religious individuals therefore creating a vacuum yearning for treatment and attention. There are poor families that rely on local church members help, the lockdown has truncated such weekly blessings, many faint hearted are weekly blessed by the warmth of pews enshrined by God's presence.

Christianity is mysterious to the unsaved, but the power thereof is undeniable. Children are generally happier and more comfortable when amidst their peers, but the lockdown and online services could not afford them such opportunity, and therefore, it is telling on their performances. Alas! This same thing is happening to them because children chapels are locked and they are 'fixed at home' with their parents, that is very challenging to the mind of the children, we must understand.

It is also hilarious and laughable that public markets where people go to everyday are open while churches which operates maximum of 3times/week are locked down, isn't that funny? Apart from the high frequency in the market places, many people may not care to do adequate personal hygiene when going to market places but almost every church members do bath to church services, in the least, so why should we still lock the church where personal hygiene is higher? 
No matter how great and pleasant an online service can be, it can never be as refreshing and edifying as physical church meetings explained Rick Warren in one of his classic books.

Now, considering the necessities of Social Distancing, every church should decrease the number of worshippers. In fact, several studies have shown that smaller church meetings/fellowships are more participatory for members than thousands congregational meeting where even many worshippers ended up on the gallery watching TV inside the church because of population(Warren 2002). 
It is also important for the Church to understand that the government is not witch-hunting any group but the public measures are for the general safety of the citizens. Likewise and without prejudice, the government should also be aware that many of her citizens needs active physical church meetings where they can mingle and relate freely without upbraiding, for the attainment of their complete health and wellness. 
Spirituality, Religion and Mankind are quite inseparable and the Soul of man is complex to be caged and confined."While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. In God’s family you are connected to every other believer..."  (Warren 2002, Pg 130).

May the Lord be with His Church. 

AKINTAYO ABIODUN DAVID(A4)
MBBS 2K17