As the novel coronavirus continues to hit the nation, states are still operating with varying guidelines and intensities. Without a consistent federal response to this ongoing public health crisis, many people are turning to people they may trust more—like religious leaders. As CNN reports, Mormon church leaders in Utah have asked church members to wear face masks while in public in order to help slow the spread of the virus. And as Daily Kos has covered in the past, not all people of faith are using their leadership position to encourage safety.
In an email from the Utah Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to church members, leaders Randy Funk, Craig Christensen, and Walter González wrote: "We are in the midst of a global pandemic unlike any the world has experienced in more than a century.” The email, obtained by The Desert News, notes: “Latter-day Saints are not immune." The email also praises members for wearing masks during church services, though most temples are still closed.
Of course, as Daily Kos covered at the time, some religious leaders have actually argued close to the opposite message when speaking to constituents. For example, one Florida megachurch leader famously said, “if we die, we die for Christ,” when he encouraged people to continue coming to services even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended groups smaller than 50 people. A few weeks later in March, the same church leader was actually arrested after he continued holding packed services in spite of the county’s “safer-at-home” order.
Sadly, that sort of incident wasn’t a one-time thing. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for example, a pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church defied orders and had hundreds of people attend services, eventually leading to him being arrested and charged.
Jerry Falwell Jr. is another leader who has quite a bit of power; he’s the president of Evangelical college Liberty University, and while other states were shuttering campuses and minimizing dorm occupancy, Falwell actually invited students who had departed for spring break back to campus. Not long after some returned, some reported possible COVID-19 symptoms.
The takeaway is that while ideally our federal government would have responsible, science-based guidelines, and states and local ordinances would also be following and enforcing them consistently, our reality is significantly different. People have all sorts of reasons for who they’re listening to when it comes to the pandemic response, and when a pandemic affects everyone, we have to remember that some people will be swayed by religious or faith leaders. Leaders in the Mormon church will hopefully push others to follow suit and spread the same health-minded advice to others. Especially because Utah is in the thick of an outbreak right now.