[Desk Column] The Church Must Be a Partner of Society

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads rapidly, the daily lives and livelihoods of the people are once again facing a serious crisis. The government, which had limited social distancing level 2 to Seoul and the metropolitan area, expanded it nationwide on the 23rd and is now even considering raising it to level 3.

If social distancing is raised to level 3, gatherings, meetings, and events of more than 10 people will be prohibited, and operations will be suspended not only at high-risk facilities but also at medium-risk facilities such as bathhouses and movie theaters. In fact, most self-employed businesses will have to close their doors. This means the loss of means of livelihood.

In this situation, the irrational behavior of some religious figures such as Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church and the insistence on face-to-face worship by some churches are deeply regrettable. For example, last Sunday, the Busan city authorities and police simultaneously inspected 1,765 churches in the Busan area, and 270 of them violated administrative orders and held face-to-face worship. This is a challenge to the national quarantine system and the legitimate exercise of public authority, as well as a threat to citizen safety.

If churches insist on face-to-face worship solely on the grounds of 'doctrinal duty' or 'the essence of faith,' and say, "Worship is our life, and the current administrative order infringes on the constitutional fundamental right of religious freedom," this is an act of turning away from social health and public well-being.

The German Constitutional Court ruled early on April 10 (local time) in an unconstitutional lawsuit filed by a Catholic organization in Berlin against the ban on religious events that "the protection of life must take precedence over religious freedom." It emphasized that "even if the ban on religious events seriously infringes on religious freedom, protecting life from danger takes precedence over the fundamental right of religious freedom." Furthermore, the German Constitutional Court added that the restriction on religious freedom is necessary to maintain the public health system and is a temporary measure that does not infringe on the core of religious freedom.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 transmitted through droplets in daily life, social distancing that refrains from gatherings as much as possible and avoids crowded indoor spaces is essential. From February 17 to 21, a Christian evangelical church held its annual prayer meeting in Mulhouse, Alsace region, northeastern France. Afterward, a large number of COVID-19 confirmed cases emerged among the believers who attended the prayer meeting throughout France.

The Israeli government once locked down Bnei Brak, a central city where ultra-Orthodox Jewish believers live collectively, due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. These believers refused COVID-19 testing and did not comply well with government measures such as restrictions on gatherings, remaining isolated from general society.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Protestant community, unlike the Catholic Church or Buddhism, was unable to respond quickly under a single guideline. However, many individual churches subsequently switched to online worship and participated in refraining from in-church worship. Within the Protestant community, there is dissatisfaction that although many churches are striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the entire community is being criticized due to the reckless actions of some churches.

As COVID-19 confirmed cases surge in churches nationwide, the focus of criticism, which had been concentrated on Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), seems to be shifting beyond Sarang Jeil Church to the entire established Protestant denominations.

If COVID-19 continues to spread through churches at this critical juncture, and if the established churches do not practice love for neighbors and respect for life while neighbors are engulfed in COVID-19 fear, how are they any different from Shincheonji or Sarang Jeil Church?

In these days when hostility toward Protestantism as a whole is rising due to the thoughtless behavior of some churches, Protestants must temporarily change the form of Sunday worship to regain trust. Churches must act not as sporadic infection links of COVID-19 but as partners and supporters of society to prevent it. This is the practice of Jesus' teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.