RRL

The coming of pandemic at the close of the year 2020 evaporated the earlier methods of
worship and rituals maintained from decades and centuries. The followers of Christianity have used
traditional methods to reach the audience. In recent times, they take the help of radio, television, and
online sources for the purpose of religion that this pandemic has changed all. In this period of pandemic
and lockdown, importance of social distancing is most significant to check the spread of COVID-19.
Several branches of Christianity suspend the daily and weekly religious rituals so that people could
remain in their houses and guidelines of social distancing is followed.

Singh, R. (June,2020). Impact of Covid-19 on Religion and Beyond. Retrieved From ([

https://thegeopolitics.com/Impact -of-covid-19-on-religion-and-beyond/]).

"The situation of many Filipinos these days is pitiful. Lockdown is not the same for everyone.
More than physical hunger, they have spiritual hunger. It's a spiritual battle and we need to hold on to
our faith to survive this. ," Eduardo Vasquez, one of the priest who serves to bless deceased people,
amid the prohibition of religious gatherings, including funerals, during the government imposed
lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. , in Caloocan, Metro Manila,
Philippines.

Lopez E. (2020). In a Philippine Lockdown, Priests Bring Church to Community. Manila. Retrieved From ([
https://reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-philippines-church-idUSKBN22B1SM }).

With churches closed in Metro Manila, the faithful are flocking to services online. Christians in
the Philippines have taken to Telegram, Zoom and other online services to worship together after the
capital region was put under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus infections. Religious
gatherings have been shown to facilitate the rapid spread of the coronavirus in other countries, such as
Malaysia where the annual Tabligh Akbar drew 16,000 pilgrims from 27 countries in late February. In
South Korea, a gathering at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus was blamed for more than half of all
infections in the country. In these areas, some people continue to attend services, although some
churches have introduced precautionary measures. The Borongan Cathedral in Eastern Samar province
has placed yellow tape on its pews to limit the number of worshippers in each row to two or three, so
that they remain a safe distance apart. Winfred Hoe, a Catholic living on the outskirts of Metro Manila,
said that although it was traditional to visit church during Lent, "people must accept that praying at
home does not compromise one's faith".

Billing L. (2020). Coronavirus: Lockdown Forces Filipinos to Find New Ways to Worship. Manila.
Retrieved From: ([ https://amp.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/coronavirus-lockdown-forces-
filipinos-to-find-new-ways-to-worship-1.999135 ])
Statement of the Problem/ Objectives

Online worship is the best way for now to evaporate the earlier methods of worship and rituals.
By the use of radio, television, and online sources and platforms, people would stay at their houses and
all the guidelines of government would be followed.

This study aims to determine how a PCBET-01-201A Accountancy student in Rizal Technological
University adapts the online worship services in this time of pandemic that could help the researchers
and readers to look forward in helping the society for better with the following questions:

1. The demographic profile of the respondent in terms of:

1.1 Religion

1.2 Age; and

1.3 Sex

2. Did online worship services relieves spiritual distress such as;

2.1 Hopelessness

2.2 Depression

2.3 Anxiety

2.4 Questioning the meaning of life

3. In what ways did a person/student cope-up problem while maintaining a strong faith to God
in this time of pandemic?

4. What are the realizations that the student had amidst pandemic that leads to find his
purpose and meaning to life?

This case study will accomplish this aim by meeting the following objectives:

1. To know the transformation of worshipping God.

2. To find out how to handle spiritual self in this time of pandemic.

3. To know the ways on how to maintain the connection with God.

Interview Questions Sample

1. What did you learn about the importance of spiritual self in times of pandemic?

2. Who is the person that you’re not afraid to share things with?

3. How did you trust him to those times that you’re down?

4. How many times did you used online worship in a week?

5. What are the advantages of adapting online worship now since we’re amidst pandemic?

The COVID 19 pandemic is disrupting the world. Congregations of the faithful at the local and
transnational levels are strongly recommended by several world religions and religious orders, however,
a gathering of large numbers of people in close approximation could be fertile ground for the spread of
novel pathogens. If the suspension of gatherings would refuse, this would lead to widespread dispersal
of infections. One of the strategies to prevent the contamination of COVID-19 is to cancel social
gatherings like religious activities.

One of the researches from African American survivors says that there are at least four
responses to the stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of their responses is increased the
engagement in religious activities but it is restricted to from attending church activities in person, they
found on-line services that permitted them to actually engage in more worship services than previously
when there were no COVID-19 restrictions. This is consistent with other reports of African Americans
adapting to their needs for spiritual support via churches through on-line and social media formats
during this pandemic.

A second type of increased engagement is through prayer. A realization among these

participants was that the risk and potential harm from this pandemic was larger and more splitting than
any other and one only God could soothe it. This response of relying to God to cope with fear, social
isolation, and to provide for needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic brings to our attention to a function
of spirituality not emphasized in literature during this pandemic. The findings from previous research
suggests that a lack of meaningful social interactions from some adversely affects one’s mental and
physical health; however, the short and long-term effects from physical distancing imposed by the
COVID-19 pandemic are unclear.

A third response was related to listening to gospel music and reading biblical text during
stressful life events. These religious practices are consistent with and further extend what is known
about the functioning of these practices to calm, strengthen and encourage. Reading biblical text
provided an additional resource for the relief of fears and anxieties through the belief that an all-
powerful deity is important source of protection.
 The fourth and final category was the use of spirituality to find meaning and purpose amidst
COVID-19 Pandemic. The mandate of physical distancing has resulted in time alone to reflect and think.
That time of reflection resulted on individual life goals, reconnection with old friends by phone or social
media, or even engagement in life-long opportunities through attendance in available courses on-line.
This is recalled previous plagues from the Bible, God’s purpose for calamities, ways in which individuals
survived those times through being obedient. Similarly, survivorship of the pandemic is possible through
persisting to the mandates for physical distancing.