Religious Ritual Compliance with COVID-19 Mandates in Plain Communities: A Case Study of Amish Obituaries and Funeral Practices
Measures to limit COVID-19's spread were vital at the pandemic's onset. While some churches complied with public health mandates, others resisted them. Some religious ceremonies depend on third parties independent of the church. Funerals may require mortuary services overseen by funeral di...
| Authors: | ; ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2024
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| In: |
Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 2024, Volume: 63, Issue: 2, Pages: 333-349 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
USA
/ Amish
/ Funeral rite
/ COVID-19 (Disease)
/ Pandemic
/ Health policy
/ Undertakers
/ Geschichte 2020
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy CB Christian life; spirituality CG Christianity and Politics CH Christianity and Society KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBQ North America KDG Free church RB Church office; congregation TK Recent history ZC Politics in general |
| Further subjects: | B
Public Policy
B Covid-19 B Ritual B Street-level bureaucracy B Funeral |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Measures to limit COVID-19's spread were vital at the pandemic's onset. While some churches complied with public health mandates, others resisted them. Some religious ceremonies depend on third parties independent of the church. Funerals may require mortuary services overseen by funeral directors. Religious groups that may otherwise resist public health directives may comply when they depend on a third party. Extending street-level bureaucracy theory, we examine the role of service providers who function as street-level bureaucrats in shaping how religious groups respond to public policy mandates. Using the case of funeral rites in Old Order Amish churches, we content-analyzed Old Order Amish obituaries from an Amish correspondence newspaper and interviewed funeral directors that serve the Amish. We found that the content of obituaries changed to incorporate COVID-19 mitigation strategies due to requirements from some funeral homes. We also found that funeral directors used discretion to interpret health mandates. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-5906 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12889 |