#193
Tackling Polarization Through Dialogue and Collaboration

Polarization around responses to the COVID-19 pandemic appears if anything to be increasing. This is reflected in various dialogue initiatives within and among religious communities that aim to address divides. In a Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs Faith in Action blog post, Daanyal Ebrahim illustrates ways in which the pandemic has exacerbated the instrumentalization of religion in India. In particular, on- and off-line discrimination and violence against Muslims has been on the rise, fueled by the stigmatization of minority group by Hindu nationalists, including members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Ebrahim argues that interreligious tensions in the country can still be mitigated through dialogue and a revived form of secularism that embraces India’s religious diversity. In the United States, some Catholic priests have contributed to the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories among their congregants, putting them at risk, as highlighted by Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. Some bishops have condemned these behaviors by sending private messages and issuing public statements, but another perspective holds that Catholic clergy have not done enough to stop priests from spreading COVID-19-related misinformation. Others have argued that tougher responses from bishops could contribute to worsening polarization within the Catholic Church and in society more broadly, while their priority should be to build bridges between different positions.
 
Efforts to tackle misinformation and perceived divergence between science and religion continue. Francis Collins, founder of BioLogos, an organization seeking to integrate Christian and scientific approaches, expressed his concern over polarization and the “culture war” preventing people from getting the vaccine. In particular, he lamented that white evangelicals in the United States were being “victimized by the misinformation and lies and conspiracies that are floating around, particularly on social media and some of it in cable news.” Based on recent research, BioLogos President Deborah Haarsma argued that public health information should be better tailored to congregants’ values, such as their sense of community or their patriotism, and is most effective when delivered by people they trust. 
 
On February 4, USAID Administrator Samantha Power signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the interreligious initiative Faiths4Vaccines. The partnership aims to bring different governmental and non-governmental stakeholders together to enhance global responses to COVID-19 over the next year. The collaboration is to focus especially on countering misinformation and vaccine hesitancy and on fostering vaccination uptake through local campaigns and action.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the use of technologies for worship. Bishop D.J. Soto had started a virtual reality (VR) church already in 2016, which was joined by many people over the last two years. The experience is especially valuable for those who are unable to attend in-person services, but it can also enhance participation through specific VR features. For example, a participant said that his attendance was made more meaningful by a virtual rendering of the scripture he was reading during service. Lately, there have been speculations around the possibility of holding religious services and gatherings in the metaverse, which many see as the internet’s new frontier. However, Pastor A.R. Bernard of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, NY, counters that these would not replace the physical experience of attending a service in person and sharing the space with fellow worshippers.