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Erschienen in:

14.11.2023 | Original Paper

Church leader’s Interpretation of COVID-19 in Nigeria: Science, Conspiracies, and Spiritualization

verfasst von: George C. Nche, Uchechukwu M. Agbo, Malachy I. Okwueze

Erschienen in: Journal of Religion and Health | Ausgabe 1/2024

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Abstract

The need for governments across the globe to collaborate with religious leaders in the fight against COVID-19 has been emphasized by international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there has not been much discernible scholarly effort to know what religious leaders think of COVID-19. The present study, therefore, explored the interpretations church leaders have about COVID-19 in Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen leaders from Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. Using a thematic analytical approach, the study found that only few church leaders interpreted COVID-19 as a medical problem in line with science (33%). The rest interpreted the virus as a tool of conspiracies/political manoeuvrings (27%) and as a spiritual event (39%). The study discussed the implications of the findings for policy and research as well as how to address some of the harmful interpretations.
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Metadaten
Titel
Church leader’s Interpretation of COVID-19 in Nigeria: Science, Conspiracies, and Spiritualization
verfasst von
George C. Nche
Uchechukwu M. Agbo
Malachy I. Okwueze
Publikationsdatum
14.11.2023
Verlag
Springer US
Erschienen in
Journal of Religion and Health / Ausgabe 1/2024
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01947-9