Unit 2 Paper: Religious Practices in the Wake of COVID-19In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many religious communities have had to adjust their ritual practices. Congregations that normally met for daily prayer or for special weekly congregational prayer services (such as the jummah prayer at a mosque, shabbat services at a synagogue, or Sunday gatherings at a church) are no longer able to do so, due to the need for social distancing, and certain rituals that require physical contact or the presence of a group can no longer be observed in the traditional manner.In this paper, you should select one ritual or practice to focus on, and do the following:1.Explain what the ritual is, and how it is typically observed. You should rely on reputable sources (such as academic books and articles), not just personal experience, to explain the ritual or practice in question.2.Explain how a specific religious community has adjusted this ritual in the wake of COVID-19. For example, have they changed how the ritual is observed? Have they stopped doing the ritual all together? How did the community reach these decisions (if you can find an explanation)?3.Reflect on how these changes might impact a participant’s exp
erience. For example, what is the difference between attending a church service in person, and attending a service over Zoom or livestream?Note: You may choose to focus on a very specific religious community (e.g. First Baptist Church of Baltimore) or a broader denomination or group (e.g. Baptists). If you like, you may also compare responses in different denominations of the same tradition (e.g. Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism).General GuidelinesYour paper should be approximately 4-6 pages in length, written in 12 pt font, double-spaced, with 1-in margins. It should include your name and an original title.Sources should be cited using Chicago citation guidelines (notes-bibliography format), and you must include a bibliography. Getting StartedBelow are some possible practices/rituals you might choose to focus on. These are only a few ideas – any ritual or prayer service that might be impacted in one of the traditions we are studying is fair game!Congregational prayer services at a mosque, synagogue, or churchCommunion/EucharistHajjReciting the Mourner’s kaddish in Judaism (which typically requires the presence of a minyan or quorum of 10 people)Lifecycle rituals such as weddings and funerals