By Doug Skeggs 
I happened to be in our back garden this past Sunday morning and heard bells ringing from one of the churches across the Muskrat River.
It got me thinking about my neighbours and others in our community who typically attend church services every Sunday, and wondering how they’re doing. Attending church is just one more of the things we can’t do, as we remain locked down during the pandemic.
Always trying to see a potential positive in anything, it occurred to me, Hmm, I wonder if this time away from the temples, and churches, and mosques might be a bit of a catalyst for some people who may already be soft on religion but still going through the motions.
A few challenging but cheeky questions come to mind: If god created everything, did she create this virus, and why? Why isn’t god saving us from this virus? Why does this virus not seem to care which religion a person might follow before infecting them?
The answers are comically obvious, but I wonder if somewhere, a person who is really just going through the motions of religion, might look around during this time-away-from-church and conclude that, You know what? Sunday mornings are pretty cool. Lots of time to prepare a nice family breakfast, some interesting programs on CBC radio, I get to wear my PJs until noon… Hmm, perhaps I’ll make this permanent.
Maybe some folks will simply not go back to church when this is over. In my view, that would be a good thing.
This article appears in the May 2020 version of Critical Links.