H1N1 Prompts Modifying Religious Rituals

Spiritual Leaders Take Precautions as Crowded Services Create Breeding Ground for Virus

(CBS)  On this Jewish New year a centuries old tradition is adjusting for the H1N1 virus.

"There is a custom that the Torah, when it is walked around, removed from the arc that people kiss the Torah. Someone asked me if that's sanitary, I said, well if you have a problem with it, you can wave at the torah, I think the Torah will understand," said Rabbi Moshe Waldoks at the Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Mass.

Beth Zion Temple in is recommending hand sanitizer and dropping the handshake, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.

"I'm proposing a pleasant Buddhist bow which acknowledges the person in front of you or the good old fashioned Obama fist bump," Waldoks said.

These are just some examples of the changes taking place in religious services this year. The CDC estimates there have been more than a million cases of H1N1 across all 50 states. Twenty-one states have already seen widespread outbreaks.

In Allen, Texas, at St. Jude's they are no longer sharing wine from the same chalice, one of the centerpieces of any Catholic service. The handshake that signals a sign of peace is replaced with a bow and a smile, and after every mass, each pew gets wiped down.

"At first when we asked them not to shake hands anymore, they all looked at each other said, 'What do I do?'" said Robert Halladay. "But they all did it because they understand it."

Mosques maybe best positioned to fight the spread of the H1N1 virus because before any Muslim begins their prayers, they are required to wash their hands at least three times.

"We believe that God is the creator," said Chernor Sa'ad Jalloh, Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York. "If you are standing in front of him, you need to be pure, you need to be clean."

At Manhattan's largest mosque, worshippers are celebrating the end of their holy month of Ramadan this weekend and consider their cleansing rituals as a blessing. Some see their mosque as a safe haven even from the flu.

"I feel safer here inside than outside," said Iftikhar Ahmad, a congregant. "I feel safer shaking hands here with you rather than going out at a party and shaking hands there with a person."

Regardless of faith, the CDC says if you have any flu like symptoms is best to avoid large gatherings altogether.

[Hosheen]

A good modification would be to disband all religions, sell all of their property and use the money for education and health care.

Everyone would be far better off without the lies and scams of religion.

[faithfulObserver]

Oh please. We are all becoming a bunch of hypochondriacs. The number of catholics who are sick each year is no higher than anyone else. This has always been the case. At a typical mass most of the 500-800 receive communion in the cup. If there was a problem, the evidence would be clear. It is not.

[habusteve]

The only reason we keep the swine flu in the news is because our drug companies stand to make millions of dollars off the flu vaccines.No other country in the world is or has been reporting on the swine flu like our media has been doing.

[spiritwalk]

It is also setting the stage for legislation that will require government mandated vaccinations.

We already have a situation where the government, such as in Massachusetts, is requiring mandatory purchase of health insurance from for profit companies.

We are approaching what is a second level of taxations where we will be forced to finance private corporations who will have no responsibility to anything but their own profit.

Where will it end? If legislation exists to forcibly mandate vaccines, as a matter of national security will that open the door to mandating implanted microchips, as a matter of national security?

It may sound fantastic today, but no more than forced injections and forced payments to private corporations sounded fantastic yesterday.

[anekar]

It is not the question of drug companies making millions out of H1N1 and even otherwise they have other drugs/formulations which give them plenty. Preventive health care is the key thru sanitisation with the help of non alcoholic, non toxic,non mutagenic hand sanitisers/disinfectants which are safe and healthy.

[spiritwalk]

Shouldn't we have seen a major outbreak somewhere in the world by now?

This flu has been around for a while now and unless this is a lot of hype I would think that we should be seeing more signs of it by now.

We hear about and a death here and there from time to time, but no more than in any flu outbreak.

Right now we have places like Massachusetts where they are passing laws requiring flu vaccinations or imprisonment and as yet no signs at all of a pandemic.

What is the story here?

[barbaram99]

The sighted and their fears. No body wants the flu. I can't see a smile. I can't see a bow.. A virus is in the air. wash yer paws.

[skicky]

yea I like you to say that,on judgement day !!!

[skicky]

Why don't the pork farmers back off with sick pigs
why are they letting get away toxic meat when they know
there a problem,why are egg farmer allowed to sell us egg
from sickly chics with tumors all over them,
you think in this modern age we be more human,
/????

[chi-11]

This is stupid and irresponsible. Sick pigs are not in any way related to H1N1.

You're delusional.

[Swine_Flu_Virus]

I'd like to encourage all extremists -- Zionists, Muslim jihadists and Christian fundamentalists alike -- to please kiss my a$$.

I'll gladly provide the hand sanitizer.

[UTinkUNoItAll]

...and then, they will all go home and send their children to school, where they will cough, sneeze, laugh and cough all over each other, touch all the same doorknobs, scissors, desks and cafeteria tables, come home and bring it to you.

[hungry1968-16]

If there REALLY was a god, he would prevent the people from catching ANY and ALL diseases, if at no other time, while they were worshiping and celebrating said god.

[rev_hellhorn]

They really shouldn't be interfering with the process of natural selection, now we will have to introduce some other form of pressure on the proliferation of superstitious boobs.

[slownewsday_5]

Religious rituals are as antiquated as the beliefs they support.

Nice to see they are at least dropping the dogma long enough to not infect each other.

[dowell100]

"We believe that God is the creator," said Chernor Sa'ad Jalloh, Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York. "If you are standing in front of him, you need to be pure, you need to be clean."

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Interesting. I bet even the terrorist wash their hands 3 times before they pray. Dirty on the inside, clean on the outside.