ABSTRACT
College students in a death and dying class reflect on what lessons they have gleaned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the pandemic has changed their perceptions of both death and dying and life, in general. Changes from the pandemic, of course, have been profound, disrupting all facets of human life everywhere, including major milestones that include end-of-life rituals. Representing what sociologist and theologian Peter Berger termed a “marginal situation,” a period of extreme instability and adversity characterizes the pandemic. Death events also are marginal situations. Religion enters the picture by providing a “sacred reality” to help individuals make sense of the crisis and to restore the social order. In doing so, religion may help mitigate fears and anxiety, enabling healthier ways to cope with crises. The current study in part addresses the tangled relationship between religion and death anxiety. The focus, however, is not so much on this complicated relationship but on how college students make sense of death and the dying process and certain death events. More specifically, under what circumstances do college students invoke religion when dealing with issues related to death and dying, and how do they use religion to make sense of death?
