The central organizational pattern of most modern religions in the U.S. is group worship, which has temporarily for the most part been mandated out of existence.
The most dramatic result has been the exceedingly quick shift of religious services from in-person to virtual, online worship.The abrupt cessation of in-person worship in churches, synagogues and mosques around the country is one of the most significant sudden disruptions in the practice of religion in U.S.
history. But "virtual" worship is certainly not a new concept in this country. For almost a century, religious entities have been using "new" methods of communication to reach vast audiences -- first radio, then television; and, in recent years, well before the current COVID-19