BackWill Covid-19 weaken the base of organized religions?
The impact of the epidemic on faiths could be similar to that of the bubonic plague on the Catholic Church
PremiumThe impact of the epidemic caused by Covid-19 is spreading far and wide. But unlike earlier epidemics, this one seems to have an unusual victim: organized religion, which is one of the strongest influences on human behaviour.
There is a familiar behavioural trend. Whenever a catastrophe occurs, a large number of people rush to religion for relief. According to Gallup Research, since the 1960s, less than 40% of Americans have believed that religion had any influence in their lives. All this changed as soon as two planes crashed into New York’s twin towers. The proportion of Americans who felt a need for faith suddenly shot up to 71%.
History also reminds us that the 14th century bubonic plague outbreak in Europe had a different impact on religion. In the initial days of the plague, religious leaders contended that the disease was a punishment from God for people’s sinful ways of life. Prayers and, more so, penance for one’s sins, including flogging oneself, were seen as ways to protect oneself from the epidemic. But when the catastrophe continued despite all these pious exertions, people slowly started losing faith in religion. Although the belief in God remained fairly intact, the plague accentuated anger towards the religious hierarchy in Europe. This culminated in one the biggest revolutions in religious history: the reformation movement.
How will the current outbreak impact religions? Will it increase religiosity to new heights, or will it shake the foundations of various organized religions?
The Shincheonji religious group in South Korea is accused of the rapid spread of the virus in that country. All places of worship, from China to Vatican City to Iran, have been closed as part of the efforts to prevent the virus from spreading. Religious authorities have asked worshippers to follow religious ceremonies on local TV channels or via Facebook Live, rather than congregate at their usual places of worship. What would the long-term impact of these initiatives be?
Humans will always want some solace in times of distress. Religious leaders have always converted these moments of helplessness into opportunities to make their presence felt. Religious beliefs are not going to be erased overnight due to the Covid-19 outbreak. But neither is it going to be business as usual for organized religions.
An immediate casualty will likely be faith healers. Prayer meetings with public healings were a trend that took off in the 1970s. The advent of television made it easy for these religious leaders to make healing sessions the climax of their prayer meetings. These religious healers have huge followings. With the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, many of these faith healers have disappeared. When they reappear after the epidemic, they will have a lot to explain: “Where was your healing power when the coronavirus was spreading all over?". But the Covid-19 outbreak could have a more significant impact on religions as well.
Religions have always advocated a spirit of community. Instead of allowing a group of people to mingle aimlessly, religious rituals tend to choreograph an agenda of activities that aims to build community bonds. Covid-19 has struck at this core attribute of organized religion. Health precautions have resulted in public gatherings and interactions between groups being banned in many places. Churches are asking followers to watch mass on YouTube or local television channels in the privacy of their homes.
With the large penetration of mobile phones, the majority of people, more so the younger generations, are already immersed in a personal world created by mobile internet connectivity. Religious ceremonies were some of the few occasions where people kept their mobile phones aside and interacted with others around them. Now with the coronavirus scare, religious ceremonies, one of the oldest occasions of social interaction, have been forced into people’s personal space. This is a significant change in human behaviour.
If the virus threat continues for long, mobile phones could become the preferred medium for religious activities. This new behaviour, which requires little to no effort, could easily become a habit, as traditional behaviour was more strenuous. But behavioural science reminds us that the level of commitment to any activity is directly correlated to the amount of effort put into it. So, if the level of effort required to participate in religious activities goes down, the commitment towards those activities will become proportionately weaker. This is not good news for the future of religion.
Consider the invention of the printing press in the 15th century; it was a technological development that spurred mass literacy in vernacular languages and accelerated forces of religious change. This invention helped reduce people’s interaction with an aloof, arrogant and corrupt religious hierarchy. Covid-19 now seems to be threatening the institutionalized community that organized religion always has been. What the bubonic plague and the printing press did to the Catholic Church in 15th century is what Covid-19 and the mobile phone could do to organized religion in the 21st century.
Given time and resources, health professionals across the world will surely find effective answers to tackle the health challenges of the outbreak. But will religions manage to remain unscathed from the unusual downturn that is likely to stem from the Covid-19 epidemic?
Biju Dominic is the chief executive officer of Final Mile Consulting, a behaviour architecture firm.
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