It is now one year on since the first lockdown in March 2020. What is the verdict on faith & the role it has played?
We have witnessed priests being barred from entering churches & cathedrals transformed into vaccination centres showing how they can serve society in new ways. There was a realisation that while bodies needed protecting, our souls still needed nurturing.
Some have questioned how God could let Covid happen, taking away loved ones & found their faith had disappeared. Others have seen Covid as yet another challenge in the randomness of life with religion being there to help us respond courageously & altruistically.
During lockdown, for some, prayers at home lacked the spiritual power of a sacred place. Others have faced less disruption, seeing worship as not dependent on location. Jewish prayer is communal that needs a quorum of ten. Christianity places more emphasis on personal prayer, done more easily alone.
Orthodox Rabbis have refused to do zoom services on the Sabbath because it involved electricity. Church leaders that had already embraced technology were better equipped for online worship.
Nearly all religious groups have reported a higher attendance at online services than in person, attracting newcomers needing to connect with God to fill a spiritual void. It allowed access to worship for the housebound, busy keyworkers, those with mobility issues or living too far way.
So, what will happen once lockdown is over?
Religious life cannot simply carry on as before.
No doubt some new attendees will drop away. Some who came in person will now prefer online services (like high street shoppers). The challenge is not to abandon the internet regulars but at the same time encourage people to come physically. So, services will need to be a two-tier system addressing those in the pew & those on the screen. Clergy need to face two audiences.
What will happen to sharing the peace if there is a reluctance to shake hands? What about communion or refreshments after the service? How do we avoid religious life becoming safer but colder?
Faith groups will have to marry tradition & change in a creative way as we emerge from lockdown into the sunlight.
Faith will thrive but worship will never be the same.
Edited, courtesy Saturday Times 20/03/21