COVID-19 og religion

Abstract

Personal and societal crises often generate existential or religious questions. The article examines differences between how religiously oriented Danes think about the causes of the coronavirus and how the pandemic should be handled, compared with less religious' Danes. Unsurprisingly, the least-religious Danes are less disturbed by the extended lockdown of faith communities. Further, the article demonstrates that while a minority of Danes is very religious, those who are have a clear sense of social and religious deprivation as a result of COVID restrictions. Many in this group have participated in online community activities, but few consider these to be satisfactory alternatives to physical services. Generally, there is widespread support for the rational and scientific explanation of the virus and how it should be handled, but a minority of the most religious think the virus has divine origin and should be handled by following God's plan.