Religion and the Outbreak of COVID-19

The Pandemic as a Rite of Passage

Abstract

During the pandemic that began in early 2020, religious gatherings were seen as the epicenter of the outbreak. This paper draws on a variety of case studies, statistical data, and academic papers to show the relationship between religion and infection, and to discuss how religion is transformed in the process. From basic statistics, the high mortality rate in Christian countries in Western Europe and North and South America is obvious. This is due to a combination of factors, including the influx of people into global cities, ethnic groups living in dense populations, etc., but not due to Christianity alone. However, it was found that in the United States, except for the states surrounding New York City, worship attendance roughly correlated with mortality. Next, I argue that religion undergoes a threestage rite of passage process through the pandemic: demonization of COVID-19, stigmatization of religion, and re-purification of religion. Applying this three-stage process to Japan, we can see that many religions have adapted to scientific countermeasures against infection and have not experienced much demonization or stigmatization. The re-purification such as virtualization of worship or leadership in the community was also insufficient. This can also be seen as a sign of stagnation of activity in the long run.