As state governments fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus and as temporary lockdowns continue, people are looking for relief, and they’re finding it in prayer.
More than half of all adults in the United States said they prayed for the virus to stop spreading, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted in mid-March. Internet searches for popular prayers have skyrocketed, too. In fact, Google Analytics data show that searches for prayer hit a five-year high in the month of March.
Government leaders are also turning to religion. President Trump declared March 15 a national day of prayer, and the governors of West Virginia, Louisiana, and Arkansas followed suit soon thereafter. Smaller cities, too, have asked residents to pray for their communities, healthcare workers, and government officials as the nation struggles to mitigate the costs of a global pandemic.
“This is a perilous time, and we must pull together to defeat this virus,” said Mount Airy, North Carolina, Mayor David Rowe last week before asking the town’s churches to ring their bells for two minutes at noon every day. “Regardless of our respective faiths, we have an obligation and an opportunity to call upon God for leadership as we together navigate uncharted waters.”
This religious surge might be temporary, and it might also be limited to the confines of the internet since churches and other houses of worship are unable to meet in person. But it reveals that many are searching for hope, peace, and an answer in the midst of so much uncertainty.
Economist Jeanet Bentzen described this turn toward religion as “religious coping.” Others might simply call it faith. We are fighting an invisible foe that we do not fully understand and cannot completely control. So, it’s only natural that people would turn to a higher power that is believed to be all-powerful and all-knowing and capable of deliverance.
Perhaps this isn’t the phenomenon Bentzen has made it out to be. Indeed, I’d argue that asking God for help when we need it most is one of the most natural things in the world.
