27 April 2020

How coronavirus is leading to a religious revival

As Covid-19 reminds us of life’s fragility, an increasing number of people are turning to faith and spirituality.

By Miriam Partington and Sebastian Shehadi

LITHONIA, GA - FEBRUARY 7: Shontae Scott of Atlanta clutches her hands on her bible Tuesday while watching live coverage of the funeral of Coretta Scott King at the Samson's Health and Fitness Center next to the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church February 7, 2006 in Lithonia, Georgia. Coretta Scott King, the wife of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, died January 30 at the age of 78. The lines to view King's body before her funeral started forming before 3 a.m., and by the time the doors opened at 6:30 a.m., people toward the end were warned that if they stayed they likely wouldn't get into the funeral. (Photo by Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

Corinna Camilleri was five years old when she began attending church in her hometown of Mdina, Malta. She remembers learning to recite prayers word for word from the Bible, many of which she still remembers today. “I always believed in a God,” says the London-based artist. “But looking at the coronavirus situation, I’m questioning his agenda. What kind of twisted entity would allow such suffering?”

While Corinna may be experiencing a crisis of faith, recent data shows that others may be engaging more with religion since lockdown. The fact that Bible app downloads shot up in March globally is one indication of this. The top English-language Bible on Google Play and App Store was installed almost two million times, the highest amount ever recorded for March, according to Appfigures. Similarly, one of the UK’s largest online Christian bookstores, Eden, has seen physical Bible sales rise by 55 per cent in April, while Google searches for “prayer” and “Christianity” have skyrocketed.