Religious beliefs and the behavior of people during COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

Religion is a powerful, long-standing, pervasive, and at the same time, most influential social force, whereas its social power can be used either in helpful ways to slow the spread of Covid-19 or in harmful ways that favor the rapid spread of the virus. While various religious communities played a central role in spreading COVID-19 in various spheres of the globe, intensive debates about physical distancing and its implications for religious gathering have brought religious topics onto agendas. Additionally, there are various religious stigmas, superstitious beliefs, stereotype ideas, arrogancies, targeting a particular community for the outbreak, disobeying nature of the government orders have also emerged in the scenario during the pandemic world is facing right now. However, following a qualitative narrative approach based on secondary materials, the study attempted to investigate the actual responses of various religious communities across the world in the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the study concluded by explaining the potential role of religious leaders in this crisis.