How the Pandemic Impacted Faith

It’s no overstatement to say the 2020 lockdowns affected nearly every aspect of life. In some parts of our lives, we found ourselves more resilient than we would have believed; in other parts of our lives, we struggled in unbelievable ways. For the religious person, public acts of devotion such as going to Church, Mass, Mosque, or Synagogue, ended abruptly (or at least were radically transformed). Life was dramatically upended for so many: children not going to school, loss of employment, social ties being cut. When that happened, did individuals increase their private devotion to make up for the lost public devotion? Or, did their private devotion wane without the supporting structure of public devotion? Or, did their private devotion carry on as normal? What about family religious activities such as family prayer and scripture study? In their faith, did families step up or take a step back?