The survey comes as more regions and countries return to strict lockdowns after reporting another surge in coronavirus cases. COURTESY PHOTO.
As COVID-19 cases continue to spike in different parts of the world, an increasing number of Churches say worship places should defy restrictions that public health experts say are crucial to containing the pandemic.
Public Religion Research Institute, a non profit that conducts public opinion polls related to among others religious values, carried out a survey in which they found that more churches are now supportive of Christian congregations defying government orders to stop gathering in person for worship.
Notably, this was not the case at the start of the pandemic.
According to the survey, the proportion of people who “strongly agree” with defying church restrictions increased from 10.7% at the start of the pandemic to 16% now.
On the other hand, opposition to defying restrictions fell from 55.6% to 39.1%.
According to the researchers, one of the factors that explain the increased support for churches defying worship restrictions is “adherence to the prosperity gospel”, which teaches that “religious belief is a quid pro quo, returning a wide range of benefits for believers, especially health and wealth.”
“Prosperity gospel belief is also linked to opposition to state health orders, and the connection is easy to see: if the church is the instrument of personal health, then shuttering the church is a direct threat to personal safety during a pandemic,” the researchers said.
The research was conducted in collaboration with political science professor Ryan Burge, of Eastern Illinois University among 1,750 Americans from March to October, 2020.
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