Health, Spirituality and Medical Ethics

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January 2022. Volume 8. Number 4
Zohreh Khosravi1 , Fatemeh Shahisadrabadi2, Parvin Rahmatinejad3*
1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.
2. Department of Consuling, Faculty of Humanities, Branch Fatemeh Alzahra, Yazd Farhangian University, Yazd, Iran.
3. Department of Psychiatry Nekuei Hedayati Forqani Hospital, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
*Corresponding Author:
Parvin Rahmatinejad, MA.
Address: Department of Psychiatry, Nekuei Hedayati Forqani Hospital Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
Phone: +98 (25) 37118268
E-mail: rahmatinejadp@yahoo.com
Research Paper
Exploring the Role of COVID-19 Pandemic on
Religious and Spiritual Experiences of Iranian
Population: A Phenomenological Study
Background and Objectives: The spread of COVID-19 has led to numerous changes in
different domains of life throughout the world, including health habits, jobs, consumption
patterns, lifestyles, and religious ceremonies. Phenomenological questions, religious challenges,
and many questions regarding the cause of the pandemic also resulted from these changes.
Therefore, the goal of the present study was to explore the role of the COVID-19 pandemic on
the religious and spiritual experiences of the Iranian population.
Methods: A qualitative design based on a phenomenological approach was used. The sample
included 18 subjects who were selected using a purposeful sampling method. The data were
collected using semi-structured interviews.
Results: The Colaizzi method was used to analyze the data and member checking, selfmonitoring,
and immersion were used to examine the credibility of the results. The study
findings included 175 primary codes, of which two main categories and 11 subcategories were
extracted. Belief in God and religion was the first category extracted that included the following
subcategories: no change in belief in God, no change in lack of belief in God, reconsidering one’s
own beliefs, amazed by the power of God, amazed by the knowledge of God, Expecting miracles
from God, and Increased sense of spirituality or closeness to God. The second category was
beliefs about existence that included the following subcategories: no change in Beliefs, believing
that human abilities are limited, thinking about existence, and believing in the importance of
changing our behavior towards nature.
Conclusion: According to the study result, the experience of COVID-19 had affected
participants’ attitude towards religion, spirituality, God, nature, and the system of the world; most
of the participants reported improvements in their previous beliefs and attitudes as a result of
these changes. Therefore, some conversations, such as the epidemic of a disease (COVID-19)
can affect the religious attitudes and beliefs of individuals.
A B S T R A C T
Keywords:
Religion, Spirituality,
COVID-19,
Phenomenology
Please cite this article as Khosravi Z, Shahisadrabadi F, Rahmatinejad P. Exploring the Role of COVID-19 Pandemic
on Religious and Spiritual Experiences of Iranian Population: A Phenomenological Study. Health, Spirituality and Medical
Ethics Journal. 2022; 8(4):209-218. http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/hsmej.8.4.2
: http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/hsmej.8.4.2
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Article info:
Received: 10 May 2021
Accepted: 10 Oct 2021
Publish: 01 Jan 2022
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January 2022. Volume 8. Number 4
Introduction
ince the spread of COVID-19 first in
China and later in other parts of the world,
different aspects of everyday life, including
personal and social aspects, in different
societies have undergone a lot of changes.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in
cultural aspects, sports, businesses, health habits, consumption
patterns, lifestyles, and religious ceremonies
all over the world. From a psychological viewpoint, during
the pandemic, people are vulnerable to a sense of uncertainty,
fear of the disease, moral distress, sadness, and
loneliness. There are increasing concerns about coping
with the anxiety resulting from COVID-19 and also the
long-term personal and social effects of the pandemic [1].
Chinese researchers have reported a significant increase
in psychological problems, including anxiety, depression,
stress, and PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic [2, 3].
In a study by Qiu et al., about 35% of 52730 participants
reported experiencing symptoms of psychological distress
[4]. A review of literature on the effects of quarantine
during previous outbreaks, including SARS, H1N1,
MERS, and Ebola virus indicated that people who were
forced to isolate themselves during quarantine reported
high levels of psychological distress [5-7].
Research on the relationship between mental health
and stressful life events has confirmed that such events
can challenge our fundamental beliefs about our identity,
the world, and the future [8]. In such conditions, as
a result of experiencing a new lifestyle that is different
from what they were previously accustomed to, many
people enter a period of their lives, during which they
may experience existential preoccupations regarding the
universe, life and death, God, religious/spiritual beliefs,
and an unclear future. According to Segal and Geertz
(1973), at least three experiences are possible during a
crisis, including confusion, suffering, and uncontrollable
moral paradoxes that if severe enough, can present one
with fundamental challenges [9].
During a crisis, people who are less concerned with religion,
spirituality, and existential issues tend to show a
sudden interest in these matters. On the other hand, research
studies have shown that during stressful events,
including natural disasters, people become more interested
in their religious beliefs [10, 11]. Therefore, given
the contagious and threatening nature of COVID-19,
and considering its rapid spread in many countries
that have presented them with significant challenges, it
seems necessary to examine people’s perceptions of this
phenomenon with a special focus on existential issues
and religious/spiritual beliefs and also coping strategies
based on these beliefs. On the other hand, given the fact
that COVID-19 is a new phenomenon, few studies have
tried to examine the effects of the pandemic on people’s
perceptions of existential and religious/spiritual beliefs
and coping strategies based on them. Because religion
can provide people with coping strategies in the face of
social, health, financial, and cultural problems and can
explain scientific advancement in different domains,
such as health-related ones [12, 13], it seems necessary
to study people’s perceptions of religious/spiritual beliefs.
Therefore, considering this gap in the literature, we
aimed at conducting a phenomenological analysis of the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on existential, religious,
and spiritual beliefs.
This study was to phenomenologically examine whether
the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulted economic,
social, and cultural challenges have led to changes in
people’s beliefs about existence, nature, and especially
God and if yes, we aimed at examining the direction of
the effects. On the other hand, the present study aimed at
discovering and analyzing people’s experiences and religious/
spiritual coping strategies in the face of COVID-19.
Methods
The present study has a qualitative, descriptive-phenomenological
approach. This systematic approach is
used to describe subjective experiences and their meanings
[14]. The sample included 18 individuals, including
ten women and eight men, who were selected using a
convenience, purposeful sampling method with maximum
variation. Sample individuals were selected from
Alzahra University students and staff. Nine members
(33.33%) of the sample group were a student. The age
range of subjects was 27-65 years, and education level
ranged from bachelor’s degree to PhD. Most of the samples
(n=26; 86.66%) were married. The data were gathered
using semi-structured interviews. The subjects were
contacted, given information on the study objectives, and
included in the study after presenting their informed consent.
The exclusion criterion was a history of mental illness.
The duration of each interview was 30-60 minutes,
and the subjects were interviewed online and in person.
The main study questions were as follows: “What are
your experiences of God, religion, and existence during
the COVID-19 pandemic? Has there been any change in
your beliefs regarding God, religion, existence, dying,
and creation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? Did
your spiritual experiences have been changed during
this period? In what areas the changes have occurred?
S
Khosravi Z, et al. COVID-19 Pandemic and Religious/Spiritual Experiences. Health Spiritual Med Ethics J. 2022; 8(4):209-218
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After collecting the data, they were analyzed using the
Colaizzi method. After analyzing each interview and
shaping the organized concepts, the next interview was
conducted. This method continued until the completion
of all interviews.
The interviews were first read to understand the interview
space and participants several times and in the next
step, the main codes and the important phrases of each
interview were extracted. In the third stage, the meaning
of each expression explicitly and with the concept of
it was summarized. Then, in the fourth stage, they were
organized into categories of codes. At the fifth stage, the
categories associated with each other in a more general
group and then clusters were obtained, from which the
axial concepts were obtained. In the sixth stage, the findings
were discussed and ultimately answered to the phenomenon
structure.
In order to ensure the credibility of the results, member
checking and self-monitoring methods were used. Immersion
in the data was also used to confirm the credibility
of the findings. The sample had the maximum
variation. The following measures were taken to address
ethical considerations: informed consents were acquired,
subjects were allowed to leave the interview at any time,
personal information remained confidential, and time
and place of the interview were determined by the interviewees.
The study was approved by the research center
of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology
of Alzahra University.
Results
Analysis of interviews and extraction of codes resulted
in 175 important statements, of which two main categories
and six subcategories were extracted (Table 1).
Belief in God and religion
In multiple instances, the participants stated that no
change had occurred in their belief in God. The semantic
themes supporting this subcategory included strong preestablished
beliefs, having the beliefs for a long time and
lack of a sudden change in them, change in minor aspects
of beliefs not in general ones, believing in the function
of religion in explaining phenomena, believing in
the supportive role of God and religion in difficult times,
believing in God, believing that everything happens for
a reason, and believing in the separation of the good and
evil sources or attributing goodness to God and evilness
to things other than God. According to the participants,
belief in God and religion are formed during childhood;
therefore, they are not easily changed. In addition, religious
people tend to believe that during a crisis, like the
COVID-19 pandemic, God and religious beliefs can provide
them with support and change their views on events
by answering their questions. Moreover, believing in the
wisdom of God and the belief that God is the source of
all good things prevents a change in one’s belief in God.
Some of the participants believed that the current difficult
times and human’s lack of ability to overcome COVID-
19 indicated the need for a savior, and the current
condition paved the way for the coming of the savior.
Some of the statements made by the participants about
the aforementioned categories are presented here.
Participant 1: “No. There was no change. Philosophical
beliefs had been created in mind adequately, and I had
previously figured out those concepts.”
Participant 19: “Since I am a religious person, I experienced
no significant change in my beliefs about existence,
God, and creation. Because I believe that God is
above all things and that everything is under God’s control.
However, human beings, as God’s representatives
on earth, have free will in what they do and can influence
the universe with their actions.”
Participant 10: “On the other hand, based on end-time
prophesies encoded in our minds since childhood, I
looked at it as an end time pandemic as told by Hadith.”
Participant 24: “I thought how complex was the universe
and creation. I wondered strange things that could
happen that we’d never been able to imagine. Human
beings are unable to understand many things, while previously,
I thought they could do many things.”
Participant 23: “No change happened in my belief in
God, because I believe everything that happens to me
is a blessing, and everything occurs according to God’s
will, and bad things happening to us are not from God
and they surely happen for a reason. In addition, in such
a condition, the only one who can do anything is God”.
Disbelief in God included the following supportive
themes: unfamiliarity with the concepts of God and religion
before and after COVID-19, believing in scientific
methods and the inability of religion in explaining
phenomena, considering religion only a spiritual thing,
and believing in its lack of impact on the material world,
and the belief that nature is God. Participants who were
unfamiliar with religious concepts before the start of the
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COVID-19 pandemic reported no change in their beliefs
during the pandemic. These percipients considered no
special scientific or explanatory function for religion, and
at the same time, distinguished between religious and
material issues. Some of the participants regarded nature
as God and believed that the pandemic was a result of our
abuse of nature and a reaction of nature to human actions.
Participant 1: “Before and after the outbreak of COVID-
19, I was unfamiliar with God, religion, or concepts,
such as creation, etc. I have always believed in cause and
effect. The spiritual feelings people experience in terms
of realigning, existence, etc. are found in my mind in
terms of nature and the earth.”
Participant 19: “The prevalence of COVID-19 and
the resulting prolonged, forced quarantine, closure of
religious sites, the inability of clerics in controlling it,
lack of direct influence of religious recommendations on
controlling the crisis, and finally, the fact that the clerics
complied with medical recommendations made me
believe that spiritualty is a just a subjective feeling that
Table 1. Categories and subcategories of phenomenological perception of religion, God, and existence
Belief in God and Religion
Subcategories Supportive Semantic Themes
Stability in belief and
lack of belief in God
- Strong pre-established beliefs
- Having the beliefs for a long time and lack of a sudden change in them
- Change in minor aspects of beliefs, not in general ones
- Function of religion in explaining phenomena
- Belief in the supportive role of God and religion in difficult times
- Believing that everything happens for a reason
- Believing in the separation of the good and evil sources or attributing goodness to God and evilness to
things other than God
- Believing in the importance of preparation for the coming of a savior
- Unfamiliarity with the concepts of God and religion before the outbreak of COVID-19 and after that.
- Believing in scientific methods and inability of religion in explaining phenomena
- Considering religion only a spiritual thing and believing in its lack of impact on the material world
- Believing that nature is God
Perception of God
- Reconsidering one’s own beliefs
- Amazed by the power of God
- Amazed by the knowledge of God
- Expecting miracles from God
- Increased sense of spirituality or closeness to God
- Needing God’s help more than before
- Seeking help from God
- Believing that it is only God who can end a crisis
Beliefs about Existence
Subcategories Supportive Semantic Themes
Stability in the world
- Strong pre-established beliefs
- Change in minor aspects of beliefs, not in general ones
Thinking in humans Belief in human disability
Being thought
- Thinking about complexities of the world
- Thinking about the causes of phenomena
- Thinking about the cause and nature of COVID-19 as part of nature
- Considering quarantine an opportunity to spend more time thinking
- Considering quarantine an opportunity to read more and increase one’s own awareness of different subjects
The nature of thought
- Retention to the importance of nature
- The necessity of changing behavior with nature
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helps your soul transcend, but for controlling material
things, material methods should be used.”
Participant 23: “After the outbreak of COVID-19, for
the first time in my life, I spent two months in quarantine
without seeing my family and friends. In such conditions,
a revision in my thoughts about God, existence,
and creation would be expected.”
Being amazed by the power of God was another experience
of God reported by the participants. A sudden change
in the order of the world and life of human beings had
reminded the participants of the power of God in changing
phenomena and people’s beliefs. In addition, God’s
ability to create such creatures amazed the participants.
Participant 26: “These days I believe in God’s power
more than ever. These days I have felt God’s forgiveness
and kindness with all my heart, and I have realized that
everything is under God’s control ….”
Being amazed by the knowledge of God was the fourth
subcategory. Confusion about the origin and cause of
COVID-19, the feeling that the pandemic would stay
forever, and the belief that God is the beginning and the
end of this phenomenon made the participants astonished
by the knowledge of God.
Participant 10: “We imagined that God was the greatest,
that all aspects of our life were under his control, and
that it was only God who was aware of everything.”
When it is believed that God is the source of absolute
power and knowledge, the fifth subcategory is expected
to be expecting miracles from God. Participants stated
that it was only God who could save them from challenges
caused by COVID-19.
Participant 18: “In the early days of the outbreak of
COVID-19, I expected God to solve this problem. In
other words, I expected a miracle from God that would
help human beings out of this crisis. It was only God
who could do something to end the crisis.”
Increased sense of spirituality and closeness to God was
described by the following themes: needing God’s help
more than before, seeking help from God, and believing
that it is only God who can end a crisis. When people
believe that power only belongs to God and that they can
get rid of problems only with the help of God, they need
God more, and as a result, they feel closer to God.
Participant 14: “However, I again realized the role of religion
in helping me emotionally, and of course, I regretted
why I didn’t have any more such a spiritual relationship
with God and religion. But, in the current conditions,
I feel more connected to God. I had no choice but to trust
in God, and it is only God who can change this situation.”
2. Beliefs about existence were the second main category,
and included the following subcategories: No
change in beliefs about existence, believing that human
abilities are limited, thinking about the universe, and believing
in the importance of changing our behavior towards
nature.
No change in beliefs about existence included the
following themes: Strong pre-established beliefs and
change in minor aspects of beliefs not in general ones.
Beliefs about existence are deeply ingrained in our minds
and are not easily changed even as a result of a big crisis.
In addition, people tend to analyze and explain events
according to their beliefs; therefore, these beliefs can be
strengthened through experiencing different events.
Participant 2: “I didn’t consider the word’s system fair
even before the pandemic; therefore, it did not change
any of my beliefs about the universe.”
Experiencing an event that was out of human control
had strengthened the belief in the participants that human
knowledge and power was very limited. At the
same time, seeing that human efforts were not much successful
in controlling the disease caused the participants
to consider the situation beyond the power and knowledge
of human beings.
Participant 8: “The truth is that COVID-19 changed my
previous predictable routine life; therefore, it helped me
develop a deeper understanding of God and of my inability
as a human being. The unpredictability of situations
provided me with a more realistic picture of man and its
abilities and inabilities.”
Thinking about existence is another subcategory of beliefs
about existence. The outbreak of COVID-19 throughout
the world and its dominance over human life had
presented the participants with a lot of questions about different
aspects of existence. Thinking about the complexities
of the world, thinking about the causes of phenomena,
and thinking about the cause and nature of COVID-19 as
part of nature were among the important themes in this
subcategory. In addition, the quarantine had provided the
participants with a greater opportunity to spend time thinking
and reading in order to increase their knowledge on
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different subjects. Therefore, in different ways, they were
more able to ponder about different subjects.
Participant 21: “I have always had a lot of questions
about religious matters, but studying in a master’s program
did not allow me to spend time on finding answers.
But, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I could review
three books by Yuval Noah Harari, and this influenced
my religious beliefs. Now, I want to obtain a master’s
degree in philosophy and religious studies so that I can
find answers to my questions.”
The last subcategory was believing that we should
change our behavior towards nature. Many participants
stated the belief that the outbreak of COVID-19 was related
to human behavior, and that human beings needed
to change their behavior towards nature. According to
the participants, some of the consequences of the pandemic,
such as reduced abuse of nature, reduced waste
production, reduced use of vehicles, and reduced air pollution
were in favor of nature.
Participant 20: “Nature was created as a result of a
natural incident, and over time, our irresponsible behavior
and abuse of nature have led to these diseases and
destruction of nature and ourselves. I believe that given
our abuse of nature, COVID-19 is the least important disaster
that can happen to us, and that if we don’t change
our behavior towards nature, we should expect disasters
worse than COVID-19 because manipulation and abuse
of nature is a very irresponsible act.”
Discussion
The first main category was Belief in God and Religion
that included the following subcategories: No change
belief in God, No change in lack of belief in God, Reconsidering
one’s own beliefs, Amazed by the power
of God, Amazed by the knowledge of God, Expecting
miracles from God, and Increased sense of spirituality or
closeness to God.
According to the study results, No Change in belief in
God was revealed as the main category. It seems that the
COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting problems had no
impact on the beliefs of God believers. This finding can
be explained according to the concept of Sense of Coherence
(SOC) proposed by Antonovsky [15-17]. He defines
a sense of coherence as one’s personal orientation in life.
He maintains that through a sense of coherence, we can
explain why a person can cope with high levels of tension
and stay healthy. According to this theory, sense of
coherence consists of three elements, including comprehensibility
(Finding meanings in life and events and ability
to understand a situation as a whole), meaningfulness
(life makes sense emotionally, problems are perceived
as a challenge, not a heavy burden), and manageability
(ability to use accessible resources to cope with stressful
life events). Research has shown that sense of coherence
has a strong correlation with mental health and predicts
psychological well-being [18]. According to this theory,
highly perceptive individuals can perceive and interpret
situations as a whole and in a consistent manner. Therefore,
they tend to see special meanings in life events and
consider them as challenging situations that need to be
dealt with using appropriate solutions obtained through
accessible resources.
Challenging life events may initially lead to psychological
distress, even question one’s religious or existential
beliefs, and lead to an existential preoccupation about life
events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; however, psychological
distress and existential preoccupation are eventually
resolved through a personal orientation towards religion/
spirituality and in the context of belief in God.
Some of the participants considered God and religion
a refuge during hard times. While some people tend to
use strategies, like remaining silent, seeking isolation, or
even victimization in the face of a crisis, religious people
use strategies, such as getting support from religion/
spirituality, seeking help from professionals or friends
and relatives, or findings advice in literature to cope with
stressful events [19]. For many people, faith is an important
source of psychological health and well-being [20].
Religious scholars believe that there is a direct association
between suffering and illness with religious tendencies
and that illness, threats, and worries encourage
people to pay more attention to God and spiritual forces
[21, 22]. Therefore, we often see that people with no apparent
religious tendencies become more religious during
stressful situations. For example, research studies
have shown that people with cancer, even those who do
not consider themselves religious, often report spiritual
preoccupations [23]. Religious beliefs help people better
cope with stressful life events, and the positive relationship
of religiosity with lower levels of anxiety and higher
levels of hopefulness in life has been shown by research
studies [22]. Previous studies have shown that during
natural disasters, the use of religiosity as a religious coping
strategy increases [11, 24].
Pargament maintains that religious coping may equip
us with proper reactions to situations where limitation
in human power and control is more highlighted [25].
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Religious beliefs and actions may reduce the risk of
helplessness and loss of control, and provide us with a
framework that can reduce our suffering and improve
our sense of meaning and goal-directedness in the face
of stressful and uncontrollable life events, such as the
COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, religion/spirituality
can provide us with a worldview that can help in finding
meaning in suffering in addition to improving our sense
of hopefulness and motivation in life. Moreover, by providing
us with supportive resources in a more indirect
way and through influencing hopefulness, religion/spirituality
can lead to better psychological adjustment [26].
The belief stated by religious scholars that during
stressful life events, people tend to seek help from religion/
spirituality to achieve peace and explain the crisis
they are faced with has been confirmed by findings of research
studies. For example, a study using daily Google
search data from 95 countries showed that during the
COVID-19 pandemic, searching for prayer increased
to the highest level ever recorded. In other words, more
than half of the world’s population resorted to prayer to
end the pandemic [23].
According to some of the subjects, religion/spirituality
can provide a comprehensive explanation for the COVID-
19 pandemic. They reported that their religious/
spiritual beliefs had helped them find answers to their
questions about the cause and nature of COVID-19.
According to Gutek, religion influences one’s answers
to basic questions about the creation of the world and humankind,
determines one’s relationship with social, political,
and education systems, and also influences one’s
identity [27]. Religious/spiritual beliefs are important elements
in all cultures, and religiosity/spirituality is heavily
dependent on one’s personal efforts to understand
ultimate questions about meaning and metaphysical and
spiritual sources [28]. Religious frameworks may have
an important impact on the way we interpret different
phenomena and on our coping with stressful events and
phenomena that are beyond human knowledge. For
many people, religion/spirituality can provide a powerful
philosophy for life, a strong framework for the interpretation
of life challenges and explaining phenomena
beyond human control, and answers to important questions
about suffering, grief, illness, etc. Religious beliefs
can help people cope with the negative effects of
stressful life events, and assist them in finding meaning
in events even when they seem meaningless [21].
In terms of the use of religious/spiritual beliefs in explaining
life events, it must be noted that there are two
types of religious coping strategies in the face of negative
events, including positive and negative strategies
[21, 29]. Positive coping strategies, such as benevolent
religious reappraisal, the reappraisal of God power, collaborative
religious coping, seeking religious support, religious
focus, religious purification, spiritual connection,
seeking support from clergy, religious helping, and religious
forgiving [21] have an essential role in explaining
life challenges and interpreting the universe. In negative
religious copings, such as punishing god reappraisal, active
and passive deferring religious coping, and spiritual
discontent, one has an avoidant and uncertain relationship
with God; for example, the belief that God leaves us
alone in hardships [21, 29] or negative events are punishments
from God. Such an attitude may lead to helplessness,
despair, distress, or guilt [30]. Therefore, the way
we use religion to find explanations for and answers to
our questions about life and human suffering is of high
importance. Even in religious people, the type of religious
coping (positive vs. negative) is important in the interpretation
of phenomena and personal and social events.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, god-believers and even
atheists again asked questions on how god’s benevolence
can be justified considering the creation of an evil thing
like COVID-19. This paradox becomes even more challenging
when considered in the light of God’s omnibenevolence,
a concept mentioned in religious texts. In positive
religious coping strategies, one believes that no act
of God is meaningless and that we are unable to explain
many phenomena due to our limited knowledge. What is
clear is that in positive religious interpretations, reference
to spiritual forces affects one’s reappraisal, and provides
one with meanings and possible explanations for events.
Those who use positive religious coping strategies to
reduce tension and stress resulting from negative life
events can facilitate their transcendence process and reduce
helplessness and despair symptoms through positive
appraisals and believing in God’s wisdom, believing
that each event is based on a goal, and distinguishing
between goodness and evil sources (attributing goodness
to God and evilness to things other than god). Therefore,
the way religious people see COVID-19 and attach an
objective to it is assumed to be a determining factor in
their flexibility and hopefulness during the pandemic.
In the face of a virus that has affected the whole world,
a lot of people believe that we should pray to God and
expect divine intervention to solve this problem, because
this challenge is so big that makes us believe in God’s
knowledge and power, surrender to his will, and expect
a miracle from him. In these tense conditions, believing
in a God who controls situations and watches human
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beings, events, and the world’s system can significantly
reduce our stress and anxiety [21].
In terms of the increased sense of spirituality and closeness
to God, based on Gansevoort’s multidimensional
theoretical model (1998), religious experience has an
essential role in comforting people. Needing God more,
seeking help from God, believing that it is only God who
can end a crisis are positive religious strategies that reflect
a safe relationship with God, trusting him and a powerful
sense of spirituality. Also, examined religious coping
strategies used by individuals, and identified five functions
of religion, including finding meaning, achieving a
sense of control, spiritual comfort, facilitation of intimacy
and spirituality, and facilitation of deep life changes [21].
Therefore, based on the results of previous studies, it
can be argued that religious/spiritual coping strategies
are an internal source of seeking meaning during the
COVID-19 pandemic that leads to comfort and a deeper
intimacy with God. Having a goal in life and finding
meaning in life events, feeling belonged to a higher
power, hoping for god’s support in challenging situations,
and seeking social and spiritual support are among
strategies used by religious people to cope with a crisis,
like the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the experience of the increased sense of
spirituality and closeness to God that was reported by
some of the participants can be explained according to
the theory of post-traumatic growth. Tedeschi and Calhoun
define post-traumatic growth as “experiencing
positive psychological changes as a result of stressful
life events”. People who are faced with stress may experience
meaningful changes in different domains of
life, such as the increased capacity to understand life
and increased perception of religious/spiritual concepts
[31]. Post-traumatic growth shows that experience of
stress can lead to meaningful cognitive reconstruction.
During this process, people question their basic assumptions
about themselves, the world, and the relationships
between the two, and because older assumptions may
not be helpful in new situations, people try to review
their previous assumptions and replace them with more
functional ones [32]. Given the results of previous studies
and according to the post-traumatic growth theory, it
appears that many people have experienced deep perception
of life, universe, and also psychological transcendence
during the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to
religious/spiritual coping and a greater sense of closeness
to God. Living hopefully and trying to be a better
person and having new choices to create a better life are
opportunities provided for us by our religious/spiritual
beliefs about COVID-19.
Another result of the present study showed that those
who were unfamiliar with God and religious concepts
before the outbreak of COVID-19 had maintained their
previous beliefs during the pandemic. They had materialistic
beliefs about the universe and believed in nature’s
intelligence. In contrast to this approach, different religions
maintain that nature is not intelligent in itself, but
is managed by a higher power that is extremely intelligent
(i.e., God). People who believe in nature maintain
that nature is God and has a self-created order, and tend
to be against talking about creation and related subjects
in different domains of science because they consider
creating a religious subject, not a scientific one [33].
Participants reported that the quarantine had provided
them with greater opportunities to think, read, and increase
their awareness of different subjects. According
to Heidegger, our routine life causes us to forget an
unavoidable reality in our life i.e. death, and our daily
activities do not allow us to adequately think about existence,
human nature, and the universe. If we can separate
ourselves from our hectic life, find peace, and think
more about death, then we will be able to truly understand
the reality of our existence [34].
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people saw the
reality of death, and this encouraged them to think more
about existential issues. On the other hand, during the
pandemic, many people developed a deeper understanding
of existential issues, such as thinking about the complexities
of the universe, causes of different phenomena,
and the cause and nature of COVID-19 as part of the
universe. Questions, such as “Was the new virus knowingly
created and distributed by man?” “If yes, why the
conscience of humanity has dropped to such a low level?”
“If the new virus is not man-made but a product of
nature, why does nature sometimes behave like that?”
“Why is the empirical science unable to efficiently fight
the new virus?” “What is the meaning of human life?”
“How does it feel to think about life and death?” It is
here that a philosophical attitude and thinking about existential
issues become a major part of human life.
Another subcategory found in the present study was
believing in the importance of changing our behavior towards
nature. Regarding this subcategory, reports from
different parts of the world have shown that along with
major changes in social, economic, and health domains,
COVID-19 has had significant effects on the environment
[35]. Most of the participants stated that the outbreak of
COVID-19 warned both authorities and the general public
to rethink the way they treated nature, natural resources,
and the environment. According to the participants,
as we have experienced the outbreak of COVID-19, we
can take a closer look at our attitude towards nature, and
Khosravi Z, et al. COVID-19 Pandemic and Religious/Spiritual Experiences. Health Spiritual Med Ethics J. 2022; 8(4):209-218
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January 2022. Volume 8. Number 4
convert this threat into an opportunity to reduce abuse of
nature and promote a healthy relationship with the light
of Heidegger’s viewpoint. According to Heidegger, when
we are stuck at home, things are no longer mere sources
of exploitation, but in this breaking away from modernity,
the true identity of phenomena is revealed [34].
Conclusion
Overall, the results of the present study indicated that the
COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on attitudes
towards and beliefs about religion/spirituality, God, nature,
existence, and the universe; in most cases, it had strengthened
people’s previous beliefs. On the other hand, it can be concluded
that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, religion/spirituality
has an important role in achieving positive outcomes
for those with religious/spiritual beliefs. It must be noted
that religion is an unavoidable element of every culture, and
because religion/spirituality is closely connected to cultural
factors, one’s use of religious/spiritual coping strategies in
the face of negative life events, such as the prevalence of a
life-threatening disease, seems to be related to the number
of coping strategies available in one’s culture. When religion
constitutes a major part of a culture, religious/spiritual coping
strategies and also stronger and deeper religious/spiritual
beliefs will play an essential role in coping with different life
events. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that
religious/spirituality has been able to help believers in today’s
hectic world through improving their belief in themselves
and also in a higher power.
One of the limitations of the present study is related to
its cross-sectional design that did not allow us to examine
changes in religious or nonreligious attitudes over time and
after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, future
studies are suggested to examine these changes over time using
longitudinal studies. It is also suggested that the variables
examined in the present study should be assessed along with
other variables; for example, identification of different types
of positive and negative coping strategies or internal and
external religious orientation and examination of the role of
gender or education in the way people cope with COVID-19.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
All ethical principles are considered in this article. The participants
were informed of the purpose of the research and
its implementation stages. They were also assured about the
confidentiality of their information and were free to leave the
study whenever they wished, and if desired, the research results
would be available to them.
Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies
in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.
Authors' contributions
All authors equally contributed to preparing this article.
Conflict of interest
The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interests
regarding the publication of this article.
Acknowledgments
Our special appreciation and thanks go to all individual
who participated in the current study.
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